“II know I should start up a writing practice again. I just don’t have any time and my books just seem to suffer for it,” I said.
My reflection eyed me. “Right.”
“What?”
“Well, I mean, you have time.”
“Yeah, but I can’t settle on a project. And without a project, I can’t write.” Checkmate, I think gleefully. Got out of writing for today.
The mirror me rolled their eyes, sighed, and had the patient expression of a parent doing their best to not ground a child without dessert. “Who cares about a project? Every time you stop writing, you get bitchy, you ramble about how you want to give up, and you tell yourself that you suck. Do you really want to be that person AGAIN?”
Dang.
Checkmated by my reflection.
I wish I could say this 100% made up, but I talk to myself a lot. Pep talks and all aside, my reflection often gets me. Or gets at me. Especially when I don’t want to do the work, when I don’t want to even try to keep my writing practice going.
Which comes to today’s topic: Regular Writing Practice.
If you’re anything like me, the idea of exercising regularly via the weights or stretching or long walks makes you want to pull your eyelashes out when you feel like crap. But doing those things, even when I feel I don’t have to, makes me feel infinitely better. I feel like progress is happening in getting strong again after being ill and weak for so long. However, I also have a million arguments against them, all hiding the fact I sometimes just don’t want to.
The same thing goes for writing. When you don’t have a project, it can feel incredibly tempting to say “Nope, don’t need to. I’ll wait for inspiration to come around.” Then when it maybe happens, you go “oh no, how do I write?” or “I got this!” only to discover you can’t keep the momentum you need going.
Regular writing practice is a lot like training for a marathon. Not that you are running a marathon every day, or in this case writing a magnum opus worthy of Tolstoy. You are training your brain, your creativity, to get stronger and to flow more freely. So that when you reach for your muse, on the verge of a great book idea, the muse reaches back with a powerful grip.
Writing consistently helps more than just your books. It helps your copy skills, your patience and your ability to focus, and grows your voice. When you write just 400 words a day, you’re going to be okay because that is like doing mini-repetitions to grow your writing muscles. If you write only when you feel you’re inspired, you might struggle to maintain your momentum. If you write 15000 words but only on Sundays when the moon is full, well, I hate to burst your ego’s bubble, but it probably sucks and you will hurt come Monday. You might even hate that bit of writing in a week or two, and you have no idea when the next full moon is on a Sunday.
Let me just shout it at you with my dulcet tones: YOU CAN’T WRITE ONLY WHENEVER INSPIRATION HITS AND EXPECT IT TO BE EASY EVERY TIME. Full stop. You can’t. Inspiration is a loose goose who comes in, bites you hard, then when you turn to catch it, you have a wild goose chase on your hands (See what I did there?). You might catch it, but then you don’t know what to really do with it and your hands keep slipping.
So, what do you do? The answer isn’t gonna thrill anyone, but here goes.
Discipline. Routine.
Ugh. Awful. 0 stars for the insightfulness people probably want.
Anyway, let’s get some advice swooshing around in your brain pan so that you can think if you really want to be a writer who takes themselves seriously… or you don’t.
Cultivate Discipline & Routine
I’m not going to shout ‘DISCIPLINE’ at you like a social media influencer trying out life coaching (though good for them, I suppose). Growing discipline, the kind you grow in your writing practice, isn’t easy, but it is necessary. It’s not impossible because you are going to lean on its good old buddy: routine. Rather than harp on readers about discipline because no one wants that, let’s break down some discipline and routine techniques you can use:
- Establish a Writing Schedule: I think I’ve said this before in another blog but always set aside dedicated time for writing practice. This can be weekly or daily, but have a goal at least. When I’m not too good, I set mine for 3-4 days of consistent practice and a word count. I set goals, but I don’t obsess over them personally. If I miss, it is okay. Try again next week.
It is very easy to start off your writing practice with “okay, 1500 words a day” and suddenly that gets easier and easier the more you write. Aim low enough that it isn’t scary and high enough you aren’t being half-assed. I recommend 1700 words a day if you can, which comes around to a nice tidy 51,000 words in 30 days. Build it around your own schedule, but make sure you have your writing time in there. - Get a Writing Space that Works: This may be hard if you are struggling for space, privacy, etc. But it can work anywhere if you can sit and write. If it is in public, like the library, bus, subway, park, try to find a quieter seat and use headphones or ear plugs to help you focus.
If you have a bit of space, you’re going to have more area to both have quiet time or to be distracted. Keep it as clean as you can (though you might not win this battle), have good light, and your writing tools. Make sure you are ergonomically set up with your eyes, back, feet, and hands. Lots of writers damage themselves with bad sitting habits. My space is pretty small and not pretty, but it works.
Once you have it, make a point that every time you are in that space, you’re there for writing practice. It doesn’t matter if it is a cafe, a library, basement, garden, whatever. That space? It’s only a writing space. You write there. If you don’t write, you stare at a wall and that’s it. - Overcome Resistance: Some days, writing is going to be a mountain to climb and procrastination seems like the better option. You want to ignore your practice and watch some movies, or play with a puppy. Those sorts of things are very nice, but will kill the flow you need. You might even deal with a ton of self doubt. That’s okay too. Remind yourself what your goals are, how it feels to finish some writing (even if it is a hundred words), and be nice to yourself without being a pushover.
