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Writing Daily Writing Exercises or Not

By 12/11/2009writing
Writing Exercises

Writing Exercises

While writing on writing the last few weeks, I have been caught with a dilemma: to write everyday or not…

If you listen to writing coaches, writing everyday is elementary, the more you practice, the better your craft will be, you can be your own best teacher, and so on.

To me, I’ve been writing more on the inside, sometimes for days things would float about in my head, connect and disconnect, like atoms hitting against each other, randomly, attracting, repelling. And sometimes, most times, they form something. And then all I have to do is give myself a pen and notebook, and watch myself write.

I know that one part of me suspends itself while the other is writing. This part, that suspends itself, can write everyday, and mostly come out with inane scribbles or articles for my bread and butter.

The other part, which only comes out when the first part is suspended, which makes all those connections in my head, is where the real writing comes from, and I have about as much control over it as I have over my bloodstream. It comes out once in a while, and not daily, like clockwork.

Is the idea for daily writing meant to coax this one out on your bidding? Not sure.

For now, I try to scribble something everyday, not worrying too much about word count, also hoping the part of me that really writes comes out of hiding more often.

Oh, and I’m also hoping  I’m a plain old writer, not schizophrenic. Thoughts?

Damyanti Biswas

Damyanti Biswas is the author of You Beneath Your Skin and numerous short stories that have been published in magazines and anthologies in the US, the UK, and Asia. She has been shortlisted for Best Small Fictions and Bath Novel Awards and is co-editor of the Forge Literary Magazine. Her literary crime thriller series, the Blue Mumbai, is represented by Lucienne Diver from The Knight Agency. Both The Blue Bar and The Blue Monsoon were published in 2023.

I appreciate comments, and I always visit back. If you're having trouble commenting, let me know via the contact form, or tweet me up @damyantig !

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4 Comments

  • indigobunting says:

    I think lots of writing happens internally. My problem is then finding time/energy/discipline to make it external.

  • DarcKnyt says:

    If it helps at all, I do most of my writing internally. Almost none of it surfaces to paper or screen anymore, but I know the progress is still there. Everything I write is stronger and better than what I wrote before.

    I’m sure writing for the sake of writing helps and certainly won’t hurt, but it’s not always something I can do. And I imagine you might be the same way, writing all the time internally, and only when it bubbles up to the top does it make it onto another medium than your brain.

    Take heart. It’s not schizophrenia, and if it is, well, a lot of us are schizophrenic, I bet. 🙂

    Hugs across the oceans.

    • damyantig says:

      Thanks for the vote of confidence, Darc…yes, I may not be schizophrenic. It is just that some days, I feel full, when all I have to do is empty myself on the page. On other days, I’m thinking, digesting, ruminating. Well, as long as I’m not being lazy and just pretending to ponder…not sure I told you about the story I got published, here it is: http://www.qlrs.com/story.asp?id=708

      People have told me it is weird, the story, I mean. And for me, I think I’ve tranced myself into the character’s mind, and spoken through him, or don’t know if he spoke through me. It is those things speaking in my head that bring on the really satisfying patches of writing, rest is all ritual. But rituals are important, I guess, they condition our minds.