Writing Requires Discipline

I was reminded of how writing requires discipline by one of my writing friends who called me the other day and was complaining that she hasn’t written anything for weeks because she was too busy to simply sit down and write. She was the inspiration for this blog because I think that so many writers are in this boat. We feel pressured to do so many different things in a day, but usually writing isn’t one of them. And that is okay unless you consider yourself to be a writer.

There’s an old adage: Writers Write.  There is a lot of truth in that statement. But even individuals who consider themselves to be writers have a difficult time living up to this code of behavior. And there’s a reason for this. The reason is very commonsensical. It is hard to develop the habit of writing. It is hard to write with any degree of consistency. And it is hard to work writing into one’s life.

So, how do serious writers do it? How do some of them write fifty, sixty, or seventy books in their  lifetime? All of the writers that I spoke to told me unanimously that they spent every day writing without exception. So, if we want to become writers, we must do the same. That doesn’t mean that we have to write for hours every day. There are some days that it is okay to only write a half an hour or an hour. But as long as you spend a  few days a week writing a few hours a day (say on weekends or certain evenings), you will get a lot of writing done.

Having said all of this, what makes a writer successful?  Success comes from actually doing the writing often and wholeheartedly. I say wholeheartedly because if a writer only goes through the motions of writing and would rather be doing something else, s)he won’t stick with writing for long. Soon some other duty, obligation or just plain interest will win over his/her necessity to write.

This means that writing requires discipline. We must be willing to put in the time to write and to persistently do this without feeling that we are missing out on life somehow if we spend hours writing. I think in my case I feel I miss out on something very important when I don’t write. Maybe this makes me different from a lot of people.

I know that I was once a very undisciplined writer. I didn’t want to write, and I wrote only when the urge came to me, which was infrequently. But then one day I discovered the wonderful feeling and sense of fulfilment that comes from writing consistently and persistently. Not only did I become a published author, I started loving writing and I have come to love the discipline of writing as well. I wish the same for all of you.

If we define ourselves as writers, we owe it to ourselves to write.

Irene S. Roth

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