Hone Your Craft
You might think I’m going to say, “Just write. That’s it, that’s all there is.” I’m not. Sorry. Part of being a writer is that you have to improve. This is why I’m not a fan of mimicking other authors in order to make $$, because you won’t improve. Some readers don’t care, but some do. But honing your craft can help you fill those days when you have no stories in you, and those days will happen.
- Develop & Experiment: Do you want to try a different technique, POV, genre, whatever? A lot of writers get stuck in this loop of “this is all I can write because it is all I can sell or like”. But what about using your designated writing time, when you aren’t on a project, to try out some new things?
Write flash fiction, poetry, short fiction, anything you want to try out different things. You might discover something you enjoy or that helps your writing read better. - Exercises aren’t just for Kids: I’m not sure about modern schooling (omg I’m ancient how I worded that), but exercises on grammar, structure, and many story techniques can be found online, in libraries, or used bookstores. These can help you get so much better without relying on AI or software, and often they won’t take forever to finish.
- Get some Feedback: Feedback can be painful, but it is another thing you need. Send your work out into the feedback world via other writers, readers, and mentors. Pay an editor to help you with development if you can. Work with people to learn where you are going wrong or where you can do even better. Revision and feedback are all part of being a writer and it’s never going away. Learn how to take feedback, how to give it, and how to apply it, and you’ll be able to handle whatever writing throws at you.
Keep The Momentum Going
Keeping momentum going is hard. Hands down, it can be the hardest thing you do for writing. If you’ve ever tried to bike up a hill and you pedal real hard to get some headway, but you reach halfway up and realize “I can’t do this, I’m going backward”, then yes you probably are going to find writing the same. Inspiration comes and goes, momentum is tricky. Together, though, one can pull the other along. It just takes patience and determination.
- Fanning Creative Sparks: Turn to activities you find inspiring when you slump. Me? I read books and paint. Other people may love a long walk in nature, listening to music, gardening, chasing down the ice cream truck. Doesn’t matter what. Do something away from writing (without abandoning the writing), let it fire some neurons off, and come back to your work.
- Goals Must Be Achievable: Do not plan for a 300k book that is your baby and you must have it written in 6 weeks because, oof, just don’t. I’ve done similar, and it is not pleasant. Set small, achievable goals for yourself. If you set smaller goals, you can sometimes blow right past them, which feels amazing.
- Celebrate the Good: Always celebrate when you have accomplishments. It can be a first draft, first posting, first time you sell a book, anything. No achievement is too small, really. You need to be your own cheerleader in writing because it can feel very isolating. Share the wins on social media if you like. Just acknowledge yourself and your hard work.
Embrace Your Journey
Everyone is different. From writing style to voice to books to beliefs in writing to… everything. Writing itself is a continuous journey, and you will have to be resilient when it comes to surviving it. Be nice to yourself, even if you feel like you’re failing or that you’ll never get another good book out.
- Grow, don’t Stagnate: It’s easy to get into a loop of trying to be perfect with writing. Which is why stagnation happens. Perfect is a pipe dream. Let it go. Just focus on getting better.
- Be Resilient: You are going to get setbacks. You are going to get stung by rejections. We all do. Artists of all forms of expression deal with tons of rejection and we have to learn to go around it or under it, or through it. Put your ego on the shelf, learn from the setbacks, and keep going.
- Remember, it can be Fun: Writing is an ancient form of expression. It is hard and tiring and painstaking… and fun and joyous and incredible. Remember that your fulfilment can’t come from hopes of being famous or recognized; your writing needs to be your food of inspiration.
You have to Keep Writing
So you know you have to do it, but you just can’t some days. That’s okay. I have those. We all do. But you can’t give up either. Writer’s Block frequently happens because of exhaustion and mental health struggles, but a type of writer’s block is lack of time ‘butt in the chair’ writing. You need to get your bum into a seat, write for just 500 words, an hour, whatever, to jumpstart that part of your brain.
Writing practice isn’t only about honing skills. It nurtures our creativity and helps with our discipline, but it is also a major source of our own self-discovery. We find ourselves in our writing practice. When you commit to being consistent with your writing, you can create a sense of discipline that applies across everything else in your life and your resilience can help you continue to navigate ups and downs. By looking at your work and going “hey, I did this!” instead of “Oh this just sucks I need to rewrite it” or “I can’t write because it won’t be good enough!”, you’re being supportive of yourself as a writer and finding ways to really hammer home that you are a writer. Not just a writer, but a Writer in your mind.
Try to remember that every moment you spend writing helps get you further along with your writing goals. No matter how your routine looks, you can fulfill your potential with consistent practice. So keep those creative muscles flexed, the pens moving, the keyboards clacking, and write. One word at a time.