Friday, October 18, 2013

These three authors would have you believe that writing every day is a myth.

These three authors would have you believe that writing every day is an urban writer myth:
George R.R. Martin. The famous author of A Song of Ice and Fire has anxiety about the HBO TV series passing the point where he is in the writing of the story. He said that he felt like he was "bound to train tracks and could see smoke wafting," though he can't yet see the train. To be honest, George is so slow, so easily distracted, and so unhealthy the likelihood of him not finishing the series is the same as the sun rising in the east.
Thomas Harris. An American author and screenwriter that's managed to produce five books in forty years (Black Sunday, Red Dragon, The Silence of the Lambs, Hannibal, Hannibal Rising). That's about one book every ten years. If he's writing every day, it's one word and then...done. Time to get lunch.
Harper Lee. She wrote one book: To Kill A Mockingbird. Ayep...that's it.

So yeah, why do so many writers listen to the mantra "To be called a writer, you should write every day?" It's pretty much hokum. That's my point and I'm sticking to it. Have a good weekend you nano-wrimo preppers out there!

26 comments:

  1. I write every day because I like it. The more I write, the more I want to write.

    But, there are no rules. I hate rules.

    ReplyDelete
  2. I certainly can't write every day. When I am in writing mode, I tend to write once per week. So I produce a new book about every 3-4 years.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Unless blog comments count, I don't write every day.
    Five books in forty years? Now my three books in five years doesn't look so bad.

    ReplyDelete
  4. 'tis more important to write a single book in your life but one which becomes a classic, than writing every day countless unnoticed books :)

    ReplyDelete
  5. Add my name to that list. I mostly write on weekends. I suppose in November I might get revved up to do more for the Nano thing. I think for some writers it just gets to a point where you don't need constant practice. Mostly the "write every day" thing is for people who are just starting out. But I never understand those authors who produce one book a decade. They probably have real lives, unlike me.

    ReplyDelete
  6. I don't write every day, but I think about my writing every day.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Thanks for this post. I really do get down on myself for being such a slow writer. And I mostly do write every day, but only about five hundred words. I try to make them all count. :))

    ReplyDelete
  8. Readers really have a love/hate with Martin, don't they?
    I seldom skip of day of not doing something with my writing. Sometimes it just the paperwork part rather than writing new stuff.
    Aren't too many Starks left to kill.

    ReplyDelete
  9. People need to write the way that works best for them, and that's all there is to it.

    (Though, to be fair, Lee chose to never write another book because she said she would never produce anything to beat Mockingbird.)

    ReplyDelete
  10. They could still be writing every day. They could just spend a lot of time rewriting, or making sure that one, single word, is the right one.

    I write most days of the week. I feel bored as eff if i don't have some sort of writing related activity going on

    ReplyDelete
  11. @Sarah: GRRM has said he doesn't write all fall and winter because he'd rather watch football and paint his minis. *Theory blown.

    ReplyDelete
  12. I think for most people it just means write more than you're doing at the moment. i know I could certainly put in a few extra hours.

    mood

    ReplyDelete
  13. I write everyday - but usually it isn't the project I want to be on.

    I think it's a good habit, and once you've reached success, at least I hope so, you can travel and explore other venues and settings. That's my goal - write - earn lots of money - travel. I know so, so unrealistic. But it's my dream - don't squash it! LOL

    ReplyDelete
  14. Some genres are easier to write and take less time than others. The reality is that most of us are just writers..not authors. Authors make enough money to quit their day job. Not many can do that.

    ReplyDelete
  15. Mike,

    Funny bit of commentary on Harris. One word a day... :)

    I don't write everyday unless I'm doing NaNo or the story is flowing hot and fast.

    ReplyDelete
  16. They could write every day. Just, most of that writing could be revisions...

    (I'm not writing every day at the moment. Life is tripping me up.)

    ReplyDelete
  17. Thank you! If some people need or want to write every day, that's just fine. I'm just not one of them.

    ReplyDelete
  18. One book every ten years - I reckon that will be my style.

    ReplyDelete
  19. Hehe. Damn right! Some writers write daily; some have day jobs. We do what we can :)

    ReplyDelete
  20. They don't need to write daily because they're rich. I'm a poor struggling writer tearing my hair out writing every day when I'd rather go get my hair done!

    ReplyDelete
  21. Oscar Wilde said, "I was working on the proof of one of my poems all the morning, and took out a comma. In the afternoon I put it back again."

    Margaret Mitchell- one book.

    F. Scott Fitzgerald only had 4 novels (although he did write many short stories but some of them were written under duress-needed money- and were not considered very good).

    I'm not impressed by how much someone writes.

    ReplyDelete
  22. Does this constitute my "one word" for the day, lol.

    Have a good weekend Mike.

    ......dhole

    ReplyDelete
  23. There really are no rules in writing. Everyone works differently. Writing every day is great if you can manage it, but it won't force you to finish something.

    ReplyDelete
  24. I don't write every day. If I made a living from it, I might, but I don't, so ...

    ReplyDelete
  25. I certainly don't write every day. If I did, I'd have more than one book out right now. I wish I could write at least once a week, but sometimes I have to take a break and let things work themselves out in my head. Can't push it or it just comes out as crap. So, yeah. :D

    ReplyDelete