Does the professional storyteller need inspiration to write? Will the muse arrive during a morning jog? I find she does visit me while I exercise—my pen.

Writing is like working a muscle. I exercise it regularly.

As Aristotle said, “We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.” Success at any craft requires routine practice. This is true for artists, marathon runners and serial killers alike.

Nobel Prize winner William Faulkner, when asked about his writing habits, said, “I only write when I am inspired. Fortunately I am inspired at 9 o'clock every morning.” Though Faulkner was notoriously untruthful, this message is valid: if you want to be a successful creative writer, get to work daily.

This discipline of labor has also transformed my own stories. When I was younger, I wrote when I felt like it. I produced plenty, but my content was unrefined. I rarely revised, so my work never reached a greater standard. Now that I have a schedule, I tend to orient myself toward craft as well as creation. And with all the distractions of adult life and the modern world, routine is more important than ever for consistent production.

I don't write at the same time every day. I vary it for fear of making my art too regimented. That's a personal superstition. But it doesn't stop me from writing—every day.