What is one piece of advice that just doesn’t work for me? That it’s okay not to write every day.

I experienced unfinished work, plummeted productivity and even quality.

Robert A. Heinlein wrote constantly.

Robert Heinlein was arguably one of the biggest names in science fiction of the 20th century.

Heinlein published 32 novels, 59 short stories, and 16 collections during his life. Nine films, two television series, several episodes of a radio series, and a board game have been derived more or less directly from his work.  (Source)

Anthony Trollope

Anthony Trollope wrote at 5:30 every morning, like clockwork. He wrote for 3 hours before his day job.

And by clockwork, I really do mean clockwork. His watch was a key feature of his writing process.

When he wrote, he would pace his writing word count using his watch, to ensure that he was maintaining a word count of 250 per quarter of an hour.

It is my belief that this kind of commitment is necessary for mastery. If you want to be an artisan, you must hone your skills constantly.

I’m well aware that there is some degree of objection to the notion of writing every , so I will make this distinction.

If a person just wants to write, fine.

But mastery demands consistency and commitment.

Athletes know they have to train often and train hard to stay strong and keep their muscles ready. Writing is very similar, but we don’t often treat it with the same respect.

I take the sabbath and occasionally a weekday to rest, which is also an important part of being productive.

Work Hard, Rest Hard.

I think people make a mistake when they abondon daily writing, particularly when they divorce the real reason why we stick this flag in the ground.

This isn’t about writing every single day.

It’s about being committed, not only to your creativity but also to being a master of your craft.

And mastery requires the sort of commitment, even if it’s not exactly a daily commitment, that writing every day implies.

So, are you committed to your writing process?

Daniel Triumph.

(Published on Medium as C.E. Priscat)