It’s hard enough to keep up with your work-life
balance, then you throw in writing to the mix and it feels like the walls are
about to start crumbling down whenever you even think about taking a sneak peek
at your manuscript.
Yes, I get that sometimes too, but guess what? In this
post, you’ll be learning 15 simple writing habits to cultivate that will help
get your creative juices flowing and help your mind gravitate towards the idea
of writing as a routine, not a chore.
You have to first understand how to develop good writing habits before you can think about cultivating some for yourself because that is
the origin and from where you can begin to prepare your mind to accept the new
lifestyle change that has come to stay.
That said, here are some of the simple writing habits you can cultivate to help you build daily consistency with your craft.
Writing Habit #1: Organizing Your Writing Space
One of the ways to develop good writing habits
discussed in the previous post was by creating a dedicated space for writing
alone. With that in mind, it’d be horrific to then approach that desk in the
wee hours of the morning, ready to make some characters pay, or swoon, only to
find it in a state of utter mess.
Whatever idea was dancing around in your head at that
point may jump out the window in an instant because some ideas are as flitting
as that. Once gone may never be recovered.
Take out a few minutes to organize your writing space
and set things in motion before going to bed, if you are an early creative like
me, or ensure to organize your workspace before you leave for work. Nothing
kills the good vibes faster than walking into a writing space in disarray after
a hectic day.
I can assure you that the project will be shifted to another time and those ideas shoved into a corner if they are still floating around somewhere.
Writing Habit #2: Researching
I can easily connect this with preparing your words
ahead of time, which is another tip for developing a good writing habit we
discussed earlier.
The power of research cannot be underestimated – even
when you’re a pantser and depend fully on your creative imagination. It’s
easier to browse ways to kill a man if your plot calls for it and then, modify
your result to suit your storyline than to sit for hours cooking up new ways to
kill a man that may not even be realistically possible.
Preparing for your story ahead of time involves research. This will save you wasting productive hours banging your head against your palm trying to figure out what next to write.
Writing Habit #3: Creating Your Inspiration
If you have to wait for that brilliant idea to click
every damn time before you get to work hammering out your WIP, then it’s not
going to help you build writing consistency, which is the essence of this
entire series of posts.
Find what works for you and tweak it consistently,
until you find the perfect rhythm that will spark those beautiful imaginations
of yours whenever you need it.
An example is, I love you write with the overhead
lights on because it keeps me from straining my eyes in the wee hours of the
morning, but I cannot control when the power board decides to give or take back
what’s theirs.
*I’m always pissed at them*
So, instead of writing only in the mornings – as I
would prefer – I choose to write in the mornings whenever there’s power or
during the day with daylight. There’s no way I’m writing at night in my cramped
space and everyone talking and yelling all at once – Nah, it’d be suicidal and
one of my characters could bear the brunt because of that inconvenience alone
and I wouldn’t blink twice or feel remorseful.
To keep the words pumping and always smash your daily or weekly writing goals, you need to create your motivation.
Writing Habit #4: Keeping a Healthy Balanced Lifestyle
To be productive, you need to be wholly balanced.
As an aspiring author, one of the things you may
ignore is your well-being, which is wrong. As much as you have a goal to achieve
for the day or the week, it doesn’t mean you have to neglect your personal
needs or health, depending on what the issue may be.
I can barely walk when I have cramps, so sitting to
write becomes uncomfortable. I won’t sacrifice my personal needs at that time
because I have a daily word count goal of 1,500 words per day. I know I won’t
judge myself for not achieving that goal, instead, I’d look forward to grinding
the next day.
Ensure you’re mentally, physically, and emotionally balanced at all times. Although that’s a bit far-fetched in reality, it’s important to maintain a healthy work-life balance to function properly.
Writing Habit #5: Writing Every Day at Your Most Creative Times
This rule has been hammered to death, yet it remains evergreen.
I added a little tweak to this because most authors
take this habit at its literal meaning which has led to a lot of strain along
the way. I’m talking about burnout, mental stress, frustration, guilt, etc.
Writing every day is an excellent habit aspiring
authors are encouraged to cultivate, but I say it should be done at your most creative
hour.
If you are a morning person, find schedule your
writing within that hour, same as if you’re a night person or midday person who
likes to sit in a quiet café at noon and have coffee. You could write even then
if it’s your thing.
Avoid writing under undue stress for the sake of writing or because it’s a rule. No, you have to always factor in what works for you and go with that flow. It’s much easier that way.
Writing Habit #6: Using Writing Prompts
One of my favorite things to do is jump on any writing
prompt I come across and make the of it in a few words or sentences depending
on the rule of the prompt.
If you are still lacking the inspiration to write
after going through several motions to get the ideas flowing, you could try using
a writing prompt.
It could be a prompt created by you or someone else, a
prompt you picked up from discarded wrapper, or a snippet of what someone said in
a conversation you just had.
