How often do you write? More importantly, how often should you write? This article looks into the kind of discipline one needs to succeed in the world of writing.

So you have started to write. What a great feeling! You have come to terms with the fact that your craft goes way beyond being just a sideline, a hobby. Your passion is alive and there is no stopping what you can do with words. Now you're asking yourself, “Should I be writing every day? How often should I write?” You might even feel a panic attack coming on - Here you are, in a good place where the writer within is revealed, but you're not quite sure what it means if you wake up one morning and the last thing you feel like doing is to write.

Yes, the passion is there, the ideas are in your head, but you just don’t feel like writing today. And you begin to wonder if you don’t love to write as much as you think. If you did, shouldn’t you want to write every waking moment? Relax. Take a breath. I'll let you in on a little secret. I have been writing for a long time and I still ask myself that very same question. It’s true. In the beginning, I started with anxiety and doubt. These days it’s more of a comfortable observation. It’s more like "you know, I should work on my book today…” Sometimes I do and other times I don’t.

There are writers who are so disciplined that they write everyday. They set aside as much as 3 or 4 hours (sometimes more) daily and just immerse themselves in drama, conflict, plots… whatever. There is a well known playwright here in Jamaica, an acquaintance of mine, who called me one day. After the usual chit chat, he asked if I had written anything that day. Of course I hadn’t and didn’t plan to, and I said as much to which he replied, almost sternly, ”you are a writer and you must write everyday….” Sometimes I wish I had that kind of discipline but the truth is, we all approach writing in different ways. One of the best advice I ever received about my writing was from a lecturer back in college. He told me never to allow anyone to confine my talents in rules and regulations or dictate how, when or what I should write.

There are people who would think that it wasn't good advice, but I understood him perfectly. I had to learn the rules; I studied the meters and the rhyming schemes for my poetry, learned and practiced the various techniques and literary devices that would produce the right images and realistic conflicts and plots for my books. And it was all good. It is important that these rules are appreciated. But for me, to be trapped by someone else’s norms was never the way to be creative. I never forgot that piece of advice. Yes, if you intend to finish something, you do need to exercise discipline. Here I am, writing this very article and instead of having a nice quiet space where I can think, I am also watching Crossing Jordon on A&E. During the breaks I get back to the article. But I also know that I have a deadline and will meet it.

Like most other achievable goals in our lives, discipline takes practice and sacrifice. And like most things that we yearn, if we want something badly enough, we work towards it. I might not have the discipline (or the time) to set aside hours each day. But if I have deadlines to meet, no matter what else is happening in my life, I make sure that I meet my deadlines - for me, that is discipline.

You need to discover the best way for you to work. But you must practice discipline or you will find yourself the greatest procrastinator… you will always think you have tomorrow and it never comes. It can also take time to develop a certain rhythm or pattern for your work. Be patient. Don’t be too hard on yourself just because a month has passed and you have only written one poem. The good thing is you wrote that poem. Once you have started, the rhythm will come. Sometimes, it is so easy that you just can’t help yourself, especially if you are inspired. You know how difficult it is to turn off inspiration.

There are times when I am working on a poetry book and I just tell my family and friends that I am going into hiding for a month, and that’s exactly what I do. The key people in my life understands and everyone else… well, when I ‘surface’ again it will be time enough to return messages. Mentally, I need to be in a place where I am consumed by the chosen topic and theme. This works for me. You too will find your writing rhythm.

About the author:
Currently residing in Kingston, Jamaica W.I., Jenese owns and operates a small production business, For Keeps, Ltd, in which is a Creative Writer and producer in radio and television production. She has written and produced a number of commercials and documentaries for national organizations and government officials. She currently holds three unpublished poetry books and a novel, and is also working on her second novel. Her first novel, The Teapot, is a non-fiction piece inspired by her father’s death in 1997, which explores the reality of her family life, the strength of her mother, her relationship with parents, and the acknowledgement and acceptance of her father’s existence. A writer with passion, being published and continuing to share countless creative expressions with the world remains one of her greatest desires and she is willing to explore various avenues for this to become reality.