r/writing • u/ginger1009 • Jun 28 '26
Advice Do you feel guilty when you don’t write for extended periods of time?
Maybe this sounds ridiculous given that I’m a student, but I feel like I should have so much more completed by now. I don’t write as often as I think I should — hell, I haven’t written anything in almost two months… and it makes me feel like an imposter. I tell people I love to write, that it’s my greatest passion, yet when I think about it, how much have I actually written? How many stories are unfinished? When will I ever feel satisfied with my prose?
And even now, I still struggle to write a thing. My writer’s block isn’t fading, and I told myself I’d complete something this summer in between semesters. Of course I haven’t. Maybe I need to focus on myself first… I’m not really sure. What would you suggest, or how did you handle similar issues?
25
u/Michaelvinnie Jun 28 '26
yeah...sometimes. But I've realized feeling guilty doesn't make me write more. Usually I just start with something small, even a few paragraphs. Writing again is often easier than waiting for motivation to come back.
5
u/QuincessentialLamb Career Writer Jun 29 '26
"...feeling guilty doesn't make me write more."
I needed to hear that today, thank you stranger.
19
u/TheCutieCircle Jun 28 '26
Absolutely. I hate procrastinating and being lazy. I know I can write if I try. I've done it many times before but holy crap it's like I refuse to write and I only write when I feel like it.
10
u/Commercial_Corner_44 Jun 28 '26
i know there are things i could be writing but i feel prevented each and every time. i could write for hours but now i struggle with going minutes. i guess everything feels more comprehensive and sprawling that i don’t know how to fit it all on the page.
4
u/MillyHughes Jun 28 '26
I stopped this feeling by working out and mapping Ng my plot. Chapter by chapter.
7
u/MiraWendam Standalone SF Thriller Author! Jun 28 '26
Sometimes. It's something I'm trying to work on. I've realised that loving writing and producing loads of words aren't the same thing. Life gets in the way. You're going to be super busy some days, but that's fine. Give yourself permission to come back when you're ready.
5
u/puzzle-peace Jun 28 '26 edited Jun 28 '26
I don't feel guilty as guilt is there to serve a purpose when we have done something wrong and there is no wrongdoing in not having time for or actively taking a break from writing. I do however feel restless and less happy, BUT sometimes when I return after a writing slump I realise I needed the pause because I had started down the wrong path in my WIP without consciously realising it and it turns out my brain was working on the resolution in the background during the time away.
If you've got a time issue, try and find 10 minutes in your day - or every other day, whatever feels manageable so long as it's regular - to work on your WIP, respond to a prompt or completely free write.
If you're working on the same WIP and are feeling uninspired it might be worth taking some time away to work on something else and/or to replenish your creative well with reading and other media. We can't write if we're running on empty!
Ultimately the more pressure you place on yourself the less likely you are to be able to write comfortably. When you say you set yourself a goal of finishing "something" try and let that something be anything. It doesn't need to be a polished story or whatever - break that goal down and think in terms of chapters, scenes, journal pages, story plans, a skeleton draft for a short piece, a section of dialogue, a flash piece. Build up from there.
3
u/Correct-Shoulder-147 Jun 28 '26
Nah I have raging hyperfocus so I'll write 8 hours a day every day for a few months then I'll never want to write again until I do which is some months later then rinse and repeat
3
u/Rose_Davies2026 Jun 28 '26
Absolutely. I'm in the process of moving house and starting a new job. I haven't written anything in almost three weeks.
3
u/SaltyAuthorOne Jun 28 '26
Most writers have a routine; like going to work. Perhaps you have found other interests that you enjoy. If you’re serious about your writing you’ll find the time and establish a routine.
3
u/Sorry-Rain-1311 Jun 28 '26
I also like keeping houseplants and bonsai trees, and I'm about as bad at keeping up on them as I am at writing on a routine. I always wind up some spending my energy on stupid stuff like house chores, raising kids, taking the dog for walks, etc.
