The Write Time, Everyday”

The best piece of advice you’ll ever ignore: “Keep a Writer’s Notebook, and write in it everyday.”

One day several years ago – before I figured out that my ‘real job’ was writing – I lamented to my husband that, “I’ll never be a successful writer! I just don't have the discipline to keep a Writer’s Notebook.” (The back of my hand was probably plastered to my forehead at the time – I’ve always had a dramatic flare.)

Innumerable times I’d bought hardbound journal-style notebooks (with elegant covers and ribbon bookmarks, of course) thinking this will be my Writer’s Notebook. I was faithful to write in them when they were new…then I’d find them again months – or years – later with only the first few pages filled.

He looked at me as though I was from some planet other than Venus and asked, “What do you mean you don’t keep a writer’s notebook?”

I patiently explained how important it is for a writer to always keep a Writer’s Notebook and fill it with her thoughts and impressions of daily life; to record bits of conversation overheard that would make a good spring-board for dialogue; to jot down bits of descriptive narrative when something captures her attention…

The longer I talked the narrower his eyes became. Finally he interrupted, “But you do that.”

“No, I don’t,” I said, “I start to, and then abandon it before it becomes a habit.”

He stopped me again. “Then what in the world is in all those boxes in the bottom of our closet?”

“Those are my notes, from…Oh my goodness…,” lightening pierced my brain, “I guess I really do keep a Writer’s Notebook!”

I can be a little dense. I had a mental image that a ‘real writer’ walked through life carrying a dedicated notebook – that only contained bits of sheer genius that poured though her pen in daily bursts of inspiration.

Then I remembered reading something somewhere that said, “You know you’re a writer if you can’t not write.” Well then, I must have already been a writer. (About three-fourths of my work week was spent writing at the time.)

While my fancy notebooks lay empty and lost, I filled steno pads by the dozen – there really were boxes of notebooks stacked in the closet just waiting to be gleaned of the gems they contained.

Following the advice to “Write Everyday,” doesn’t necessarily mean disrupting the activity of life to sit in your favorite chair and focus solely on the joyous experience of writing. You don’t even have to wait for the voice of your Muse. (Although, having that luxury would be wonderful...) If you're a writer – you write. You can’t help it. It may be on napkins, or small bits of paper, or maybe (like me) you keep pens and paper everywhere you spend significant amounts of time; making notes as they occur to you; not giving much thought to the fact you are writing. (The real task being to remember where you were when you wrote down what you need to read, now.)

But whatever you do...don’t throw it away. Keep those napkins, those post-its, those filled-to-the-margins legal pads and spiral bound steno’s until the time comes when you do sit down and go through them one by one, page by page, line by line, reading your thoughts and remembering ‘when.’ You’ll be surprised at what’s worth saving when you sift through the Do Lists from years gone by.

Writing for a living is serious work – but there’s also room for it to be fun. If you’re ready to explore the writing life and aren’t sure where to begin, e-mail us – tell us your story, we can help you get started. Click on “View my full Profile” then right-click the “EMail” button and copy/paste our address into your compose form.