I often see writers on social media wondering if they are writing enough, and it’s always the same strategy that proliferates across the board: Set a daily goal and pressure yourself into meeting that goal. Typically, 1,000 words a day.

But I disagree.

Good writing requires critical thinking, and critical thinking requires brainpower. Unlike career authors who are able to dedicate eight plus fresh mind-hours a day to writing, we debut authors hold nine-to-five jobs and spend most of our fresh mind-hours at work. By the time we get home, we’re physically drained and mentally exhausted — zombified. Consequently, it takes twice as long to write anything, and three times as much brainpower to write anything worth reading. And that perspective assumes we don’t have children. If we do, then we also have to write around cooking, cleaning, feeding, and looking after our kids — another job on its own.

While writing 1,000 words per day may get us into the habit of writing, the strategy involves fast thinking which forces us to speed past the intricate details that make a story unique. Sure, it enables us to bypass our zombified brains, but in doing so, it incidentally promotes the use of adjectives, a crutch we use to increase our word count — the greatest illusion of progress. Consequently, word after word we spiral into mediocracy, developing a habit of overlooking the very fine details that truly make a story epic.

On the other hand, although mentally strenuous, slow thinking — or critical thinking — allows us to create substance in our plot and depth in our characters. Our characters must eat, breathe, sleep, and shit as we do. They must become as real as you and I, and it is our responsibility as authors to give them life. And to do that, we must think as they think, feel what they feel, and perceive the world as they do. We must become one with our characters, and that takes time, imagination, creativity, and most importantly, brainpower.

In retrospect, I only write as often as my mind chooses to write. When I open my novel, my mind departs this world for the next, and my characters write their own words. I don’t write anything unless I’m narrating. If my mind refuses to cooperate, then I don’t write at all. I’ll work on my cover, I’ll tweak my website, maybe I’ll even write a blog such as this one, but I don’t write in my novel. I have found most success on the weekends, when I can dedicate eight plus fresh mind-hours to my novel. Then again, the mind is incredible thing. Sometimes I do come home from work and spend countless hours writing in my novel. Sometimes I write well into the night, even overnight, but my writing sessions are all determined by my mind’s ability to transcend realities.

My advice to you: Write as much as your mind can handle on any given day. Some days will be better than others. Take a break if you need to and enjoy the process. Don’t let others dictate your progress, and never ever compromise quality for quantity.

Respectfully,

Edgar Ruiz