I’ve taken the words of William Faulkner to heart: I only write when inspiration strikes. Fortunately it strikes at nine every morning.

It’s not just Bill. Nearly every successful writer, across industries, I’ve looked at has said something similar. If you’re going to become anything noteworthy, if you’re going to create anything of substance, you’ve got to write like it’s a full time job. That means writing everyday, for hours, even when you don’t feel like it. But here’s the issue.

When you write methodically, which is what I currently do, you begin to lose emotion. Hopefully there are waves, and I’m simply in a trough of blandness. But I believe I’ve only written 3 pieces this year that could count as having much emotion: a rant on hold times for Text Request, a remembrance of David Bowie and Alan Rickman, and another rant on why I hate being called a Millennial.

Does good writing always have to be emotional? Of course not! Good writing is that which accomplishes its goal. In most cases, however, that involves creating a feeling. Some kind of legitimate connection between the reader and what they’re reading. Emotion begets emotion, so in many cases good writing is exactly that which conveys emotion, so as to imprint that emotion on the reader. But I don’t have that. Not a very good version of it, at least. I’m searching.

I’m writing methodically. I’ve been writing methodically, and I’ll keep writing methodically, because I know that’s how I’ll grow. Yet how do I increase the emotion? Do I even necessarily have to feel it? I have to possess emotion, sure, in order to place it into a piece or a character. But do I need to feel it, or just understand it? How does one intentionally add emotion in such a way that creates a connection with the reader? These are the questions I’m currently working through.