How much can you write in a day?

I would't expect writing everyday to be strictly necessary, but if you want to go professional, I don't think you can rely on only writing when inspiration strikes. I imagine that if you want to be professional, at some point, you're gonna have to learn how to control your inspiration.

As for people claiming that they don't have time to write everyday: Sometimes it's a matter of being able to accept less. I have a tendency to not want to do anything unless I can do it for two hours. This results in countless wasted five minute blocks of time. You might be surprised by just how much time you have if you really seek out the little cracks in your schedule.

Personally, I find that I tend to think (and dream) about the things I'm doing from day to day. This can lead to very unpleasant nights dreaming about a boring job, or wasted down time thinking about whatever video game you're into at the time. But if I write, just a tiny bit every day, then my productivity goes up by a lot because of all the extra time spent just thinking about my story. That way, the time I do spend writing is more focused and productive.

 

Perhaps, but there's quite a lot of space between 'every now and then' and 'every day'.

 

I've setmyself up on a regiment of writing at least an hour everyday. When I'm doing things around the house, or driving, or at work I brainstorm for my next writing session, then when I sit down to write I have a general idea of where I'm going with it (not to say that I don't often find myself just staring at the screen sometimes).

It's hard getting into it at first, especially when you aren't feeling partricularly inspired, but once I devloped the habit I found it to become a highlight of my day.

 

You should be focused on your driving!

 

Well my day off worked a treat, came back wrote the two scenes I was struggling with, planned out the third story, Planned the rest of the story to my second novel.

If I am not having a blast then the writing I produce lacks passion, it becomes wooden, I am going to rewrite most of last weeks work.

 

Well in my opinion, writing every day shoudn´t be forced. If you don´t want then it´s better to just take a break.

However I try to write everyday. When I don´t write then I try to read instead.
When I can´t do any of the above, well then I try to take a walk with my best friends to relax my mind

 

I do try and write everyday but I vary what I write. Sometimes it'll just be a diary entry, or a blog, and other times it will be the start of a short story. And then if I really am struggling to write then I try and come up with story ideas instead.
I think it is good to write everyday but sometimes that's not possible, just because you can't always force yourself to write. And I think it's also good to take a break from writing regularly for a day or two just to refresh.

 

W176 is exactly right.

How often you write, and for how many hours, depends on what kind of writer you are-- hobby or professional--and how much time you have.

I don't agree with waiting around for inspiration. As Jack London said, go after it with a club.

 

Do you try to write at least a little bit everyday? I mean sometimes I'm not in the mood to write but I feel like I should anyway just to keep things going. What do you think?

 

I'm the same way...when I have an important RP going, I can't help but feel obligated to post at least once or twice to keep it going. But, you know...sometimes it's good to take a break. Everyone has a mood for everything, and writers are artists. We're the pickiest people ever, unless you count critics. Take a break every once in a while...and if you must post, just post, "Hey, everyone...I have to take a break for today. My characters just don't want to make my fingers work right now. The moment I can, I'll write something." Then, when you feel like it again, post your work and make everybody happy

 

I usually set aside some time at night to write, though it's not always possible. Having discipline is a major factor in separating great writers from everyone else. If you want to have a writing career, you have to be able to treat writing as a job (i.e. working several hours a day).

 

Hmm, I usually try to write something a day, even if it's just a handful of sentences, but I've gone and not written for weeks at a time if it's really not working for me (usually after some binge writing.) Basically, I'm not a fan of forcing myself to do anything, so, I'll give myself a little break to rest my brain.

 

I haven't written anything for the past two weeks, so no, I don't feel as though I have to write something every day. I could do it if I really wanted to, but I have no plans to ever publish anything, so it's not like I have to finish anything.

 

I try to write something everyday, 500 words a day makes me feel satisfied but sometimes I don't reach it. If that happens, I don't try force it. If I do that, my writing will come out more worse than usual.

 

When I'm well, I make an effort to write every morning weekdays.

 

Reading stimulates me to write. I also take needless breaks and only feel obligated to write to keep the flow, but the desire to is there, and it needs to be backed up by influence from this forum or other authors. Sometimes I watch cornell University public reading. That get's me going since I am all about prose. But, yeah, reading books reminds you why you want to write. Sometimes writers are hard on themselves, and feel directionless, so they need a bit of reminding as to why they are subjecting themselves to this.

I write maybe a bit...three or four times a week. :s

 

I may not always write every day but I think about my stories, characters etc. everyday.

 

i don't ever have to 'try to write' every day [btw, 'everyday' means 'ordinary'... as in: 'it was an everday occurrence' ]...

why?... because i write every single day of the year, in the course of mentoring writers and dealing with my writing services clients' needs, as well as on my own work whenever something needs to be written... and, when working on a major writing project of my own, the only problem i have with the writing is making myself stop now and then to eat, or sleep, or take a potty break...

 

Those are my binges. Oh boy, when you forget your body needs to actually do something other than writing... For me, I even forget coffee which is something I live on; I swear the only thing that ends one of the binges is the withdrawals kicking in.

 

Siince I've got a job, I tend to just write as a hobby... However my story is seemingly turning out to be something quite nice. I usually write about 2000-4000 words every odd day or so.

 

This is one of my biggest pet peeves.

Right. Basically I write when I want to, which is when I have a story ready to be written, which isn't as often as I'd like.

 

I try to write every day, but I don't beat myself up if I'm not in the mood for a couple of days, (like right now) I know I'm a frequent enough writer to end up with a finished draft in a reasonable time when I do write. Right now I'm between stories and don't write at all, and haven't for days! It feels weird, like something's missing from my life, but I probably need the rest.

 

Ideally I would like to write every day, but many things pull my concentration from writing. My job obviously takes large chunks out of my time. Family obligations and working-out are two other big factors.

When I finally get to write I find that writing alongside other writers helps drive me forward.