Back in the old days, people were encouraged to attend to daily prayers. Not just encouraged, bullied into it almost.
So I have a hard time with the idea of a “daily writing.” I’ll write when I damn well please, thank you very much.
But then I think of pianists. They need to play the piano, daily, for weeks and months and years to become merely proficient in their musicianship, much less able to say that they are accomplished in playing the piano.
I watched the New York Open with open-mouthed awe this summer, and listened to the stories of some of these incredible players. 
Who became incredible by natural ability and then hours of daily practice hitting that damn yellow ball back and forth over the net since they were pre-teens. Day after day, month after month, year after year.
Then I think of my friend, who is training for a marathon, again. She gave herself, and her ailing kidney, a year and a half off from the last marathon, watching her body become sluggish and her figure add the weight she had run off to such effort. Now, six weeks back into daily training, her face is rosy and her step lighter.
Will my writing become rosier, my fingers lighter if I succumb to daily practice? Will I become a more accomplished
writer, by forcing myself to put my words on paper (or laptop), every day? At some point in time, will someone read my stories and say “incredible,” because of the extra effort I’ve made in my life, to write daily?
I know what the answer is, damn it.
How about you? Do you practice your craft/hobby/thethingthatrocksyourworld – daily?
TO MY READERS: I’ll miss next week’s blog post due to an important meeting with the newest member of my family, now 2 weeks old and impatient for my visit. But I shall be writing my observations of a New England fall, my musings about new life and life’s renewals, the joy in reunification with the best daughter in the world, and the fear of flying…. DAILY.
roughwighting 
To those who know you, you are incredible and we talk about you all the time. 😉 Congratulations on the newest addition to Nadine’s and your family. Bring lots of pics to our lunch with Dana & Barbara! Love, Ed
Sent from my iPad
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Ahh, gee, now you’ve brought a huge smile to my face, which will carry me on that plane and get me through the tortuous 6-hour ordeal.
THANKS – and looking forward to the get-together when I return. :+)
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I play Scrabble every day – does that count? 🙂 I do think daily practice is necessary to make our talents more dazzling, but if there is no talent for a particular pursuit to be perfected, daily practice accomplishes nothing but brings us days of endless frustration.
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Oh dear, that sounds more like a GOLFER talking then a Scrabble player. :+) You’re right – only pursue what you feel is inside you – what your passion is. Otherwise, practice could be a waste of time!
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I started piano lessons recently. With an hour a day minimum practice, I’m finally starting to feel comfortable with the ivories. My writing is three hours a day, five days a week. I find if I goof off at either keyboard for more than two days, I pay for it in sluggish performance. So, yep, daily is the way to go. But just think; nobody is MAKING you do it. It’s a choice. Therefore much easier. 😉
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Good choice, too! I’m impressed with your dedication, and hoping it inspires me.
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Does blogging count as writing? I’ve been asking that a lot, lately, since I haven’t really been actively writing my fiction. I’ve convinced myself that it is a form of ‘creative non-fiction’, but is it the kind of writing that I should be doing? I know I should get back into the habit of daily writing, so thanks for reminding me how important it is.
Hope you have some wonderful face time with your grandchild and daughter. That is more important than blogging with us! 🙂
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I’ve asked the exact same questions as you do. I’ve decided that blogging is definitely part of a writing ‘practice.’ Additionally, blog posting helps us connect with readers, and with writers who are on the same path we are. Those blog friendships help a lot in our writing endeavors, I believe.
My visit with N.E. family was fabulous, and believe me, gave me LOTS of blogging material. :+)
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It’s a hard thing, huh? I go through stints of daily words but then drop the ball on occasion….
I still think you’re incredible! 🙂
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I know, MAKING ourselves do something we love takes some of the pleasure out of it, doesn’t it? So I drop balls (pens?) too. Being away from my blog home seemed very strange, and it’s nice to be back. I find the support we writers give to each other — incredible!!
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Congrats on your new edition!! I love to write, have been doing it since childhood, but everytime I go back and re-read it — it sounds like a five year old wrote the story. I’ll be reading your other posts for help. Thanks for stopping in at pacificparatrooper.wordpress.com
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Welcome to my blog Roughwighting! If you lived nearby, I’d love to have you attend my creative writing classes. The more you write, the more your words make sense and come together just as you want. Main advice: practice, practice, practice.
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