What are your writing habits? What time of day do you usually write? Do you write in the same place, or do you prefer to move around? These may seem like insignificant details, but they matter — especially when you’re trying to create a habit of writing consistently and on schedule.
It’s hard to develop new habits, especially if you’re not particularly disciplined, but by using these 10 tips on how to create a writing habit, you can do it.
1. Write every day
One of my favorite quotes is by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, who said: ‘A goal without a plan is just a wish.’ The reason for that is that not having goals leaves you with nothing to strive for; you have no method for achieving success.
By establishing and working toward goals — even if they’re very small, seemingly insignificant ones — you create structure in your life and layout a road map for achieving what you want, says Mikkelson.
He adds that all too often, people work toward goals, but they never really define them or put any action steps in place to achieve them.
Without action steps, it becomes nearly impossible to achieve your desired outcome. To make writing a daily habit, turn it into something you do without thinking. It could be as simple as switching up your morning routine so that you take 15 minutes to write before getting ready for work.
Or it could be signing up for an evening writing class at your local community college. The important thing is to create a new routine and stick with it, even when other things get in the way. Write every day. It’s worth it.
The best way to get better at writing is to just write. Even if you’re not feeling inspired, force yourself to sit down and create some content on a daily basis. Put pen to paper (or finger to keyboard) even when you don’t want to. Over time, your writing will improve — and when that happens, so will your website traffic.
The more quality content you have on your site, the more frequently people will come back for more. This can lead to new opportunities like book deals or speaking engagements that require you to be an excellent writer — but only if you practice every day. Remember: A habit is something that’s done repeatedly and automatically over time.
2. Give yourself permission to write bad,
don’t wait until you feel inspired to write. The creative output doesn’t happen on inspiration, it happens on discipline. If you want to be good at something, you have to do it regularly (even when you don’t feel like it). So give yourself permission to suck at first.
Start small with just a few minutes of writing or journaling per day, and build up from there. Be patient with yourself as your skills grow. And never be afraid to share what you have written — even if that means putting your work out into the world via social media.
The only way to get better is through feedback, so don’t hoard your writing for fear of judgment; instead, make friends with constructive criticism and learn how to use it to improve your work!
There’s no such thing as writer’s block, just writer’s shame. So don’t let that stop you from writing. Don’t apologize for it or call it practice; just put words on paper (or into an editor). Treat writing like it will make you money someday, because, for many of us, that day is tomorrow.
Be prepared to write some awful stuff — at least, at first. At its core, writing is simply stringing words together into grammatically correct sentences. So don’t be hard on yourself if your writing isn’t perfect from day one. Even writers with years of experience still have to go back and clean up their work.
The same applies to content marketing; you don’t have to share your rough drafts or unfinished content, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t valuable, just because they aren’t polished enough for publication yet!
Giving yourself permission to write crap in exchange for doing more writing (and more often) will accelerate your progress and help you become a better writer faster.
3. Write short pieces first
Before writing a long work of fiction or nonfiction, try taking up flash fiction (or micro-essays) as your first project. Flash/micro/short writing is typically very short pieces of fewer than 1000 words in length, and they’re not only much easier to write when you’re starting out, but they can also be incredibly useful when it comes to learning how to construct characters and plots.
If you’ve written something and come across an especially beautiful sentence, consider copying it into one of these collections: What Short Stories Should Teach You About Writing by Kristi Coulter or The Best Micro-Fiction Of All Time by Scott Russell Sanders.
A lot of writers love to dive into their magnum opus from day one. If you’re going to write a book, why not go for it? After all, there’s no better way to fail than by aiming low.
In fact, there are several reasons why you should start small with your writing: 1) It gets you used to sitting down and writing regularly, 2) It gives you an opportunity to experiment with style and form without committing too much time or effort to one go.
The best way to create a writing habit? Write short pieces, every day. Even if you’re not feeling inspired. If you need to, force yourself out of your comfort zone by writing on topics or in formats that are unfamiliar.
This will help you start creating and give you something to work with later when inspiration does strike. Short writing assignments will also keep you in check — you can’t be lazy or lackadaisical about them without it being painfully obvious.
