I totally disagree with this one: “When you aren’t inspired to work on whatever it is you should be working on, do an exercise, or a series of them. Make up your own (writing) exercises. Do them even if you feel dull and unimaginative.”
I have found advice like that pointless. It's as bad as advice to retype what you wrote the day before. It's drudgery. I want to feel at minimum interested and hopefully excited. If not, I shift gears entirely: go to the gym, walk the dogs, even clean out a closet--anything that doesn't involve words.
Maybe her point works for some people, but I don't see that as a good habit, I see that as a barely-disguised "should" and we writers get enough of that from way too many sources.
She talks about writing exercises and writing even if you don't feel inspired. That's the kind of advice from well-known writers that newbies turn into gospel and then feel ashamed if they're not following it.
I totally disagree with this one: “When you aren’t inspired to work on whatever it is you should be working on, do an exercise, or a series of them. Make up your own (writing) exercises. Do them even if you feel dull and unimaginative.”
I have found advice like that pointless. It's as bad as advice to retype what you wrote the day before. It's drudgery. I want to feel at minimum interested and hopefully excited. If not, I shift gears entirely: go to the gym, walk the dogs, even clean out a closet--anything that doesn't involve words.
Maybe her point works for some people, but I don't see that as a good habit, I see that as a barely-disguised "should" and we writers get enough of that from way too many sources.
Don’t disagree with you. Maybe the broader point is to do something else & come back later
She talks about writing exercises and writing even if you don't feel inspired. That's the kind of advice from well-known writers that newbies turn into gospel and then feel ashamed if they're not following it.