Meh. You want quality writing? Sit down at the same time every day, seven days a week, and write continuously for two hours. It doesn't matter if you're inspired or uninspired. There are a few gifted people who can dash off a sonnet whenever the muse strikes, but the rest of us need practise, practise, practise. It's the same if you want to be a great pianist. You have to play every day. You have to play through the boredom and the blahs because it's only after your technique becomes effortless - essentially disappearing - that inspiration can truly be released.

There's a huge difference between writing "when the mood is on" and not writing when you're exhausted. Zeldman seems to conflate the two in this piece.

I find that inspiration comes from forcing my way through the first paragraph. Usually after that point, I'm ready to go and can keep going to the point of getting cranky if anyone interrupts me.

The strategy Zelman describes may work for him--he's published books so clearly he's found a method that works. Still, I've seen these same arguments used time and time again in order to justify procrastination, resulting in nothing ever gets done.

Edit: Having written this, I guess I'm now obligated to go open up the ol' word processor, huh?

Sometimes it's good to push yourself when tired. In the book 'Founders at Work' (Jessica Livingston), there's a chapter on Steve Wozniak where he says that he hits a new creative gear when working on a problem for three days and nights straight. Not directly related to writing well, granted, but an interesting point nonetheless.

Incidentally, the only two things I actually liked doing in school were writing short stories and drawing sketches. I would spend hours blissfully writing or drawing when given it for homework, and it was never a chore. The best ways to feed the imagination is to simply read, read, read. It's plain and boring advice, but it works. I was lucky when young as I was always encouraged to read, for many people my age (early twenties), reading is very boring, but that's because they are poorly versed in it and have poor imaginations as a result.

It's a cliche, but it's simple practise at anything that makes perfect - apparently Tiger Woods gets up at an ungodly hour and practises for 5-6+ hours every day; Tyson in his prime would get up and jog in the middle of the night, and conducted a tough training regime other boxers wouldn't engage in. After the last Olympics, Phelps famously said that all he does is "eat, sleep and swim". There's only so far natural ability will take you after all.