I recently started using these writing tracking charts I made. They're basically calendars where I check off the dates I've written, regardless of word counts. My goal is to write at least 3 days a week. If I write every day in a week, I get a special treat! But I don't feel bad about any days I don't write.
i feel stuck in a frustrated middle ground where your advice is solid, but the point about asking "why you are writing this piece of fiction" niggles at me because yes: i do want to publish it, that is my primary goal. yes i want to tell this story, but i don't know how to "dig deeper" (more of a personal introspection issue i suppose) when other surface level work is published all the time :(
As a professional writer, my goal is also to publish, and I rarely work on a writing project that I don’t intend to publish in some way. This is totally a valid reason to write. I think Puloma is suggesting that it can be beneficial for your motivation to look beyond publication (which we—as writers—honestly have very little control over) and focus on why you’re writing this particular story. What is the story’s central question? What compels you to explore this question? How did you come to write this story? Why is this story (its subject matter and characters) important to you? Answering these questions when you’re stuck can help you figure out what’s important and what you can explore next in the story. Hope this helps!
I always give myself at least one day off a week. I try to follow the 'never fail twice' advice, which I believe is from Atomic Habits by James Clear, that if I don't write one day then I should write the next. Otherwise I try to be flexible to allow my brain space. Even God gets a day off - why shouldn't I?
Days off are so important! “Never fail twice” is such a productive motto to follow. I’ve been meaning to read Atomic Habits for a long time, and this quote is bumping it up on my list. Thanks for sharing!
This article reaffirms the artist’s commitment - to produce art and not to produce income. It is a breath of fresh air, championing a healthy, reasonable, rewarding sort of writer’s life – not the self-flagellation of tortured souls who lock themselves in garrets to write but people who take care of their bodies and minds and have a mind to becoming their best selves. But this article also reminded me of a diary entry by Franz Kafka and when I went into my drive to find it I couldn’t – because of the overwhelming amount of material I have collected on research and instruction for writing as well as the results of my own writing practice. I thought this was as absurd as being lost in one of Kafka’s Kafka-esque nightmares. But I do remember the gist of the entry in which he urgently and with great feeling admonishes himself for not being disciplined enough, for not practicing enough and producing enough for not getting there yet. It struck me that he must have been haunted by the writing on the wall of his life – he knew he was dying of tuberculosis for 7 years – my own mortality became a ghost prompting me to get serious after reading Kafka’s diary. The fact is that he left enough work to prove that he did practice enough, that he did work so incredibly hard, that his writing became great even as he insulted himself. Perhaps, as an artist, the surest way for him in the face of death was to whip himself forward. Some people do not have a lifetime, but most of us do. It is so hard to remember in this day of our unprecedented publishing boom when there is so much greatness available to read as well as not so great – that we are here to not just write but to leave the very best of our best possible work behind us, when we too pass away. Ms. Ghosh’s thoughts about the discipline of writing gives one the sense of what it means to foster our inspiration, to take care of our minds inside our bodies so they can inspire and so that we are physically and mentally able to produce. I thank you both for this article because it is true that the old adage of write everyday has the patriarchal writers of the past – those men who did not need to work or care for children – written all over it. It is the sort of advice that enables us to retain the spark of joy – inspiration – which all great art contains.
I’m about to start an intensive revision and this line, “. . . to take care of our minds inside our bodies so they can inspire,” resonated with me a lot. Thank you for this thoughtful comment!
Right now, I do try to write everyday as I draft a new project. I have a very low threshold, 100 words, to meet and then I’m done for the day. Most times, I go over that. For me, it helps me get to the page; otherwise, I’ll let everything else push writing to the side.
Also with my work goals shifting to something more 9-5 throughout the whole year, I feel like this summer will be my last relatively free summer for a while, and I’m trying to take advantage of this time.
But this is certainly a privilege, and I think it works because this is a new project that I’m excited about. I need words on the page. However, when I do go to revising, my goal posts will change to word count to page count.
It’s the season I’m in. That counts, too. And this is one project that I’ve worked extensively on since finishing a manuscript back in 2022. I’ve had my time of living and thinking. Now it’s time to write.
I identify so much with “I’ve had my time of living and thinking. Now it’s time to write.” I can also relate to anticipating big life changes and knowing now’s the time to prioritize writing while it’s feasible. Thinking about the writing life in terms of seasons for living versus writing is so helpful for managing priorities and any guilt about short-term sacrifices we have to make.
Since you’re anticipating some changes with work, are you working toward a specific deadline? If so, how’d you pick your deadline and the 100-word pace?
I go back into the classroom full-time after Labor Day so that’s my deadline. And yes, that means upping the goal, but I gotta trick myself into it. The past few days I’ve been putting in 1000 words, and I have a 11,000 words now.
You've already made so much progress! Labor Day is a totally achievable deadline. I've also given myself a September deadline for my draft. Let's keep each other accountable!
I recently started using these writing tracking charts I made. They're basically calendars where I check off the dates I've written, regardless of word counts. My goal is to write at least 3 days a week. If I write every day in a week, I get a special treat! But I don't feel bad about any days I don't write.
I love a lil treat! This is such a great way to manage expectations and make writing a thing to look forward to. What are some of your go to treats?
Time outside in hammock, bubble bath, dinner out, something new!
