90% of published authors have a writing rule. Stephen King writes 2000 words every day. One famous writer-I can't remember who-said to 'write a page each morning before you let yourself go to the bathroom'. Every writing book I've ever read, at some point, says to set up a routine. Every website says the same thing.

If you're working on one or two big fiction, or non-fiction, projects, you need breaks. Just taking one day a week off and spending it with your family is enough most times. You can also take a break partway through your progress for the day. If you don't write in your big projects one day, get a journal and write in that. Write a letter. Write a synopsis for the big project closest to completion, or a query letter.

I find I need more of a break if I'm editing. I need to be able to take a day off from editing, go back, edit, rewrite, lengthen, shorten, whatever. Every draft I finish means I take a fifteen day break from the project, along with anything closely related to the project itself.

Don't condemn yourself if one day you can't quite write 2000 words. Don't ever stop at 2000 words or whatever your goal is if you're still inspired. Take a day off every once in a while. Read a good book, play video games, whatever. Never completely stop writing, even if all you write is a bunch of journal entries or an article here.

Even one sentence is enough to keep in practice, pretty much. So be free with it. Don't get caught up in routine. If you're blocked, doodle or draw. Don't write if you're really, really uninspired. I'm not saying take a break every day you don't really feel like writing. It's a job. Like any job, you have your occasional sick days and you have your days off. Use those to your best adventures.

Besides, all the best writing comes, in part, from a wide life experience. Be open to new things.

And if writing ever becomes a chore, stop. Maybe, if you come to hate it enough, forever. Don't, and I mean don't, keep writing if you don't love it-it's too hard to get anywhere for it to be worth it.

Learn more about this author, Dianna Gunn.
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