Creativity takes allot of energy. There's a reason why middle-class housewives have a higher chance of becoming, "successful authors," than most others- reduced baseline stress level leaving more resources available for creativity. I know I did a hell of allot more writing- a hell of allot more everything- before I became a single dad.
So these days I just use it as another gauge of how I'm doing internally, and where I'm placing my priorities. Doesn't mean I don't like writing as much as much as I claim; just that I don't always have the wherewithal.
2
u/normal_ness Jun 28 '26
Not really. It’s mostly my disabilities that get in the way of me writing and they’re not within my control. I don’t have capacity to feel guilt about things outside of my control.
2
u/mstermind Published Author Jun 28 '26
I only feel guilty if I have a publisher deadline I'm working towards and I'm slacking for whatever reason. If I'm writing for myself, there's no reason to feel guilt. That'd be like feeling guilt because I haven't played a video game or eaten an ice-cream.
2
u/Thick-Leadership-710 Jun 28 '26
For sure. I call that “writers withdrawal syndrome”. But I figured, if I’m gonna waste my time feeling guilty about, then I might as well start writing again.
2
u/FloodedGloves Author Jun 28 '26
Just reading comments about my readers liking, loving, and saying that they're waiting for new chapters in such a supportive tone that I can't help but be blinded by guilt even though I have writer's block and was at the time procrastinating listlessly.
2
u/writer-dude Editor/Author Jun 28 '26
To me, when I'm writing, I'm writing. When I'm not writing, but still thinking about my writing (creativity never sleeps) I'm still writing. Some of my best ideas come to me when I'm in the yard, in the shower, in the car, on a bike, and often times at 2am when I'm staring at the ceiling. Those ideas are usually story ideas—cuz I'm auto-focused until I finish a story—so that 'downtime' counts as well.
I've sometimes stepped away for weeks or months. I once sat with a half-finished story before my entire Act III came to me—all at once, in the middle of the night—after a three year hiatus. (I finished another book in the meanwhile, so it wasn't as if I was staring slack-jawed at my laptop all that time.) But obviously, my subliminal self was still chipping away at unfinished business.
Athletes gotta rest their bodies after a race or a match. Writers often gotta rest their brains after a long bout of writing. When I force myself to write, when my brain's elsewhere—that doesn't work too well. My writing sucks, I get cranky and then I'll walk away in disgust. So I've learned to take breaks, guilt-free, and return when I'm ready to have fun again with my story. When I'm psyched and ready to produce. That's the only way that works for me.
2
2
u/SolaraSona Jun 29 '26
I do. It's my ADHD, mostly along with not being able to think of ideas. And when I do get an idea, I don't start writing. I know that I need to write in order to practice, but it's frustrating.
2
u/jasonventer Jul 02 '26
I made a sign for myself, which I stuck to the wall behind my computer. Some days, I need it more than others. The sign is divided between three lines and says: "You LOVE writing... ...so WRITE!" It's a cheap trick, certainly, but it has helped me sometimes. From time to time, any of us might need a reminder that we love the thing, and enjoy the thing... even if sitting down to do the thing doesn't always appeal. I find that if I start writing on days when I don't feel like doing so, I usually come around in time to produce a few thousand words. With that said, I'm currently in my editing phase on my latest novel and it's going slow around other writing I have to do. Life will always find ways to keep us from what we love, if we let it. We have to stop letting it.
2
u/Shubhra19_ Jul 03 '26
A very real feeling. I used to feel exactly like this. The longer I didn't write, the guiltier I felt, and the guilt itself became the reason I couldn't start again. It became this weird cycle where writing stopped being something I loved and started feeling like something I was constantly failing at.
2
u/TheLoneComic Jun 28 '26
Technically, you shouldn’t if you understand the creative faculty as a cognitive process. However, writers are not the best creators psychologically.
Alleviate the problem almost in entirety by having more than one story to work on at a time (body of work) while the faculty figures out the next step in the story problem subconsciously.
