I’ve heard or read so many times that if you are a writer, you absolutely should be writing every single day.

Here’s the truth: you don’t have to write every day. In fact, I don’t honestly think you should. It was Anais Nin, great diarist, who wrote “We write to taste life twice, in the moment and in retrospect.” So how can we continue to feed our imaginations if we have no food? As writers, we have a responsibility to our work—and to our readers—not to write every day, to get out and experience instead. It’s those experiences that shape us as writers and inform our work.

I could’ve spent last weekend writing. I chose to go ziplining at Big Bear Ziplines in Hyde Park, NY, with my cousin Maryanne instead…and came home with not only many great memories (see the video below), but fodder for a new project. So the next time you’re worried about not writing on a certain day, ask yourself what you could be doing instead—and then go do it. You might just find that you’ll return to your keyboard more inspired than when you left.

~

We had a blast at Big Bear, and our guides, Tyler and Mike (Skittles) were awesome. We also lucked out–we had a great tour group–funny, friendly, and encouraging. Now, share the experience with us (and think about contacting them to make your own!). Hey—curious about the song? It’s called “On My Way” by The Neighbors & Greg Camp. It’s from the movie Sessions from the Curve. You can pick it up on Amazon here.