Enough With the “You Should Write Every Day,” Advice

Summary

The author argues against the common advice that one should write every day to improve writing skills, emphasizing that daily writing is not feasible or necessary for everyone.

Abstract

The article titled "Enough With the 'You Should Write Every Day,' Advice" criticizes the pervasive suggestion in the writing community that daily writing is essential for improvement. The author, who has a full-time job, points out that they engage in substantial writing daily through professional emails, event planning, and other work-related tasks. This practical writing, though not for Medium or a personal blog, requires careful composition and clarity. The author contends that after a day of work, they may not have the desire or inspiration to write for platforms like Medium. They advocate for writing when naturally inspired rather than forcing it daily, drawing a parallel with their photography hobby, which also does not happen daily but still shows improvement over time. The author concludes by encouraging individuals to work at their own pace and ignore unsolicited advice about daily writing routines.

Opinions

Daily writing advice is unhelpful and can make people feel inadequate when they miss a day due to life's demands.
Writing every day is not practical for everyone, and the type of writing one does daily may not align with personal or creative writing goals.
Professional writing, such as emails and official documents, is valuable and requires skill, though it may not count towards one's personal writing achievements.
Inspiration and mood play a significant role in creative endeavors, and forcing writing can be counterproductive.
Improvement in skills like writing and photography can occur without daily practice, as long as one engages with the activity when inspired and able.
People should ignore one-size-fits-all advice and pursue their creative passions at their own pace, in their own way.

It’s not helpful

At least once a day (in recommended section) I get at least one Medium article containing the advice “you should write every day if you want to…”. It’s time to stop telling people that and make them feel small if they don’t get the chance to write that day because life gets in the way.

The reality is, writing every day is not possible or you write every day just not what Medium gurus want you to write.

I write every day, but not for Medium or my blog

I have a 9–5 job, and as many others do, I write around 20 emails per day (if it’s a slow day). I’m talking about serious emails you send to clients, bosses, or the financial unit. For each email, you have to think carefully about how to compose it, write everything you want as clearly as possible in as few words as possible. Which you won’t do for Medium or your blog, as you need at least 200 words for a story if not even more.

If we are planning an event, besides writing emails, I’ll write invitation letters. Even though I have a template, there are still paragraphs I need to write specifically for that person or/and event. I’m expected to deliver a media advisory for that event. And a news item for the website after the event. Both require careful and thoughtful writing. Just as you’ll do for Medium or blog.

If I’m finishing up a tender procedure or contracting a new provider for some service, I’m required to write a one-page justification for the choice of provider. Again, I need to think carefully about how to compose that just to make sense and to be clear enough with the possible audit in mind.

These are just some things I do that involve writing that is not for a platform. When I come home, yes I finally get to go to the office every day like in old times, I’m not always in the mood or in the inspiration to write something meaningful for Medium or my blog. In the best-case scenario, I’ll get an idea of what to write, which I’ll put in my Medium drafts folder, but rarely I’ll write the full story that moment.

When I get inspiration, I’ll get to writing straight away even if I’m at work. I’ll edit and publish later that day. I understand that behind most of those articles is the saying: practice, practice, practice and you’ll get your writing skills better. Which is ok, although not always true or possible.

I love photography. I don’t take photos every day for the same reason I don’t write for platforms every day. Sometimes I’m not in the mood, sometimes I don’t have inspiration and I don’t like to force things. But when I get inspiration, and all the pieces fit together with it (I have my gear, I have time, it’s the right places to do it), I’ll stop everything to snap some photos. I’m not a pro, but I can see my skills getting better even though I’m not doing it daily.

The same goes for writing. I don’t force it. Instead, I wait for the pieces to fit together and get my creative juices growing. It works for me, and maybe it works for someone else too.

Are my writing skills getting better even though I’m not writing every day? I’ll dare to say yes. I’m still far away from being a pro, but I’m getting there at my own pace. And I like it that way.

To conclude this rant, I’ll share some wise words:

do things at your own pace and your way and put the world on silent.

And for others who share the mentioned articles: don’t advise people to write every day because that works for you or you read it somewhere. Not everyone works the same way. Not everyone’s pace goes at the same speed.