The Write Stuff

When Inspiration strikes, I have to make sure I write it down immediately—even if I’m on the street and it’s just notes on my phone. Otherwise, there is no way on earth I’ll remember how “brilliant” my ideas were. LOL.

When they find out that I’m a writer, the first question people ask me is, “What is your writing routine? Do you write every day?” This is a common perception that the best and most prolific writers write every day. And it is a perfectly logical one. Many famous writers have extolled the virtues and downright necessity of writing every single day.

Stephen King strives for at least 1,000 words a day, which is about 500 words short of the average magazine feature I used to write when I was Beauty Director at Elle. However, I can say without hesitation that I did not write all 1,500 words in one day. John Grisham’s daily word count is reportedly 1,000-2,000, as supposedly is Margaret Atwood’s. Mark Twain’s daily output was said to be 1,400-3,000 words. And Dean Koontz is said to adhere to a seemingly far more doable 5-page minimum.

I’m embarrassed to admit that all these writers put me to shame, and I must answer that question every time with a resounding “No.” It didn’t bother me as much because I managed to achieve my goals and meet my deadlines. I used to scribble down notes either on random pieces of paper or jot them in my phone so I would remember my “brightest” ideas and then commit them to paper when I had enough time, enough energy, and/or enough irritation with myself for not sitting down to write.

The thing is, the less I made the time to write, the less I wrote, and my writing “muscle” became way weaker than my “not writing” one. Writing seemed to feel like the most daunting task imaginable. It started to feel like a chore, a source of anxiety, and something easily put off until the next day that never seemed to come. And there were no surges of inspiration like there were when I was focused on writing, even if I had to force myself to do it.

So, I am excited to join The Martha’s Vineyard Writing Workshop this month and attend the seminar entitled “How to Write When It’s Hard,” which is designed to “energize and fortify” writers so we can meet our goals and bring our projects to completion. My goals? Finishing Sara Mandelbaum’s sequel and fleshing out the ideas I have for three other manuscripts.

The best part? I can take all these fantastic tips and tricks and incorporate them into the Creative Writing workshop I am facilitating at Riverdale Senior Service’s Center for Ageless Living later this month. I’ll be sure to keep you posted on my progress and our workshop. Happy Writing!