I think this article provides excellent advice. I believe that the reason why others give the “write write write” advice to fellow writers is because writing constantly often improves one’s writing, as they’re practicing their craft and getting better at it through trial and error.

Of course, if you’re writing useless content that doesn’t really have a clear focus, that is a complete waste of time.

And, I agree. Writing continuously until you pass out from exhaustion shouldn’t be what makes a writer. I’d take a creative writer who writes really good content any day than a babbling fool who pens out 10 articles an hour.

For me — and I would guess this goes for all sorts of life goals, whether it is completing a novel, finishing grad school, or cleaning the house — the key to success is HABITS. The moment when I felt like I was actually a “writer” instead of a guy hoping to be a writer was when I had really encoded the HABIT of writing into my daily schedule. Now, my goals are based on time spent, not production. The only way to push through those difficult sections is to do it, to spend the time. Every single day, if possible. It’s like something I heard about meditating — by getting into a pattern you create a sort of chain that is stronger than the individual sessions.

That said, there’s much to be said for taking a break when you need it, eating chocolate, toeing the water faucet, etc. And especially turning your writing attention to something else — but that’s writing too.

The thing that successful writers have in common is that they write frequently and regularly. Finishing a novel takes many hundreds, maybe thousands, of hours, and whether or not you’ll finish is largely a question of math: put the hours in and it will happen.

My concern is mainly with the kind of writer who likes to tell other writers whether they are in fact writers at all. For example, since handing my novel over to my agent in October, I haven’t written a word. It’s true.

Sure, I’ve put together a few blog posts, worked on a couple of redesigns for my sites and made a start on ideas and planning for my next novel. And of course, I’ve written every day at work as part of my job. But I have haven’t written a word of fiction.

Life, having been put completely on hold over the summer, has had to come back to the fore. And what I’m saying is, I don’t think that makes me any less of a writer. I think people are far too quick to judge the writing habits of others.

Many thanks for your contribution – really got me thinking about this again.

On the one hand, yes, it is silly to force yourself to slog through a dry spot to the point of self-flagellation. Similar to exercise, sometimes a break is better than pushing through.

But not always. Let’s keep my (in all likelihood faulty) comparison to exercise. Sometimes I just don’t want to exercise. It will hurt, it won’t be fun. Should I listen to this voice every single time? No, because then I would quickly transform into a lumpy piece of humanity. Sometimes, I do need to push myself through a workout — and I never regret. Writing can be the same. Sometimes, to get to the good stuff, you need to weather hte slog.

That said, I think there are ways you can work without writing. My favorite is taking a walk. It helps me clear my mind of distractions, and sooner or later the ideas start flowing.