Comments on: When you should stop reading, start writing

By: Daphne Gray-Grant

Daphne Gray-Grant — Wed, 15 Aug 2018 23:41:00 +0000

In reply to Beth Farmer. I think all the work we do for writing "counts." But if you want a short story or a book then you also need a certain minimum number of words. At some point you need to call yourself to account for that....

By: Daphne Gray-Grant

Daphne Gray-Grant — Wed, 15 Aug 2018 23:39:00 +0000

In reply to Robyn. If you're having difficulty with the habit then I suggest you cut it back, dramatically if necessary. For example, if you were trying to write for 15 mintues a day, then reduce it to five. Or three. And if you were trying to write 500 wpd then cut it to 250 or 125 or even less... Make the job EASY and then build it up from there, later.

By: Daphne Gray-Grant

Daphne Gray-Grant — Wed, 15 Aug 2018 23:38:00 +0000

In reply to Lynne Bryant. Yes, doing is way more important than reading! I'm not sure it's worthwhile to figure out WHY so many of us resist doing. More beneficial to put the energy simply into doing!!

By: Beth Farmer

Beth Farmer — Wed, 15 Aug 2018 12:06:00 +0000

This was a great post and very encouraging. I’ve been doing a lot of reading about writing and not enough writing. I know learning anything is a process which leads to improvement, but the perfectionist in me wants to be ahead of the game at the beginning. If you’re writing fiction, does writing backstory for characters count as writing every day? It has a much different “feel” than working on scenes.

By: Robyn

Robyn — Tue, 14 Aug 2018 18:35:00 +0000

I appreciate the fact that your blogs on writing are all roughly 3 minutes long. And I’m pleased to say, that’s the only reading about writing that I’m doing these days. However, I’m still having difficulty with the 5-days a week habit. Thanks for the encouragement.

By: Lynne Bryant

Lynne Bryant — Tue, 14 Aug 2018 18:32:00 +0000

Thank you, Daphne! You’re right about actually “doing” the writing. I must have read a dozen books “about” writing, and why is that? Avoidance, maybe? Probably. I do need to spend more time “doing” the writing to get better. Even so, I did like Anne Handley’s “Everybody Writes” and John McPhee’s “Draft No. 4: On the Writing Process”. Both of these books were interesting and helpful. By the way, I’m looking forward to learning more from your class again soon! =)