Developing Consistent Writing Habits

💻 On Writing Routines | Notes from the Underground:

There are writers out there who write for hours every day. Others write when the urge strikes them. Then there are people like me who need structure, need a schedule of sorts, to keep them writing regularly.

Journaling and blogging constitute the bulk of my writing right now, of which the latter requires more dedicated time and attention since it is getting publicised. I tried, and struggled, to establish writing routines that involved setting out a particular time of the day to sit and brainstorm topics and ideate on them on a blank canvas. A lot of the time, there's a mismatch between my energy and mood based on the time of day. Attempting to write, during this time, can feel forced, resulting in frustration and half-baked thoughts which are counterproductive.

Instead, I take every opportunity as ideas and thoughts form on topics and empty those thoughts into the Notes app on my iPhone as I go along, not worrying about grammar, structure, or word count. A habit I’ve developed with this approach is adding snippets of relevant info to remind me what my train of thought was at the time of writing.

This approach makes it easier to pick up and continue writing once I transfer the brain dumps to my blog post writing app Ulysses and expand on them to the limits of what my mental capacity allows. I have found this approach to be less stressful and bear more fruitful results, which has a positive effect on my writing habits.

My advice? Write whenever you can. Don’t worry about the word count. Just get the words down. Even if it’s only sentences here and there, you’ll be surprised at how influential those few sentences can be on your writing habits.

I am by no means dismissing the idea and importance of establishing a writing routine that involves a dedicated time slot. I can understand how integral it is, with individual requirements considered. The whole point is to write at every opportunity you get, as Kerri, a writer, advised.