Ten years ago, I was going through a hard time with my writing. Some days, I found myself cranking out close to 1k words. Other days, I just barely managed to write 200. I was really inconsistent and couldn’t figure out how to make writing part of my daily routine. Then I saw a YouTube video where an author talked about how starting a writing journal had changed her life. Recording how much she wrote every day inspired her and motivated her to get those words down.
So, I ordered a journal for myself and did the same thing. At first, my word count varied wildly just like it had always done. But then I told myself I needed to write 1k a day and I found that pretty easy to do. I upped the ante to 2k a day. Then 3k. Then, finally, 4k. And for the last decade, using a writing journal has helped me churn out close to forty novels.
It’s been great.
But it’s also been stressful and draining.
Which is why, last month, I stopped using one.
At first, it definitely felt weird not writing down my word count at the end of the day and celebrating when I had a high number. But slowly, gradually, I’ve gotten back into the swing of writing however much I feel like instead of a certain number.
I’m not saying that having a writing journal is a bad thing, but I am saying that sometimes it’s easy to push yourself so much that you end up feeling burned out.
Which is terrible for your creativity.
If you’re a creative person, you must protect your imagination at all costs.
And if that means not recording how many words you write a day anymore, so be it.