Writing before the Week Ends

“It's hell writing and it's hell not writing. The only tolerable state is having just written.” - Robert Hass




I have always had this question: should a writing career be shaped like any other? People work all week, and then take rest at the end of the week. Any kind of writing should be out of bounds during the weekend - theoretically.

Over the years, I have come to realize that, writing, when interspersed with breaks, can be continued for the long haul. After a point of intense celebration, the brain stops making any more sentences. Five/week days is lengthy enough to write extended pieces, like stories and novel chapters. Each day of the week, if it results in a few thousand words, can take the writer a far way.

I have personally stumbled upon activities unrelated to writing to be very useful in rejuvenating the mind. Any hobby is useful. Music, movies, painting, traveling, trekking, boating, dancing, exercise - the list can go on. About exercise, it's usefulness to a writer cannot be overstated. Since writing is cerebral, some form of physical activity, especially, can open up the mind.

I am saying this from personal experience. I have noticed that I am more productive when I fit in some time of stretching or yoga, where the body is put under stress rather than the mind. If I spend more time at the gym, then its outcome is more writing, and, I would say, better.

This topic of resting the brain (not the mind) indirectly also points to the issue of 'writer's block' that is so widely talked about. What is actually writer's block? Is it actually a block, or something one can work around, with rest, recreation, and exercise?