“In everything, no matter what it may be, uniformity is undesirable. Leaving something incomplete makes it interesting, and gives one the feeling that there is room for growth. Someone once told me, ‘Even when building the imperial palace, they always leave one place unfinished’.” – Kenko, Essays in Idleness

“To sit alone in the lamplight with a book spread out before you and hold intimate converse with men of unseen generations – such is pleasure beyond compare.” – Kenko, Essays in Idleness

Coming up this Saturday on the Hour of History Podcast is an excellent episode where Dr. Stephen Hausmann talks about the habits and skills that helped him to write an awesome dissertation, be an excellent teacher, and get a tenure-track professorship. One thing that came up in the conversation is Steve’s habit of writing every day. So, should you write every day?

Absolutely, yes! That is, if it works for you and the goals you wish to accomplish. For Steve, he wanted to finish a dissertation – a monumental task – and, get a job in a ultra-competitive field. Writing every day was a must. But, if we listen to Kenko, there is also considerable space and importance to leaving something incomplete. That might mean an imperial palace, or a piece of writing that just isn’t ready to be written yet.

It is fascinating to read about writers habits. I wrote a bit about the way Balzac worked in an earlier post. Yet, each person comes to writing with different needs, goals, and skills. If we forget, for a moment, the industrial way in which we are educated as groups of people in a factory situation, then we can appreciate that different approaches work for different people. You can hear Steve’s advice for himself, but one thing he was sure to mention, was that he didn’t hold himself to an extraordinarily high word count everyday, but rather focused on the act and practice of writing every day. The same goes for running. I train every day, but others might get injured if they follow such a training plan.

When I travel, I always ask other travelers if they are writing about their journey. A cynic might say that it is unnecessary to write things down when traveling, as it is unlikely anyone will ever read it, but perhaps there is something to be gained just in the act of writing. When I traveled after college, I enjoyed traveling and writing so much I wrote my own short book of travel tips. Looking back, it isn’t my best writing, I didn’t market the book at all, and my writing had a lot of space for improvement- but I am sure proud that I took the time to organize my thoughts and share my experiences.

So, find out what works for you, and do it! If you are still stuck, here are some great books that will get you thinking, and hopefully, writing:









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