A real writer just doesn't want to write; a real writer has to write. He aches to pour out his heart and soul on paper.
Everyone assumes that the best writers have a natural talent. However that’s simply not the case most of the time. Writing is a process and it takes a lot of practice and hard work to stay proficient. That’s why one thing that most of the best writers have in common is that they write every day.
Some writers write as a business, as entrepreneurs, while others write because it’s something that brings them joy. Many write because they want to get published, become famous, and well-respected, while there are a few who write just because they want to express themselves with no intention of ever getting published or read.
There are innumerable reasons why writers write. Every writer may have their own special reason to begin their writing journey. It could be because they want to quench their thirst for self-expression, they may want to share their own story, or they want to search for something meaningful, maybe even just create.
Mr. Orwell might have summed it up best. In his essay, he listed what he believed to be the four great motives for writing:
Sheer egoism. To be talked about, to be remembered after death, to get your own back on grown-ups in childhood, etc.
Aesthetic enthusiasm. To take pleasure in the impact of one sound on another, in the firmness of good prose or the rhythm of a good story.
Historical impulse. The desire to see things as they are, to find out true facts and store them up for the use of posterity.
Political purposes. The opinion that art should have nothing to do with politics is itself a political attitude.
Whatever their reasons most prolific writers don’t wait for the “right moment” to write, they just write. Find your reasons to write, stick to those reasons and then get on with it.
When writers get into the habit of writing every day, it strengthens their writing skills.
You could write for a full seven consecutive hours in one day, but writing for an hour every day of the week is thought to be better. It strengthens discipline and a writer is less likely to burn out. Like physical exercise, frequency – not quantity – is more effective in the long run.