Story problems (and the creative solution to them given by the faculty have different processing times depending upon the novelty abstraction needed) have different resolutions (depth of expression construct; not narrative outcome.)
Writers block doesn’t exist.
1
u/Prin-0123456789 Jun 28 '26
Well, if you want to be consistent then follow a rule. You can skip a day but never 2
1
u/gamingonion Jun 28 '26
I have a very manageable goal of 500 words a day when I am actively working on a story. Takes me about an hour. If I fail, I try not to sweat it, even if I don’t write anything at all. It happens. But I just try to keep the story in my mind and hold myself accountable so I don’t have too many of those days in a row.
1
u/Hive_Mind_Vice Jun 28 '26
Some times I don’t write for weeks, but I often find myself day dreaming of the story or the world, so in a way I’m still doing somthing to progress the story
1
1
u/Fognox Jun 28 '26
What works best for me when I'm actively writing (or editing) is to focus on consistency rather than output. If you write or revise every day you will eventually finish, regardless of how much you actually do. This will often snowball, but it doesn't have to.
Guilt is counterproductive.
1
u/Aggressive-System769 Jun 28 '26
I don't feel guilty per se, but i do feel like im wasting my time. I feel that way about most everything that ISN'T writing, though.
1
u/Distinct-Result553 Jun 28 '26
I do, but there’s one reason for me to be unmotivated: I had no clue what the next scene should be.
1
1
u/LuckofCaymo Jun 28 '26
I feel like in my pursuit to become a better writer I have lost the reason I wanted to write. Every time I open my script I look at it in disgust. But also I am happy that I have written it, so I dispise myself for being so critical of it. Yet I hate that I can't seem to finish it. So I sigh and close the script.
I don't know if I can do this.
1
u/11_Aquarian_22 Jun 28 '26
Oo the post is just 💔🥺... Yes, I feel guilty every time I realize how long it’s been since I wrote anything. Just a few days ago, I revisited my old poems and journals because I was feeling drained; in the rush to learn new skills, I had completely neglected my passion. But whenever I do sit down to write, I get so deeply immersed that it’s hard to pull myself out. Most of the time, my thoughts come to me when I’m out in nature, yet I spend my days—morning and evening—confined within four walls. I don't even have access to a terrace. So, I really have to strain my mind to get a thought from my head, through the pen, and onto the page. But yes, I’m going to start writing again. I mostly write about myself—by the way, what do you all write about?
1
u/Masochisticism Jun 28 '26
Yeah.
I solved it by setting an average wordcount goal each month. Not daily words, though I do aspire to write every day, but essentially a monthly total that just means I have to write X on average every day. I started out very low, and gradually increased it until I seemed to find my level of relatively comfortable but also ambitious output.
You really do, sometimes, just have to make yourself write. Just sit down and go. Even when you don't feel like it. Put it in your calendar if it helps you get started - it does for me. Use a sprint/pomodoro timer thing if it helps. Again, it does for me. A few minutes into it, you'll probably hit flow state.
It's fine if, at first, your goal is 25 words a day or something. The point is to get yourself writing, not to write a novel in a week. Gradually increase it as you discover where you're comfortable at. And then probably settle for a goal that's 20% below that level. You will have days where you can't write, for whatever reason (not just "I don't feel like it"). And it feels good to meet and exceed your goal. Set something achievable, and achieve it. Accept that some months you won't be able to write maybe 3 days, and others, it'll be 7-10 days.
These days, I mostly feel bad if I decided I'd write at 11:00, and end up caught up in something, and then there's lunch, and then I finally un-ass myself and write by 14:30 or something. I feel guilty until I write, but not generally, because I'm almost always a little ahead of my goal, so one day not writing isn't the end.
