On January 23 I began sharing what I like to call a few “Terribly (Un)Important Thoughts” on writing. 😉

Last week I followed up with another—all subject to the same codicil: ‘from my experience of the art’ (which may not reflect anyone else’s, at all, at all!)

In last week’s post, I commenced by mentioning that “we hear  a great deal about the importance of routine and writing every day.”

I then went on to talk about what I see as the importance of not getting locked into an unvarying routine, but since then—in a flow-on effect way—I’ve been thinking about the maxim that if one is serious about being an author then must “write every day” (with or without a spirit of joyful exhilaration.*)

But you know what? I think that’s complete and utter rubbish. Well (more moderately) it is for me anyway. My writing needs downtime—not just the occasional, change-of-scene downtime I talked about last week, but doing something completely other than writing every few days or so. I find that if I don’t do this I get jaded and the creative flow gradually dries up.

In my case, manual work is best for taking a break and recharging the creative batteries, whether I get out and garden, or make food — working with the hands and reality possibly, rather than the head and imagination.

Sometimes, though, it takes more than a couple of hours to ‘re-ground’ yourself and better still, get perspective on the work-in-progress, standing back so that you do see the whole of the forest instead of all the individual trees—sometimes even a  couple of days away from the writing desk.

The trick—and it is a good one, if you can pull it off consistently—is knowing when the right course is to step back, and when it is to stay focused and push on.

Consistent writing and a regular schedule is important—but so, too, is consistent downtime and regularly scheduled breaks.

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* “train every day with a spirit of joyful exhilaration” — exhortation attributed to O-Sensei, founder of the martial art, aikido.