Summary

The article emphasizes the importance of writing even on days when motivation is low, as these are the moments that define a writer's character and productivity.

Abstract

The author argues that the most significant days to write are those when inspiration and motivation seem absent. These challenging days are crucial for building a writer's resilience and maintaining a consistent output. The article suggests that relying on feelings to dictate writing can lead to a loss of control over one's creative productivity. Persistence in writing, regardless of mood, is compared to the unwavering dedication required in other professions, like medicine or the military. The author points out that writers who have succeeded didn't rely on tips to overcome a lack of motivation but instead simply wrote, as it was a necessity for their livelihood. The article concludes by encouraging writers to push through unmotivated periods by writing something, even if it's brief, to prevent the accumulation of days without writing.

Opinions

Writing on days when motivation is lacking is essential for maintaining a consistent writing habit and is a testament to a writer's character.
Allowing feelings to dictate when to write gives too much control to emotions, potentially leading to extended periods of not writing.
The advice to write despite a lack of motivation is well-known, but it's the personal responsibility of the writer to adhere to this discipline without needing constant reminders.
Writing as a career should be approached with the same dedication as other professions where daily tasks are performed regardless of personal mood.
The author believes in the power of mindset, suggesting that if a writer views their craft as vital to their survival, they will not let emotions impede their work.
The article likens the discipline of writing every day to a military man's duty in the face of danger, where failure to act could result in harm.
The author shares a personal experience, indicating that before writing regularly, they only wrote when feeling inspired, which is an unreliable and potentially harmful approach.
The article draws a parallel between the escalation of negative emotions in depression and the compounding effect of not writing, highlighting the importance of addressing the issue before it grows.
The author suggests that just as one might eat a little when not feeling hungry to maintain health, a writer should write something, no matter how short, to maintain their craft.

Why you should write the most on days you don’t feel like writing

No doubt, some days come where you don’t feel like putting anything down. The inspiration, motivation, the vibe, whatever you call it, may just go missing and you can do anything else but write.

I’ve gotten to understand that those days are the best times to write. Because they build your character.

Those are the defining moments.

We hear about persistence all the time and how we shouldn’t give up and write every day. We get charged up when we hear all those things and vow to ourselves that we would follow through, but the test happens in the days when you don’t feel like writing.

The problem with letting your feelings or mood define when you write is, you wouldn’t be in control of how much content you produce, rather your feelings get the control.

It no longer becomes a need but a feeling. Which would lead to a string of days you don’t write. Because how sure are you that you wouldn’t feel that way tomorrow?

I’m not going to give you strategies to use when you don’t feel like writing because truly, you know what to do. And you have seen advice like those a million times.

But you still opened this one to read the same advice again.

The truth is, if it’s writing you’ve chosen as your career, nobody would have to remind you to write — feelings or not. Since that’s what you use to eat, you’re not going to need anyone to give you tips on how to survive.

Just like a doctor waking up one day and saying she doesn’t feel like performing surgery because she’s not in the mood.

The people that came up with tips on how to write when they didn’t feel like; learned it out of trial and error. They didn’t start wasting the time that they would have you used to work to look for motivation to write. They just went and sat by their computers and went.

That’s all you need to do — Sit down and write.

Hemingway said;

There is nothing to writing. All you do is sit down at a typewriter and bleed.

I strongly believe in mindset. You become what and who you think you are. If you believe that writing is a do or die affair, trust me, you wouldn’t let feelings get in the way. You would do what is needed to succeed.

Look at a military man for example. In the face of an enemy, does let his enemy shoot him because he doesn’t feel like killing anyone that day?

He kills the enemy at a glance because he believes that if he doesn’t kill his enemy, the enemy would kill him instead. The same thing goes with not writing what you’re supposed to write for that day.

If you don’t fight and conquer that feeling that is holding you from writing that day, it would do you more damage in the long run. Because it would keep getting stronger. The next day, you would have a bigger reason, and the next an even bigger reason. That’s how it would keep piling up till you find out that you’ve not written in weeks

Before I started writing here, I only wrote when I felt like. Emphasis on felt. Feelings can change, and the more you feel that way, the more you get deeper into it.

Look at depression for example. It starts from being sad and wanting to be alone, to distancing yourself from everyone, till it gets to suicide.

It just shows how powerful feelings can get when we allow them to decide our behavior and linger.

We aren’t completely in control of what happens to us and how it makes us feel but we’re in control of what we do with the feelings we get.

You’re angry and you feel like hurting the person that angered you. Would you let the anger make you kill the person? Your daughter broke your phone screen and you’re angry, would hitting her solve any problem?

I just want you to relate all these things to the days when you don’t feel like writing. You previously said to yourself that you would write every day. Then one morning, you didn’t feel like writing and you let the feeling linger all day.

Answer this question honestly please. On some days you don’t have an appetite for food, do you stay without eating anything throughout the day? Even without drinking water?

Some people can do it, but they might take little food, snacks, or water, to keep themselves going.

That’s how you should handle days when you don’t feel like writing — WRITE SOMETHING, NO MATTER HOW SHORT