Trust me, I speak from experience here! My tendency is always to jump right into long-form content because it’s easier and more appealing.
4. Read what you wrote out loud,
It’s important to become aware of bad habits you may have while writing. For example, some people add unnecessary adverbs or passive voice unnecessarily. The easiest way to pick up on these habits is to read what you wrote out loud.
If it sounds awkward coming out of your mouth, then chances are good that others will feel that way when they read it, too. Fixing your mistakes before publishing will save you some embarrassment later on and make you a better writer overall.
One of my favorite writing exercises is to read what I’ve written out loud to myself. Reading your work aloud not only gives you an understanding of how it will sound when read by others, but also reveals any phrases or sentences that don’t sound quite right.
Also, reading your work out loud will immediately give you ideas on how to improve it. Just make sure no one is around to hear you.
We all know that self-editing is key to good writing. But have you ever considered editing your work-out loud? Read it aloud and notice what sticks out to you. Maybe you read a sentence too many times, or maybe an entire paragraph just isn’t working.
Get in the habit of reading your writing aloud before submitting it so that you can catch mistakes and make edits while they’re still fresh in your mind.
5. Set a timer when you write
If you’re having trouble getting into a writing groove, set a timer for 30 minutes and write as much as you can during that time. This will help you get into the zone, where your focus is laser-like and words are flowing out of your head onto paper.
You can accomplish more in less time by setting short deadlines like these. Set alarms on your watch or phone, so they go off every 15 minutes; use them to check in with yourself and ask if there’s anything that needs changing before moving on.
It’s useful to have several friends proofread what you’ve written while they read it — they might see things that were left out or things that were missing. Set an egg timer for 45 minutes.
Write nonstop until it goes off, then stop and rest for 10 minutes. Repeat until you’ve met your writing goal. If you can’t write in 45-minute intervals, set smaller goals to meet every day. For example, try to write 500 words a day until you have enough material for your book.
One way to force yourself to write more regularly is by setting a timer. If you set aside just 15 minutes each day, you can build up your writing habit easily — and seeing your daily total adds structure to what might otherwise feel like an amorphous project.
For example, if you block off half an hour on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 8:00 to 8:30 p.m., you’ll know that those are your designated times for writing.
By adding structure and deadlines, you’ll be more likely to follow through with regular writing sessions. As such, give it at least six weeks before evaluating whether it’s working for you.
6. Write in the same place, with the same pen and notebook
Studies have shown that when we write in a different environment or with different tools, we’re less creative and productive. Our writing improves when we do it in one spot with our favorite pen and notebook. Try writing for 20 minutes on your lunch break each day; it will help you create a habit to take back to work.
If you keep writing materials by your side when you write, you are more likely to write. It’s as simple as that. If your desk is piled high with papers and pens, there will always be something more pressing than starting on that novel.
Keep it simple with a single notebook and pen, both of which should be dedicated to writing. A place for everything, and everything in its place — will help keep writing tasks separate from chores around the house or office tasks.
Your writing desk doesn’t have to be any more complex than a regular desk. In fact, it shouldn’t be. When you sit down in front of your desk and open up your notebook or word processor, your brain should instantly recognize that it is time to write.
The consistent, repetitive movement of walking to your writing spot and sitting at your desk will become part of your routine, just like getting ready for bed or showering.
When it becomes as automatic as brushing your teeth in the morning, you will never again ask yourself where do I find time to write? Instead, you’ll just start writing every day without thinking about it.
7. Treat writing like an appointment
Whenever you write, block out that time on your calendar as if it were an appointment. Just like you wouldn’t reschedule an important meeting at work, don’t change writing appointments, either. This will encourage more regular writing sessions, which in turn can build up writing stamina.
If you do need to change your schedule, do so ahead of time and make sure not to cancel or skip appointments with yourself! When you treat writing as something important and concretely scheduled — just like your doctor’s appointment or a business meeting — you’ll be more likely to actually follow through and sit down to write regularly.
Since when else are you going to get that precious uninterrupted time? Mark out time every day — at least 15 minutes, but ideally an hour or more — to sit down and write. Pick a time you know you’ll be undisturbed; most people find mornings to be best.