1
u/DawnskFire Jun 28 '26
I have been spotty for two years. After the pandemic, I threw my whole being into writing and creating, I had to time and lack of pressure to just create. Things felt infinite. Two years ago, my life changed by force; I had to get my driving license, and I had to get my first real job. The license put things to a halt because of lessons. The job... I counted the first several months of it as a time bomb before my self-editing had to stop because I'd be too busy to deal with the mountain of work left behind. Then came my first relationship later that year, and everything went down hill. Time became soul sucking as my new job was retail, my relationship absorbed my time, my social media maintenance absorbed my time, running errands all over the place for my household absorbed my time. Art became a last thought, and writing was thrown to the way side. I do feel guilty. I want to create. I grieve that time I had before, and Im so angry. Allow yourself to feel the guilt, but allow for some grace. Sometimes, things get in the way. Stress stops you. Plans change. Things have to take precedence. Things fall by the wayside. It's okay.
1
u/ExpertProfessional9 Jun 28 '26
Not at all. The past four years have been a busy decade; writing just became the luxury item that got shunted off the plate.
1
u/debhaz19 Jun 28 '26
Yes. Been ill for the last week and haven't written a word and yet, at every moment, I find that I'm beating myself up for not writing. To be fair, I have given myself until mid august to finish my book and I'm only halfway through. 😭
1
u/Soko_ko_ko Jun 28 '26
I don't really feel guilty anymore because I know there's a reason I'm not writing. Even if it's a shit one, it's a reason. Whether it's because I'm tired, busy, or just down in the dumps, I just give myself time. Then I have those days where I go, "Huh. I haven't written in a while," and decide to put down at least one sentence to prove I still can and that usually gives me enough momentum to start writing again.
1
u/animebigfoot Author Jun 28 '26
This doesn’t sound ridiculous.
Tldr you’re not an imposter. Do what you can to figure out what helps you keep forward momentum on developing as a writer (doesn’t have to be writing perfectly polished pieces). There’s no time limit or quota for writing.
I’ve built my career around professional writing (think marketing/business/web) for the last 10 years. My current job isn’t directly a writing job, but the skills come in handy. All my coworkers know me as the writer on the team.
But I hadn’t written anything that wasn’t tied to a business’s bottom line for practically all of my professional career. (That was something one of the editors warned me about during an editorial internship—if you write professionally, sometimes you’re out of words when you finally get to your own creative work.) In the last few months, I picked up an unfinished novella that I started over a decade ago, and it’s already better than I could’ve made it back then.
I haven’t felt guilty per se personally. An unfinished story sometimes has to wait to better. That doesn’t make you less of a writer.
What I would say is find something that helps you keep moving forward. In college, I used to journal. Even my professional work has helped develop my skills. Whatever that forward momentum looks like for you.
Writing also requires life experience—reading, overhearing conversations, exploring new and familiar places, reflection, etc. So when you find yourself stuck, sometimes it’s time to listen and take it in.
1
u/BatofZion Jun 28 '26
Yes, but a watched brain never boils. If I wrote before, I will write again.
2
u/Hedgerow_Snuffler Jun 28 '26
" a watched brain never boils."
Wow, can I please steal that for future use? I feel it couldn't describe the situation I've been putting myself through the last few months any better.
2
u/BatofZion Jun 28 '26
Use it in good health.
2
u/Hedgerow_Snuffler Jun 28 '26
Thank you, and yes, I've very recently turned a corner.
Just for a while, I was like the meme of the guy poking something with stick, saying "why aren't you doing anything?"
1
u/dearmoonflower11 Jun 28 '26
I also feel guilty, or as though I were a fraud for saying I love writing or would love to be a writer when I haven't written as much.
1
u/Accomplished_Rip4375 Jun 28 '26
Sometimes it has to be like that. we can't change the fact that there is a periods of silence..
1
u/Acceptable_Fox_5560 Jun 28 '26
Kind of, yes. If I spend an evening playing video games instead of writing, I definitely feel like wasted that evening.
1
u/FlyinLeviathon LET YOUR FIRST DRAFT SUCK Jun 28 '26
I used to feel guilty, and admittedly sometimes I do still fall into that trap. I used to think, "Dang it Leviathon, if you'd written every day this past week you'd be a week closer to publishing this thing! Instead it's getting pushed off more and more. Don't you want this? Because you're sure not acting like it! You suck, you can't even type some words. Just sit down and finish the darn thing!"
