Consistency is the quality of achieving a level of performance that does not vary greatly in quality over time. Consistency is what gives rise to mastery in a specific area of work or group of activities performed by an individual.
To become a master at art, you need practice. When
you practice often, it becomes a habit you do consistently, which will grow over time to help you gain mastery in a particular activity or group of
activities.
Building consistency with your art as a writer isn’t
as simple as it sounds because dedicating your time to constantly practice
something you are not being paid to do might become a bit burdensome and
tasking.
This article isn’t about writing tone, writing
structure, or plot consistency; it is simply about growing your writing mastery
as a young and budding writer.
Writing consistently is one of the greatest challenges
many new writers face because it is the only assured way to grow as a budding
writer, yet, the hardest to keep up with. It is easier to have fantasies about becoming
an author/writer than it is to make it a reality.
That’s why many are called but only a select, consistent few are chosen.
Read Writing Habits of Inspiring African Authors
Being consistent doesn’t only apply to your writing;
it is surely evident in your life. Simple instances are, going to school/work
every day, getting up at 5am for that 10mile run, cooking breakfast, lunch, and
dinner, caring for your teeth twice daily, and so on.
These are consistent behaviors characterized by
repetitive habits you’ve grown to accept as a norm over time. So also in
writing, several writing habits can help you build consistency
over time.
Writing consistently doesn’t apply only when you make the decision to publish a book; it applies to you the minute you identify as a creative writer. Why? Because to get to the point when publishing a book becomes a burning desire, you must be grounded in the art of writing or your desire to publish a book may never come to fruition.
Read How To Develop Good Writing Habits As An Aspiring Author
Benefits of writing consistently
Writing consistently has its perks. It is the reward you are crowned with for going the extra mile and putting in all the efforts to grow your craft as a budding author.
It Fast Tracks Improvement:
Developing the attitude of writing consistently, no matter how little help fast track your improvement. The results you’ll get from showing up when it’s time to write will far surpass anything you’ve ever imagined because you are on a fast track to mastering your craft as a writer.
It Builds Self-Confidence:
Showing up consistently helps you become adept at writing, which builds your self-confidence even as an unpublished author. It gives you an edge that is immediately recognizable in your craft.
It Increases Momentum:
Writing consistently encourages you to trust in your skill set and pick up the momentum with your craft. It takes away your doubts and replaces them with a growth mindset.
It Encourages Discipline:
To write consistently, you’ll need
a suit up in the heavy armor of discipline because without it, your drive will
fizzle out quickly, and just like that, you’re back to square one.
Discipline is the driving force upon which consistency is built. Without it, you won’t make much headway in anything, creative-wise or in your personal life.
Read 15 Writing habits to cultivate as an aspiring author
6 Creative Ways To Write Consistently As A Budding Author
The goal with these methods is to help you show up
every time locked and loaded, with less worry about what to write and more
passion about smashing your writing goals.
You can set your writing goals daily, weekly, or monthly, or basically have it molded into your book publishing plans for a given
timeframe.
However you choose to set your writing goals, these creative writing tips will always come in handy for the creative and hazy days.
Use Writing Prompts
This is basically a list of done-for-you story ideas
that you can flip any which way you like and develop into any story format
you like.
Using writing prompts is a great way to get your
creative juices flowing in the right direction. The beauty of using prompts is
that they can be molded to fit any genre you wish to in and twisted however you
see fit for your characters.
The fact that it is written in a particular format
doesn’t make it a static prompt. Feel free to do whatever you like with it.
As an added bonus, feel free to download my 130 creative writing prompts for fiction and non-fiction authors.
Write About Anything
This is my all-time favorite because it gives me to
break free whenever I need a break from genre writing. Writing about anything
gives you to freestyle and write about anything besides a story plot.
Smashing your writing goals doesn’t have to rely
solely upon writing fictional or non-fictional stories. It can be achieved by
writing about mundane things to help you unclog your mind or free your
thoughts.
You might ask, isn’t that the work of a journal? Not
exactly, it isn’t. Writing about anything is technically called free writing which is widely used to
free pent-up creative energies swirling around in your head.
