Life, Words & Us

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Don’t Write Everyday. Write Regularly Instead. There’s a difference!

I can’t remember what was the first thing I ever wrote, but I know it wasn’t good. Surely, it had grammatical errors, it mustn’t have connected with the reader and it definitely was one of the worst things one could read! But I do remember WHEN I wrote it. 2010. I didn’t know I could write. All I used to do was journal. The old teenage rant over betrayal in friendships, having crushes & puberty! It was a regular journal, amidst some poems! Unfortunately, I remember the poems!!! Yuck!!! You would kill yourself if you’d read them! Don’t worry, I wouldn’t let you. Now, ten years later, I know I can write better than I used to. But the reason for that isn’t the gap of ten years, it’s that I never stopped writing! It was unintentional, but it was my love for writing that kept me going all these years.

Yet, I wrote regularly. Not everyday. Being a teenager, you can understand I must’ve had some other businesses to attend. Besides, writing was my hobby at that time! Now, that it’s the way of life for me, I still feel, writing everyday isn’t the thing I like doing!!

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Difference between Writing Regularly & Writing Everyday

Writing everyday, is simply writing everyday.

Write. Eat. Sleep. Repeat.

However, writing regularly is writing when you HAVE it-The idea +Intention. 

Wake up. Read. Write only when you have something valuable to write. Eat. Sleep. Repeat.

Moreover, writing everyday is easy & anyone can do it, but as the years have passed, I have learnt that writing regularly is more difficult & necessary. 

Keep reading while I describe it in bits.

Pros & Cons of Writing Everyday:

I am sure, all you’ve heard so far, are the pros of writing everyday. The experts tell us to write, at least 1000 words and more each day! But I am not an expert. I won’t tell you anything like that. I will tell you — by experience, the truth about writing everyday, which also includes cons.

Pros:

• It forms a great habit.
• It makes your writing technique better, one day at a time.
• It’s good for traffic.
• It’s good to gain followers.
• It helps with the brain exercise.
• It makes you wiser & more informed.
• This list can go on based on personal experiences. Add yours if you want!

Cons:

• It can feel exhausting.
• It makes us feel stressed & guilty to skip a day.
• It can cause writer’s block.
• It can also cause creativity block.
• It can distract you from other important tasks at hand.
• It can cause anxiety.
• This list too, can go on based on personal experiences.

I understand writing everyday is a habit, a routine or should I say — a sentiment for most of the writers. Even Seth Godin has been writing everyday since forever. No wonder he crossed 7000 posts on his blog in 2017!!!

What I am trying to say is, this is legendary & inspiring but NOT EVERYONE CAN DO IT. Why put so much pressure on them already!!! This charm of writing everyday is best in a state of flow. 

Can we achieve our goals & remain in the state of flow by writing regularly & not everyday? 

Yes, we can.

Writing Regularly can be defined as the writing flow where the writer, instead of writing everyday, makes a schedule to take necessary gaps within the flow state to work on something else. 

In simpler words, for example: If you’re writing a book & you plan to self publish it, because why not?! There are other things to be taken care of rather than the words itself. The design, the cover, the fonts, the pages, the chapters etc. If we write regularly, say once in two days and take one of those days in working on other parts of the book, it is still you working on the book! It keeps the fun on, because writing too much can take a toll on you and dividing tasks within the group keeps you creative & relaxed. Sometimes, while doing something else, you get more & better ideas for the writing you’re currently doing & you can add them up the next day or the day when you write again!

Note: This is only an example of writing a book. The practice can include any other form of art.

Pros & Cons of Writing Regularly:

Yes, there are pros & cons for this as well. But how different are they from writing everyday?

Let’s find out!

Pros:

• It forms a great habit — Researching
• It makes our writing techniques better, because we learn to edit the things we have written already.
• It’s good for your post to gain more readers before you bombard them with more!
• It keeps your writing game UP which provides quality in everything you write. Hence, genuine followers.
• It helps with your creativity to wander more to improve the piece you’re writing. More ideas, more words!
• It makes you calm & blimey with all the ideas you’re getting for your next piece — because you had time to think & read.
• This list can go on based on personal experiences. Add yours if you feel the same.

Cons:

I am sorry. Since, I am writing this, I am obviously biased towards writing regularly rather than everyday! So, I don’t see any cons! However, you may find this post cynical, misleading & alarming. If you write everyday, good for you & if you encourage others to do the same, great. Yet, like I said, Not everyone will agree with either you or myself! 

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Honestly, I have tried writing everyday but it didn’t work for me. It makes me feel all the cons I mentioned above and so, I wrote this. After all, I feel, we must all work at our own pace. Whether to practice our art everyday or not, is our own individual choice. 

So, make a choice that’s best for you. Thanks for reading. Namaste.

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Taruni Sharma is a content creator in the entertainment field. She is a writer & being interested in human psychology & life’s philosophy (& because of being too emotional), she loves writing poetry & prose about love, life, self & personal development. Stay in touch by following her Blog, Instagram, Twitter, Spotify Podcast, Linkedin, Youtube & Quora.