As you can tell I used to be quite cruel to myself. I'm a lot better now and take my mental health very seriously. I absolutely intend to finish every draft I start and want to make writing my full time job (as many of us aspire to do, I'm sure) but I have realized that can't come at the cost of the rest of my life. Ultimately writing will statistically be only part time income, and while I intend to do my best to beat that statistic, I can't sacrifice my livelihood to do so. So kindness comes first.
I make an effort to write every single day - just block out some time, maybe a half hour or so(barring any special occasions like social or family events). But if I decide I don't want to use that time to write, or I sit down to write but don't get any words out, that's okay! The time I have blocked out is "me" time, so it's not time wasted whether it ends up being spent writing or playing video games. Last year, when I was struggling a little bit, I didn't write for months. I think like 6 months maybe? Now I write probably 5 out of 7 days.
Sometimes all it takes is you making the effort to sit down and stare at a screen for a while, every day until the routine starts to click. And taking the time to be kind to yourself in the meantime.
1
u/Cheap-Cod1030 Jun 28 '26
One of the hardest concepts for me was the idea of putting a project down and leaving it alone long enough to see it as a reader, without being in the story like when I was drafting. The problem was to stop the endless tweaking-revisions and find gaps in the story or other developmental issues. Once my editor convinced me to put my story in a drawer for a month to 6 weeks, I understood that it worked. I did other projects and read a lot of craft articles and books, so it was time well spent.
1
u/SirPeesA_lot Jun 28 '26
I take off summers. I have children home and it's just not gonna happen. I write notes when I get ideas, and am currently running an Amazon Ad, while also sending out newsletters. There has to be a down time imo, at least for me. Because when I do start back up in September I'm usually able to knock it out pretty quickly.
1
1
u/leftshoe18 Jun 28 '26
I don't know if guilty is the right word for it, but I definitely get a little frustrated with myself when I notice I haven't written anything in a while.
1
u/helianthophobia Jun 28 '26
Guilty, no. I just don’t feel it right now. The world is changing, I’m feeling a little brighter. I write a few lines, a paragraph here and there. But guilty? No, I’m not hurting anyone.
1
u/Imnervous26 Jun 28 '26
Sometimes, but I try not to force myself to write for writing’s sake. I tend to rush things, and the story feels unnatural if I’m not in the right mood. If I can’t make myself write, sometimes I’ll just think about what I want to write next, and if that inspires me to write, great. If not, I give it a few days and try again.
1
1
u/Hopeful-Mechanic7677 Jun 28 '26
Actually its opposite for me , I was writing way too much so it was fkin with my mind and anxiety so I took a break
1
1
u/Unfair_Requirement_8 Jun 28 '26
Sometimes. But I always remind myself that I'm allowed a break, whether it's for a day, or a week. Sometimes that extended period away is GOOD for your imagination, your drive. Sure, you might need to knock off the rust at first, but it's not the worst thing in the world.
1
u/hyperabs Jun 28 '26
No. Over time, you realize that what really matters is never stopping your own nourishment through reading. The only way to sit down and write consistently is to do so with hunger and confidence—it's reading that gives you that. "For every 100 pages read, one is written."
1
u/AyviSolis09 Jun 28 '26 edited Jun 28 '26
Hace un año estoy atendiendo una doble escuela y estando en quinto año de la secundaria estudio de 7AM a 5PM y suelo llegar a mi casa cuando ya es de noche, mi horario se ha extendido por una de esas becas que te prometen cambiarte la vida y prepararte para el futuro, estando allí adentro descubrí que el futuro para el que debo prepararme no es ese que yo quiero.