Omg, jealous of the hammock. These treats sound amazing!
i feel stuck in a frustrated middle ground where your advice is solid, but the point about asking "why you are writing this piece of fiction" niggles at me because yes: i do want to publish it, that is my primary goal. yes i want to tell this story, but i don't know how to "dig deeper" (more of a personal introspection issue i suppose) when other surface level work is published all the time :(
As a professional writer, my goal is also to publish, and I rarely work on a writing project that I don’t intend to publish in some way. This is totally a valid reason to write. I think Puloma is suggesting that it can be beneficial for your motivation to look beyond publication (which we—as writers—honestly have very little control over) and focus on why you’re writing this particular story. What is the story’s central question? What compels you to explore this question? How did you come to write this story? Why is this story (its subject matter and characters) important to you? Answering these questions when you’re stuck can help you figure out what’s important and what you can explore next in the story. Hope this helps!
This was so grounding to read—‘write when it calls to you, live when it doesn’t’ is going to stick with me for a while!
Thanks for reading!
Love this series, Kat, and really enjoyed this interview. Especially appreciated the reframing of advice, based on experience — very insightful!
It’s been a lot of fun seeing what advice different writers gravitate towards and different takes on the same piece of advice. Thanks for reading!
I always give myself at least one day off a week. I try to follow the 'never fail twice' advice, which I believe is from Atomic Habits by James Clear, that if I don't write one day then I should write the next. Otherwise I try to be flexible to allow my brain space. Even God gets a day off - why shouldn't I?
Days off are so important! “Never fail twice” is such a productive motto to follow. I’ve been meaning to read Atomic Habits for a long time, and this quote is bumping it up on my list. Thanks for sharing!
You’re so welcome! It’s probably time I do a re-read of that, too. It’s been a minute.
This article reaffirms the artist’s commitment - to produce art and not to produce income. It is a breath of fresh air, championing a healthy, reasonable, rewarding sort of writer’s life – not the self-flagellation of tortured souls who lock themselves in garrets to write but people who take care of their bodies and minds and have a mind to becoming their best selves. But this article also reminded me of a diary entry by Franz Kafka and when I went into my drive to find it I couldn’t – because of the overwhelming amount of material I have collected on research and instruction for writing as well as the results of my own writing practice. I thought this was as absurd as being lost in one of Kafka’s Kafka-esque nightmares. But I do remember the gist of the entry in which he urgently and with great feeling admonishes himself for not being disciplined enough, for not practicing enough and producing enough for not getting there yet. It struck me that he must have been haunted by the writing on the wall of his life – he knew he was dying of tuberculosis for 7 years – my own mortality became a ghost prompting me to get serious after reading Kafka’s diary. The fact is that he left enough work to prove that he did practice enough, that he did work so incredibly hard, that his writing became great even as he insulted himself. Perhaps, as an artist, the surest way for him in the face of death was to whip himself forward. Some people do not have a lifetime, but most of us do. It is so hard to remember in this day of our unprecedented publishing boom when there is so much greatness available to read as well as not so great – that we are here to not just write but to leave the very best of our best possible work behind us, when we too pass away. Ms. Ghosh’s thoughts about the discipline of writing gives one the sense of what it means to foster our inspiration, to take care of our minds inside our bodies so they can inspire and so that we are physically and mentally able to produce. I thank you both for this article because it is true that the old adage of write everyday has the patriarchal writers of the past – those men who did not need to work or care for children – written all over it. It is the sort of advice that enables us to retain the spark of joy – inspiration – which all great art contains.
I’m about to start an intensive revision and this line, “. . . to take care of our minds inside our bodies so they can inspire,” resonated with me a lot. Thank you for this thoughtful comment!
Thank you, Kat...I do so appreciate learning here and "meeting" the wonderful guests you have.
Right now, I do try to write everyday as I draft a new project. I have a very low threshold, 100 words, to meet and then I’m done for the day. Most times, I go over that. For me, it helps me get to the page; otherwise, I’ll let everything else push writing to the side.
Also with my work goals shifting to something more 9-5 throughout the whole year, I feel like this summer will be my last relatively free summer for a while, and I’m trying to take advantage of this time.
But this is certainly a privilege, and I think it works because this is a new project that I’m excited about. I need words on the page. However, when I do go to revising, my goal posts will change to word count to page count.
It’s the season I’m in. That counts, too. And this is one project that I’ve worked extensively on since finishing a manuscript back in 2022. I’ve had my time of living and thinking. Now it’s time to write.
I identify so much with “I’ve had my time of living and thinking. Now it’s time to write.” I can also relate to anticipating big life changes and knowing now’s the time to prioritize writing while it’s feasible. Thinking about the writing life in terms of seasons for living versus writing is so helpful for managing priorities and any guilt about short-term sacrifices we have to make.
Since you’re anticipating some changes with work, are you working toward a specific deadline? If so, how’d you pick your deadline and the 100-word pace?
I go back into the classroom full-time after Labor Day so that’s my deadline. And yes, that means upping the goal, but I gotta trick myself into it. The past few days I’ve been putting in 1000 words, and I have a 11,000 words now.
You've already made so much progress! Labor Day is a totally achievable deadline. I've also given myself a September deadline for my draft. Let's keep each other accountable!
Thank you, and yes, please!