The Importance of Daily Writing, by Guest Blogger Jennifer Lynn Alvarez

Writing is an exercise that requires practice and training to build the muscle required to become a “finisher.” When I set out to write a novel after a fifteen-year break, I struggled to trap my imagination on paper. I wrote a few days a week, and it was mentally agonizing, similar to how I feel when I begin a new exercise routine for my body. However, I was happy to be writing again, and so I kept at it, but my writing routine was sporadic. I finished a middle-grade book, THE PET WASHER, in about a year, and it’s only 33,000 words.

In January of 2012, I made a decision to write something—anything—every day. I announced this on my blog, and like any new routine, it was difficult to keep up at first. I didn’t have a book contract at the time, and not all of my friends and family initially accepted that I now had “work” hours. But I stuck to it and carved out several hours a day, often awaking at 5 or 6am, to write blog posts, articles, and journal entries.

After a few months, I noticed how much easier it was to write. I became adept at quickly organizing my thoughts. Soon I was averaging 2000 words a day in three-hour time periods. I also noticed that the more I wrote, the more ideas I had for new material. And eventually, everyone in my life accepted that they saw a little bit less of me.

So later—when the big idea came—I was ready! It happened while I was driving home from Petaluma on highway 101. I visualized a herd of winged horses flying above my car. They were migrating and a heavily pregnant mare was struggling to keep up. I knew immediately that her foal was special and that I had to write about him. When I arrived home, I began the first draft of STARFIRE.

Because I had been writing daily, I had the brain muscle to fuel a quick first draft. I wrote 53,000 words in just 20 days. I finished, revised the book, and sent it to an agent who had previously, but kindly, rejected me. She loved STARFIRE and signed me on as a client. Soon after that, we accepted a four-book contract from Rosemary Brosnan and Karen Chaplin at HarperCollins Children’s Books.

I attribute my success to the fact that I showed up each day and wrote. It created the endurance I needed to quickly act on my idea, it carved out the time required to write the next three books in the series, and it enabled me to meet my tight publishing deadlines.

It can be difficult at first to carve out this time, and not everyone in a writer’s life will always understand it, but I encourage all writers who aren’t doing it to try. Don’t judge your progress. Just write!

I showed up every day at my computer without the foreknowledge that it would ever lead to anything. I treated my hobby as a job even though I had no reason to believe I’d ever be paid for it. I wrote without judgment because my goal was to practice, not to publish. But when the big idea came, I was strong enough to execute it. I went from aspiring author, to debut author with a big five publisher in exactly one year.

The first book in my new series will be released in hardback around the world on September 23, 2014. Of course, results will vary with every writer, but the point is that daily training will prepare you, whether your published or not, for the next big idea.

Jennifer Lynn Alvarez is a fantasy fiction author and speaker who writes middle-grade fiction. She graduated from U.C. Berkeley with a B.A. degree in English Literature. Jennifer’s upcoming books include The Guardian Herd middle-grade series. Book one, Starfire, releases on 09/23/14 through HarperCollins Children’s Books. Jennifer’s self-published books include The Pet Washer. This series is for ages 7 and up. Jennifer lives on a small ranch in Northern California with her husband and three children.