I rarely miss Okadabooks plot twist Tuesday and their
flash fiction Friday on Instagram because I love how challenging their prompts
and twists could get. It may not have inspired any book, yet, but I’m not
ruling it out as a great source of inspiration.
Also, I have written short stories for contests based on
strings of writing prompts pieced together. Some I won, others, I didn’t but it
was refreshing to have tried that route too.
Want to give writing prompts a shot? Here is a list of 130 free writing prompts you could try in different genres.
Writing Habit #7: Journaling
This is the easiest way to cultivate an excellent
writing habit.
Before I decided to become an author, I had a notebook,
a diary, or a journal everywhere I went. It didn’t take long to migrate to some
android notebook apps and the like. I love jotting things down and taking
notes of little ideas that cross my mind.
I don’t journal regularly but I enjoy the feel of
writing on a blank page every once in a while.
Journaling gives you room to explore everything and
tell the pages exactly what you feel, which is popularly called a mind dump. It
is a therapeutic process I enjoy so much because it opens up the mind and
allows the words to flow through like silk.
You can make journaling a lifestyle too. There are daily
journals, goal journals, productivity journals, wellness journals, and many
more you can invest in to keep track of your progress and live progressively.
Thinking about journaling? There are a few personal journals you can begin with right here.
Writing Habit #8: Have an Outline/Overview
Forget about whether you’ll be pantsing or plotting
your first draft. Outlining your intended story is a key factor to consistency
in writing.
You need to
have a general overview of what your story will look and feel like from the inside
out before you begin to hammer away on that outline as you write.
Call it a road map or a treasure hunt, the goal is a map that walks you through your story from start to finish. This way you never run out of inspiration or get stuck along the way as you make progress with your draft.
Writing Habit #9: Training Your Focus
Cultivating these habits is a catalyst that helps your
mind evolve with each one you gain mastery of which sharpens your focus and
builds your mind to become attuned to these subtle changes in your routine.
You’ll see yourself beginning to easily adjust to changes in time and your focus will have a new direction.
Writing Habit #10: Setting Rewards for Milestones Achieved
A positive reward a day keeps your writing goals in
check. Yeah, I made that up on the spot while writing this – I love it.
This is one important part of writing most authors
neglect. I love rewards, I love the thrill that comes with finishing a task and
jumping right into my sweet jar or juice pack for a little snack as I promised
myself.
Learn to set rewards for your writing milestones, it
helps motivate you to strive harder, push yourself and do more.
It doesn’t have to be something large, just denying
yourself a few of your favorite things which will be returned to you once you hit
that mark is enough positive reward in my books.
What do you think?
Writing Habit #11: Choosing Quality over Quantity
This habit cannot be emphasized enough. Always choose
quality over quantity in every aspect of your writing. Do not write for the
sake of writing.
If you’re tired, get some rest. If you’re swamped with
work, write another day. When you’re sick, take care of yourself first. Leave
guilt aside, leave reprimands at the door and make sure you’re ready to write
for yourself and your readers, because you want to and are excited about it,
not because some rule says you have to.
Note the difference.
Writing Habit #12: Avoiding Writing Distractions
There’s no greater evil to a creative mind than
distractions. Worst still when you’re struggling with your draft.
Eliminate all forms of distraction as much as you can –
I try to, as much as I can, though I can’t very well eliminate my siblings, I try
to work when they are not around.
What I consider a distraction may not be considered as
such to you, but I do know one we can all agree on. Social media. Good heavens,
the minute it pings, it could be the end of our creative journey for the day.
Flush out those little things that’ll draw your
attention away from writing especially if you don’t have a secluded space to
yourself alone.
Writing Habit #13: Avoiding Stress Writing
If you can’t think properly when stressed, how then can
you write?
Stress writing is a recipe for error, filler words,
plot slack, emotional imbalance, and weak storylines. We don’t want to find
ourselves tearing up sheets after sheets of paper the next day – if you’re
writing by hand or having to eventually delete pages of words – if you’re
typing – when it could be avoided and you can have the much-needed nap you
deserve.
If you stress write, there’s a 70% chance you may not like the bun you baked come morning. Avoid it.
Writing Habit #14: Avoiding Editing on The Go
Do have to spell it out so you’d get it? Yes.
Lock that nagging spirit of editing on the go henceforth.
You can read through your work when you’re done or at a later date, but doing
so as you pour out your mind on the sheet is an invitation for distraction.
It’s the number one creative time killer and should be
avoided at all costs. If you’re writing with apps that edit on the go, ensure
it doesn’t distract you too much or you could switch off the auto-correct
function on those apps until you’re done.
It saves you the time you’d have used to multi-task and helps you keep your focus on what’s more important. Writing your heart out.
Writing Habit #15: Enjoying the Process
As an aspiring creative, you must learn to love the
process. It’s the only way it will become less of a burden and more of a thing
you’re passionate about.
Habits are cultivated around things we love, so if you
don’t love writing and the flaws that come with it, you’d never truly be
committed to cultivating a good writing habit.
It’ll become more of an obligation than a passion you’re
crazy about.