If you are not writing yet, do not start. If you are writing already, stop now. But if you cannot stop, write as little as you can. Behold my advice on writing.

Addendum I (December 9, 2015)

Good advice, this. Am I following it myself, though? In my own case, only the third proposition is relevant, and I am doing my best to write as little as possible. By comparison with last year, I am quite successful. By the end of the year, I will have written close to five-hundred pieces less than last year. But I will have written more than two-hundred addenda more. In short, I am following my advice only up to a point. One way or another, I always find an ingratiating way around it. And no kidding. Alas, no advice is perfect!

Addendum II (April 22, 2016)

Judging by my current records, I am following my own advice on writing much more assiduously than the first addendum suggests. I am writing less and less, and my yearly output will be cut considerably one more time. Although the number of addenda is remarkable once again, it will be way below last year’s record by the end of the year. The main reason for these welcome changes is the introduction of so-called fallow days. I decide on such days well in advance, and I make sure that there is not a single piece or addendum written on any of them. According to my plans, the number of fallow days will stretch to at least two months by the end of the year. No advice is perfect, to be sure, but I am doing my best to follow my own as assiduously as I can.

Addendum III (October 3, 2016)

One more time, I am rather impressed by the aplomb with which I am following my advice on writing. By the end of this year, I will have written about three-hundred pieces less than last year. Splendid! Although I will also write around a hundred addenda more than last year, this is still tolerable, for the number of words written per year is dropping pretty fast. But my plans for fallow days next year make me outright happy. Their number will grow and grow. The same holds for the following years, for my plans now stretch no less than three years ahead. One of the conspicuous features of these plans is the ever-greater number of ever-longer fallow periods. So far, the longest such period consists of twelve days in a row. And I have already decided on the dates. I am not sure how far I will push such periods, but I am eager to test my limits. Only imagine an entire month without a single word! The bliss!