We've all heard it: "sit down and write X number of words every single day no matter what!" Actually, don't. It's the worst advice ever.
Believe me, as a professional writer since 2004, I understand the need for discipline in your work life and how you have to meet near-impossible deadlines sometimes. I live it every day. Writing for a newspaper or website is a specific version of the craft, and you do need to be able to sit down and “just do it.” When people ask me to describe my job, I usually say it’s, “write on demand.”
But, with creative work, such as novels, it’s different. And that’s all there is to it. You can’t force creativity. Have you ever heard of an artist getting frustrated and throwing his paint pallet across the room? Well, it’s the same with us. If you’re not inspired, and you have nothing in your head, nothing is going to come out. If it does, it’s going to be dry, stilted, and boring, and believe me your readers will realize you were straining to get it there. If you’ve ever read a book by an author you love, but were underwhelmed by that particular novel, that’s usually what happened: that author was chasing a deadline and “forced it.” Always do your best to avoid a situation where you have to try to manipulate the muse. It doesn’t work.
I hear a lot of novice writers tell each other, “sit down and make yourself write 5000 words today no matter what! Thinking about the story doesn't count.” It may sound logical, but it’s a recipe for boring. (NEVER take advice from someone who's never earned a dime as a writer.) Thinking actually does count. All novels must be "thought through" in some kind of way before they are written. If you do take that bad advice, though, and just force something onto the page, all you'll turn out is uninspired writing. And we all know what that sounds like.
If you have your idea in your head, but the words aren’t coming, just let the idea keep swimming. If it’s good, it will find its way to the paper as long as you're able to pause when you’re inspired and get the thoughts down before they flee. If you do that every time, what you're essentially doing is only writing when you’re inspired and THAT’S one of the keys to great writing.
Forcing it when there’s nothing there leads to a nothing book. So wait for the muse to show up, and get it on the page before the thoughts are gone. It's easier than you think.
Love it. SO TRUE!