the elusive 'flow state'

A few weeks ago, I was redrafting my novel. I’d been on a streak, writing every day, but that afternoon, I wasn’t feeling it. I tried and I tried for about and hour and a half, but I wasn’t getting anywhere and feeling worse by the second. So, I stopped.

I knew if I carried on my writing wouldn’t be any good and I’d regret forcing myself. But it still sucked, obviously. I’d broken my streak and I had nothing to show for the day.

Even on days like this, when I physically and mentally can’t write, I have this guilt gnawing at me. The little voice at the back of my head saying: “You need to write more. You’re not gonna get anywhere if you don’t.”

I’m sure I’m not the only one who feels this way and you too have heard from various professionals that you can only be a writer if you write every day.

Well, let me tell you right now – THAT’S BULLSHIT.

If you write, you’re a writer. It doesn’t matter how much you write or when you write, just as long as you do.

is writing every day good for my productivity?

It is impossible to write every day and whoever says they do is lying. Okay, maybe some do (I’m looking at you, Stephen King) but that’s usually because it’s their one and only job.

But if you’re like me, trying to break into the industry or get published for the first time, you simply can’t afford to write every day.

We all need to get by, and if you’re not getting paid to write, you’ll have a job. I have a part-time one, working night shifts at the weekend, but I also freelance and I volunteer as a script reader and an assistant script supervisor on a feature film on top of it.

Oh, and I’m a contributor here, I run the Twitter account and I have a life. Friends and family, a partner and a cat to look after!

Sometimes, I just don’t have the time or energy to write. And you know what, that’s okay.

everyone has a unique creative process

Sometimes, I can go days, weeks, even months without writing! Sometimes I worry it means I’m not doing enough – of course I do – but I also know I will write again. I’ll have spurts of motivation, streaks where I do write every day and it’s some of my best stuff!

Also, writing doesn’t always have to mean the physical act. You can write in your head. I mean, we all do it, right? In that case, we’re always writing.

Typing is just translating

You’re also writing when you’re planning and researching, scribbling in your little black book or doodling in your sketchpad, creating a mood board or Spotify playlist. I mean, how can you be expected to write every day when you’ve got to do all that first?

And when you’re ready to write, yeah, it’s nice to have goals and targets, wordcounts and deadlines you want to meet, and it can be fun to participate in challenges (like ours *wink wink*). But don’t punish yourself if you don’t always achieve them.

Last year, I participated in NaNoWriMo for the first time. I’d already started the novel I’m editing now, and I knew I couldn’t write 50,000 words in a month so, I set my own wordcount target. But I still didn’t hit that.

Naturally, I was disappointed in myself. But really, what did it matter? In the new year, I rewrote my book from scratch and eventually finished it in June. I didn’t write every day so, it took me longer but at least I wrote it. What mattered is I finished the thing.

WRITING IS A MARATHON NOT A SPRINT

Unless you give up completely, there’s no reason to be hard on yourself. If it’s meant to be, you’ll put in the hard work at your own pace.

As I said, writing is all in your head. So, if your head isn’t in the right place for whatever reason, don’t ever force yourself to write just because some pompous know-it-all said you have to.

Every writer’s situation is different. Some have jobs, some have mental health – I have both.

You do what’s best for you. You don’t have to suffer for your art.

Now, go take a break! You’ve earned it.