Daily Writers Who Write for Money are Phoney

Summary

The text argues that daily practice is essential for writers to hone their craft and succeed financially, contrary to the belief that one should only write when inspired.

Abstract

The author challenges the notion that writing should be reserved for moments of inspiration by drawing parallels with personal experiences in music and cycling. Just as a musician must practice regularly to perform well and a cyclist must train to ride effectively, a writer must write consistently to produce quality work. The article emphasizes that the benefits of daily writing are cumulative and necessary for improvement, suggesting that waiting for inspiration could lead to failure. The author, based in Nashville, uses the analogy of playing the guitar and cycling without aids like chord diagrams or training wheels to illustrate the importance of practice in any skill. The article also promotes the author's newsletter, which offers additional resources for writers, including a free guide on getting published and paid.

Opinions

Writing daily is likened to regular practice in music and sports, essential for skill development and mastery.
The idea

This morning, I heard someone say writers should only write when inspiration hits.

Here’s a little secret or two.

I live in Nashville, and like everybody else in Nashville, I play the guitar.

I do not, however, get a Broadway Club full of people waiting to hear one of my sets, and then pull out a sheet of chord diagrams for my music stand.

If I decide to leave my horse at home and ride my carbon-framed, multi-thousand dollar bicycle around the block, I am not embarrassed by my training wheels on it.

There is one nexus concerning these two exercises.

Practice.

Its effect is cumulative and necessary everywhere. If I waited until I was inspired, instead of trying to write daily, I would fall flat on my face at that, too.