More Answers Without Questions

Writing Every Day...?

Here’s a conversation I’ve had several times in my life:

Person: “Do you write every day?”

Me: “Uh, I try to—but no, not really.”

Person: “Well, then you’re not a real writer….”

You know what? Fuck those motherfuckers.

The do-you-write-every-day question is a cruel gatekeeping put-down that assholes who want to define your life impose on you.

You don’t have time to listen to those idiots.

Writers write when they can.

That said—I once saw novelist Matt Bell say somewhere on social media that he tried to at least look at his manuscript every day. Just open the file on his computer and look at it.

That simple action was enough! Look at a paragraph—then maybe make that paragraph better. Then maybe write a new sentence—and maybe write another.

I tried this and my productivity absolutely increased. You can try this, too.

I once saw historian Vartan Gregorian give a talk, and he said that when he emigrated to the US from Iran to attend Stanford University, he knew very little English. And he had to have a part-time job to make ends meet. And he wanted to concentrate on his studies. So, to focus, he shaved his head—making himself too damn ugly to have any sort of social life. He didn’t have any choice but to concentrate on his work!

You can try this, too.

(Send me a picture of your bald head, please!)