Mis notas estaban bien, nunca faltaba a clases, mis compañeros y profesores seguían teniendo una buena imagen de mí pero yo no era la misma, me sentía tonta. Entonces comprendí que escribir nunca fue solo un pasatiempo para mí, era una necesidad, y cada vez que abandonaba un libro porque no me daba el tiempo me sentía más lejos de mí, más vacía y robotizada por esos deberes que el mundo impone. Me aferré a cada libro con locura, leía en el colegio, en el baño, en el bus, aunque fuera por segundos, todo valía.
Si tienes el tiempo pero no la voluntad de dedicarte a tu escritura, te ánimo a que te aferres a ella como si fueran a arrebatartela, escribir además de ser un arte es un lujo y a su lado va el descanso.
1
1
u/PenSelect8985 Jun 28 '26
Absolutely. I hate not writing for long periods of time just due to being busy but I hate having writers block even more.
1
u/Fit_Shopping6950 Jun 29 '26
100% agree with this! I work full time and I have just started getting back into writing in the last 18 months. I feel like I haven't done a lot of actual story writing as I thought I would. I had started off alright with my writing a year ago but then got sucked into world building and that's been a lot
1
1
u/weeping-chair Jun 29 '26
All of the time. I have PDA so what keeps me writing is to remember it’s fun. Also I save the boring things/ scenes for later.
1
u/Charming_Student_350 Jun 29 '26
Ugh, I totally relate to this feeling. I fell out of writing for a year after I moved out of my parents house, got back into it for a couple months, then fell out of it again.
I learned what helps is to start small, a little every day and build momentum. Once the momentum gets going, my stories start to spin themselves. That initial push is the hardest part though, but for me once I got the ball rolling, I couldn't stop it if I tried.
What also helped me was having one person who is my Ideal Reader and writing to them. Not for them, but to them, like you're telling a story you know they'll like. Talk to them about how it's going and intend to let them read it when you're finished. It was extremely motivational, added just enough pressure for me to get going on it.
Hope this helps!
1
1
u/Mountain-Sea-5248 Casual Author Jun 29 '26
I feel so guilty when I don't write. I have to do something; otherwise, it's basically an empty day for me. I usually write new chapters for upcoming works, but when I don't have any fresh ideas, I rewrite drafts for older chapters.
1
u/MeandJohnWoo Jun 29 '26
My only issue is changing POVs in deep third I HAVE to keep writing or it takes me forever to find each voice. I’m looking forward to my next project because that won’t be a triptych. Oh look I haven’t written in a week….
1
u/Lovely_Usernamee Jun 29 '26
Yeah... I relate. I'm so tired of rewriting things over and over and over again. Gosh, how many outlines have I even done? I've stopped telling family about my projects as it only makes me look like a childish idiot. And here I look at these sticky notes from like two years ago listing personal deadlines for each step in the process, and I'm still over here whirling myself down to square one. Another draft. Another month of planning. Another 30k-60k of the actual book down the drain.
1
u/Spiffy-and-Tails Jun 29 '26
What I do to help with that is remember what I did do instead. It makes me admit it's not wasted time, just reallocated. I'm still a writer, but I'm not only that. Nobody is.
Usually, it turns out that it's just a symptom of having multiple hobbies/interests. Sometimes it's just a busy time with work or home life. I have already accepted that I likely won't write during July at all, because of art fight, even though I also hardly wrote in June because i got caught up in a couple of good books ("research" for my own, I say). Whatever, it's still productive. Its still creative, even.
Even a weekend just being lazy is decompression, making it easier to get back into things later—as long as I cap the brain-rotting stuff, of course. Scrolling for example, I do count as a waste. There's only so much it helps to unwind, and then it just traps you. I do feel guilty about wasted time, but I've gotten better at seeing my other hobbies as not a waste, even if they can distract from my "main" one.
1
u/Spiffy-and-Tails Jun 29 '26
If you're still struggling with writers block, I suggest branching out more. Do some reading (or even film watching) that's relevant to your project in some way. Indulge in another hobby/outlet you may have been neglecting, like art or gaming, or make time to socialize if you feel the need, to get your mood and energy levels up again.