But make sure it is a regular time that fits into your schedule, so you don’t get distracted. The key to forming any habit is understanding that it is not an on/off switch, but rather a spectrum of behaviors. In fact, you can break most habits into four simple steps:
1) Identify your current behavior; 2) Create an intention to change; 3) Try out new behaviors, and 4) Keep track of your progress. For example, you might decide that every time you eat breakfast, you’re going to write down three things that made you happy during the day before.
Then, if you notice yourself skipping writing sessions for breakfast (because you’ll do it tomorrow!), you can remind yourself why having those sessions will make things better in the long run. Treat writing like any other appointment or meeting — set reminders for yourself and honor them!
8. Use a timer
using a timer is an easy way to make sure you’re getting in enough writing time each day. Studies have shown that most writers take about 20–30 minutes before they begin writing, so you might consider setting your timer for 25 minutes and taking five minutes before you start to warm up.
Use whatever schedule works best for you, but just be sure to give yourself enough time to get into a flow state where your mind is completely focused on writing. With practice, your writing sessions will become shorter and more productive.
When you write your first draft, it’s tempting to put as much of yourself into it as possible. Set aside sometime each day (it doesn’t have to be at the same time every day) and force yourself to work on your project for no more than 30 minutes at a time. This will help you set firm deadlines and eliminate distractions so that you can keep writing.
Timers are an excellent tool for writers because they keep us honest about how long we’re working. When you sit down to write, set your timer for 40 minutes and commit to working that long, no matter what.
If you get stuck and hit an impasse or something comes up, stop writing. Don’t let yourself get distracted or back into bad habits just because you didn’t manage to hit your word count in those first 40 minutes.
9. Don’t edit while writing
When you’re just starting out, it can be difficult to know where to start. Even if you know your idea is good, or even great, before diving in and writing, don’t go back and edit.
Most of us start with an outline, but that doesn’t mean we stick to it. In fact, new writers should forget about an outline altogether and simply write whatever comes to mind at first.
If you are self-editing every few sentences as you write, then you probably aren’t writing fast enough — just get all your thoughts on paper (or in text) first and then go back later for edits.
When you’re writing, avoid correcting your work or making changes. Instead, try to get your first draft down on paper as quickly as possible. Then, give yourself some time away from your piece — we recommend 24 hours if possible — and come back with fresh eyes to make edits.
It’s far easier to rewrite when you aren’t looking at what you’ve already written and can instead focus on improving your writing overall.
Editing is best left for when you’re completely finished with a piece of writing. If you edit in progress, it can lead to writing paralysis and procrastination. It’s far better to finish what you have and then go back to improve it.
Write fast: One of the most common reasons people don’t write is that they feel like they have to do so perfectly or that their first draft needs to be superb.
Neither is true — writing happens over multiple drafts, so don’t get paralyzed if your first one isn’t perfect or even good! Just put something down on paper or screen and then go back and rewrite.
10. Build it up gradually
It might seem like you need to be writing for 4–6 hours every day to become good at it, but most of us don’t have that kind of time. The trick is to start small: commit to writing one sentence per day.
Once you can do that consistently, add more sentences until you reach a length where you feel comfortable stopping.
Then increase your goal slowly: two sentences on week 1, four sentences on week 2, eight sentences on week 3, and so on. Before long, your daily word count will grow into something impressive. (See also: 20 Little Changes To Create More Time In Your Day)
We’re going to assume you have at least some basic writing experience and can craft simple sentences. To start building your skills, aim for just 15 minutes of writing per day (which is pretty easy to do — maybe half an hour before bed). From there, try adding five minutes every few days until you hit an hour of daily writing.
If that sounds too lofty, break it up into two sessions: 15 minutes in the morning and another 15 at night.
The best way to make writing more of a habit is to build it up gradually. Start by scheduling some time each day that you’ll devote specifically to working on your writing. It could be just 15 minutes or an hour, but set aside some time each day and treat it like an appointment that you don’t want to miss.
As you become more accustomed to being in front of your computer screen, try increasing your writing time by 5- or 10-minute increments every few days or so until you reach your goal.
Then, as long as you continue treating your writing sessions like appointments, they should become easier and easier — and more and more frequent — to fit into your schedule.
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