Elliot Kessler

Many people advise new writers to write every day. Whether you write five words or five thousand, writing daily is essential.

But why is it important? Why should you write every day? What benefit does it bring you?

The first reason for writing every day is obvious: practice. Practice makes perfect. Well, in the writing world, practice makes better writing. There is no such thing as a perfect story (except for “Lord of the Rings”), but there are better stories than others. Also, some stories are better written than others. For instance, “The Shadow” by James Patterson wasn’t a great book, but it was written very well!

Writing exercises are helpful for practicing writing every day. I confess it has been a long time since I have done a writing exercise. It would be beneficial if I began again.

But my point is that, by practicing every day, your writing style will define itself, and you will be able to better tell your story with more vividness and excitement. I’ve read horrible stories that were still fun simply because they were written well. I’ve also read great stories I struggled to finish because of their dull writing style. It’s better to strive for the middle ground and write a great story well, and practicing every day is an excellent way to learn and improve so you can achieve precisely that.

Vividness is something that I have been striving for, but I don’t believe I have achieved it yet. It is difficult to describe things clearly while keeping the story’s momentum. Some authors, such as Ray Bradbury, James Patterson, and Agatha Christie, do a fantastic job of this. It is challenging to achieve, however, and writing exercises every day can help you learn that skill.

The other reason for writing every day is less obvious: remembering where you were. When writing longer projects, such as a novel, keeping track of your story and remembering where you left your characters last time is essential. This is where writing every day comes in.

If you leave your novel on the back burner for a few weeks, you will have a more challenging time remembering where your characters are and where you’re at in the story. But if you work on your novel a little bit every day, remembering where you left off won’t be a problem.

This schedule can also keep your characters and events in the back of your mind more often. This way, new ideas can develop even when you don’t think about your story. I’ve found that when I write daily, I think of new ideas in the shower, at school, when working, or even when reading a book. I’m constantly thinking about my writing and where to go next, and writing every day helps me to keep my projects in mind and think of new things.

These are my two reasons to write every day. Let me know if you know of any other ways it might be beneficial!

Thanks for reading! Have a fantastic day.