As mundane as it may sound, it is could produce
beautiful results that you might decide to publish as a random piece or you can
keep it locked away in your draft.
You can free write on google docs, notepad on your
phone, or go old school with a notebook & pen.
It’s your choice.
Use a Story Planner
A planner is known for two things, organization and
execution of tasks most simple way.
Using a story planner is perfect for your writing
goals. It shows a roadmap of where your story began and where it is headed.
It’s more than an outline because it not only helps you write and maintain
consistency; it also tracks your progress throughout your story.
Writing consistently is easier when you have broken
your story into smaller chunks using your story planner. This simplifies your
work and makes your writing journey less scary.
Looking to get started with a story planner? Get the Inspired Creatives Writing Planner for Your Next Book Project.
Personal Journaling
Writing in a journal is different from free writing,
although you can have a separate journal called the idea book to write whatever
you want.
Personal Journaling is the conscious practice of
writing down your thoughts and feelings for the purposes of self-reflection. It
is a habit of analyzing your thought process to gain insights into various
aspects of your life. It is also a great self-help tool for personal care.
You can have a mood journal, a daily diary, a
wellness journal, a self-care journal, a mental health journal, etc.
The difference between journaling and free writing
is in their pattern and goals.
When you free write, there is no pattern to your
train of thoughts; you get to write whatever you feel at a particular point in
time. You’re basically churning out words as it comes to you at a given time.
The goal of free writing is to simply write.
With journaling, there’s always a pattern. Using a
mood journal means you are working on controlling your emotions, and how they
affect your life. The goal of this journal may be to become less angry at
the world and more appreciative of the beauty in it.
Journaling focuses on an aspect of your life, not
the entire parts of it except you are using a daily journal which is more like
a personal diary. Either way, it helps you write daily because the aim of a
journal is to consistently write in it.
Although it doesn’t relate to your story in any way,
it can serve as a way to meet up with your daily, weekly, or monthly writing goals.
Do you wish to give journaling a try? Browse my categories of personal journals on amazon.
Write Micro Fiction/Flash Fiction/Short Stories
A micro-fiction piece is a story written in 300
words or less. Flash fiction is a story written in 1000 words, while a short
story ranges between 1500 – 5000 words.
There are other branches like Novelette, Novella,
Novels, and Books over 120 thousand words, but we’ll stick to the ones above
for now.
Underestimating the power of micro-fiction is a big
mistake because you can write an entire book with pieces of micro-fiction,
flash fiction, and short stories strung together.
It may seem unbelievable but it is true. It kicks
even better when all the stories are written to nail down a point, a message, a
theme, or for a particular cause.
That 300-word or 1000-0word story you think is
thrash, might light the path for your self-publishing or traditional publishing
journey.
Writing any branch of these stories can help you deal with writer's block, break patterns of monotony, give room for refreshing ideas, and help you go wild with your ideas.
Write Articles/Personal Essays
This is one of my favorite creative methods to write
consistently. Dabbling into writing articles and personal essays gave birth to
my Medium blog.
Writing personal essays and articles is a great way
to break out of your comfort zone and write something constructive that isn’t
genre based. It’s an interesting way to challenge yourself and do something out
of the ordinary but still a part of you.
Being a romance author doesn’t give me much room to
write about my personal feelings, but as a heavy thinker with a lot of pressure
to let out, I need an escape route where I can say the things I want without
considering the rules of my genre.
That’s how I found myself on Medium, writing
personal articles and essays about my life, and sharing my profound thoughts on
mental wellness and emotional wellness.
You too can cultivate the habit of breaking away
every once in a while to flex your muscles on something different, but still a
huge part of you. Sincerely, you’ll marvel at the ease with which you switch
between personalities when you give it a try.
Endnotes
Cultivating the habit of writing consistently is a
huge part of your growth process as a budding author. These 6 creative ways to
write consistently guarantee you smashing results with little stress work
required.
However, this doesn’t insinuate that your story
should be shoved aside because you’re smashing your writing goals with the
simple tricks listed above.
You should try finding a balance between writing
consistently, and working on your book project.
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