2026 Writing Journey: My Commitment to Daily Writing

If you've spent any time researching writing crafts or adages from seasoned, published writers, there is a common theme: one should write every day. Of course, that is a valid strategy. A writer should ensure that they are at least spending a few minutes every day at their writing desk (or in front of their computer/with a pen to paper), writing down something. It doesn't have to be good. It doesn't have to be complete. It just has to get written.

But what about when life gets in the way? In 2025, I had a number of personal trials that led me to write only when I needed to. When a deadline loomed, or I owed pages, I carved the time from a busy life of obligations and setbacks. Those deadlines were met and passed, yet I found myself not writing. Sure, I read, which is great. To infuse one's brain with words when none seem to land on a page or a computer screen. Then more time passed and I had not written with anything more than a sporadic frequency.

Were you concerned, Nicole? Of course I was. Even after the path I have etched for myself in this writing world, publications, accolades, a part of me wondered if the words had dried up. I no longer offered them the attention they deserved, so they found another writer's hands to bring them to life. That worry grew until I spoke to a student after a recent lecture. She told me of her own journey and how she writes nearly every day, taking one day off in the week to rest. To quote her, she said, "I don't allow myself not to write. Even if it's for a few minutes, I make sure to write and commit to those words, otherwise it won't get done."

Thus the teacher became the student. In the latter half of 2025, I faced my own health problems that led my brain to atrophy (and, in some ways, my soul to atrophy). But hearing my student speak to me about her own writing process, to teach me, to remind me of a simple truth: writers write. They give life to the ideas in their minds. They set aside that time, even if they are unsure of what they are writing, they make sure to write. When one story draft is complete, revisions begin. When a piece of writing is "done," another one begins. It is a beautiful, simple truth. We just keep writing.

So this year, I will not allow myself not to write. I'll take a day off once a week, but even if I don't know what I'm writing, I'll still sit down to write. Today is this blog post. Tomorrow, who knows, and that is a wonderful thing.

How do you keep writing? What do you find works for you? I'd love to hear it in the comments.