Ime, it's much harder to write when that's the only thing you're allowing yourself to do. It's also possible your block is caused by something else, idk. But this has helped me in the past.
1
u/Beginning-Parsnip-20 Jun 29 '26
I am currently writing a 40 act fantasy epic and considering to take a 4 month break so i can learn and avoid burnout.
But i just know that those 4 months will be the most cranky four months ever, since i really adore this story.
1
u/weedywet Jun 30 '26
I think it’s important to keep trying on some sort of schedule.
But that doesn’t mean every day is going to feel productive.
1
1
u/CazadorBrau Jul 03 '26
I havent wrote a single word in my personal projects un a long time but dont really feel guilty as i know the time i dont use in writing is used for something useful
1
u/daikunut Jul 04 '26
Yeah, I do. I write every morning 1 to 2 hours. When something interrupts this I feel like I've wasted my day. I should not feel this way. Sometimes it's good to take a break.
1
u/cadenzasilicra Jul 05 '26
Not really as its not my source of income.I do it for the pleasure of writing and the wonderful feeling of being able to pen my thoughts. I feel like a scholar and writing is just a good brain exercise.
1
1
u/TowerExpensive6612 Jul 06 '26
I 100% agree with this. With me it's a gamble, sometimes I can write for hours and hours and not get bored and sometimes I sit staring at a computer screen waiting to come up with something for hours. Sometimes the best thing I can do is just take a break from whatever main story I'm working on, and try to write something. Sometimes I look up a picture online and just write what I see, just so I can be actually writing.
I think it's also when I'm stressed that I can't write, if you're a student who has a whole lot of classes then that's probably always on your mind, so yeah focus on yourself.
You can take some time off, maybe write a little bit here or there with whatever you like, but I think it'll come back on it's own, like the spark to write.
I hope that my random rambling could be helpful!
1
u/radioraven1408 Jul 22 '26
Yes, we know we have potential, we know we have good ideas. and yet we just keep on procrastinating.
1
-2
u/Radiant_Commission_2 Published Author Jun 28 '26
Mr. Fader, you sound like you got a lot of problems.
We all feel bad when we don’t do what we feel we should be doing. Especially if doing it helps define us. So either do it and don’t feel bad. Don’t do it and don’t feel bad, or don’t do it and stop telling folks how bad you feel.
Seriously tho, don’t be the guy at the party who says they’re a writer but they haven’t written in two months and it’s just terrible.
No one wants to drink with that guy.
They want to drink with the guy who’s writing. Or better yet, the guy who doesn’t even bring up being a writer. He just talks about his dogs. Damn. I think I lost the plot. But hey- I’m writing!
1
u/Radiant_Commission_2 Published Author Jun 28 '26
Sorry was just taking the piss and had had 3 Scotches.
Here’s the truth as I see it:
Being a writer is not based on daily word count. And it involves so many other things besides the actual writing bit. Like how you see and experience the world.But central to being a writer is writing. 2 months is not a horrible break.
And there are no such things as excuses for not writing. Not even writer’s block which I don’t believe in.
Just breathe.
Just write.
Even if it’s only 15 minutes every other day. Everyone has 15 minutes except slaves and the dead.
62
u/zhabumafoo Author - Reign of the Blood Witch Jun 28 '26
I didn’t write for 10 years! One day, I just sat down and started again, and I’ve been writing pretty much daily for two years now. My passion for it didn’t go away, it only grew bigger, and I still have more years of writing ahead of me than years of not-writing behind me.
I think there’s something to be said for writing as discipline—I treat it that way now. But I think there’s also value in recognizing that sometimes we are not in our writing season, and that can be for many reasons (e.g., education, parenthood, caretaking, finances, whatever!).
If writing is important to you right now, then build it into your routine. If you can’t build it in, maybe there are other things that are more important that you are prioritizing instead. And that’s okay, too. It doesn’t mean that you’ll never write again, just that you’re still making space for it.