Writing rhythm

Hi there!

I'll admit I've talked about getting back into the swing of writing before, and I'll most likely talk about it many more times in future, but I thought I'd talk about finding and rediscovering a healthy writing rhythm after a break.

I know you've seen the posts... everyone has; "You must write every day if you want to be a writer." And "It doesn't matter how much you write in a day, but it must be every day." Are they accurate? Probably for the people who write them, but not for everyone. Some people write every day and find it helps them immensely. 

Personally, my current writing schedule only has me writing/editing five days a week, (not counting social media promos.) I'll go into my schedule in a later post, but the point is that no one schedule will work for everyone, TBH I don't always keep to my schedule, even though it's pretty loose. Why? Other things come up. Last week I only actively wrote on two or three days, but I spent my time refining ideas for my story and working on behind-the-scenes stuff that *I* need to better make my world. 

Now, I said I was going to talk about finding (and rediscovering) a writing rhythm... was that a lie? Is there no such thing as a writing rhythm? Don't worry, there absolutely is, but just like every song does not have the same rhythm, every writer, and even story, can have their own rhythm, and that's all for the better. 

Obviously, you should consider your schedule first. Do you have a few hours a day to write? Do you have a specific day that would be best for writing? Keep in mind, ideally, you should have a life outside of work/school and writing, so don't use every spare second on writing, and don't feel bad about it either. Even if you don't write for a month or longer, make sure you are taking care of yourself, physically, mentally, and Spiritually. Trust me, your book will be fine. Never feel bad because someone else writes more, or more frequently than you. 

Now, once you have considered your schedule and health, how can you discover your writing rhythm? Just try. Sorry, I know you don't like it, but I don't know any better way to find out what you can and should do, but to try. Try writing every day, try every other day. Try writing a hundred words per writing session, try writing a few pages. If you are getting burnt out, cut back, either on word count, or active days, if you are craving more, then add more.

Taking time away from writing is often necessary, and the lesson I keep learning, time and time again, is that you will need to be patient with yourself when you get back to it. You will find your rhythm again, but it may be slow going for a little while, so don't beat yourself up when you can't do all you want to right away. 

Total honesty here, I am terrible at this. I want to write five pages a day, five days a week, with a half-day of social media/promo prep thrown in, not to mention the other things I need to do. Is that an attainable schedule? Probably for someone, but not for me, not right now. So, what now? I need to rediscover my own writing rhythm. It may not be the same as when I was writing the A Spy's Memory trilogy, (I can't even remember how much my writing goals were for that) but whatever it is, it'll be right for me, and my story, no matter what. 

Have a great day, and keep writing!