Summary

The author emphasizes that becoming a consistent writer is achieved by starting with the bare minimum and gradually increasing the output over time.

Abstract

The article discusses the journey of the author in becoming a consistent writer by adopting a simple yet effective approach. Initially struggling to write more than four stories a month, the author describes how they managed to increase their writing to an average of 20 articles per month. This transformation was not immediate but involved setting a low bar for themselves, starting with writing just one article a week. Over time, the author built momentum, which naturally led to an increase in productivity without the pressure that previously caused burnout. The key to this sustainable writing routine is doing the minimum required and then slowly raising those minimums, allowing for a consistent writing habit that feels like second nature.

Opinions

The author believes that writing consistently is more important than writing in large quantities at once.
They advocate for a writing routine that avoids burnout and maintains mental energy.
The author values authenticity in writing, preferring to minimize editing to preserve the genuine emotion behind the words.
They suggest that each writer should identify their own bare minimum without comparing it to others.
The author shares a personal experience of overcoming writing challenges through a gradual and incremental approach.
They imply that a consistent writing habit can lead to increased productivity and a more enjoyable writing process.

Becoming a Consistent Writer Comes Down To One/two Things

Do the bare minimum. Slowly increase those minimums

A few weeks ago, I checked my subscriber count and noticed that the numbers had dropped by a lot.

I came to realize that this drop in numbers was because I was frequently bombarding these people’s inboxes with stories.

I understand how someone would get frustrated over that, but I felt good about it.

I wanted to find out how many stories I had been writing that caused this.

I noticed that for the last 6 or so months, I have been averaging about 20 articles per month. It wasn’t a conscious decision. It just sort of happened.

The month I published the least was December at 18 stories that month, but then other months were 20, 23,27… In the 20s.

I am not the kind of writer that has their writing figured out.

When I started writing, it was hard to get past 4 stories a month. I wanted to write more, but I struggled a lot to get through one story.

I can’t tell you the countless times I bowed to the writing canvas because my head was too heavy for my neck to hold a doze.

The moment I would miraculously write 10 stories a month, the feelings of exhaustion and burnout would take over.

But now, this is not the case. I actually have to cap myself. I have to stop myself from writing sometimes.

Don’t get me wrong, I am notorious for dozing through my research sessions.

Sometimes I even snore while I think about ways to craft my research into a compelling narrative.

But every weekday is a writing day for me. I have gotten to that point where it feels like second nature.

I don’t know whether it will last, but here is how I got there.

The answer is simple.

I always do the bare minimum and then slowly increase the minimum over time.

When I started writing, I burnt myself out in Sept 2020 by writing 20 articles that month. It was terrible.

The next month I wrote something like 2 and I was ready to give up. If I published more, they were from drafts of the previous month.

Then in December of 2020, I tried the idea of doing the bare minimum.

I would show up once a week and write one article.

Only one!!

Then I would leave the platform for the rest of the week.

I don’t remember how long I did this, but it was for a long time.

Even those minimums were not great. They were articles I was writing in about 10–30 minutes.

No research, no editing, nothing. — I still rarely edit my work btw. I want the words to be as authentic as the emotion that got them through.

Slowly, my showing up consistently built some sort of momentum where I would feel like doing a little more.

I then started doing that.

I bumped the articles to 8 by showing up twice a week. I think I did that for a shorter time before I felt the urge to show up 3 times, then 4 then 5 times.

Today, I write 5 times a week. Weekends off.

Lately, though, Saturdays have also submitted their interest in having representation. I am still fending them off, but I don’t know for how long.

I love my mental energy. I work best when I am not under pressure and that is probably why I do things the way I do.

There are many writers who show up multiple times a day. I rarely do this, but there are those that do it every day.

But at the end of the day, writing is about consistency.

It is about finding out what sort of routine gives you maximum productivity without making you evaluate your life choices.

I don’t know what that is for everybody, but I have mine. This is mine.

I do the minimum work possible, and then over time, I increase those minimums.

Nowadays if a weekday goes without me writing, that is way too miserable for me. I am at that point where I just can’t afford that mental war with myself. So I write.

There are other benefits to writing a lot consistently, but if you are reading this article, you are probably looking for ways to become more consistent, so the benefits are irrelevant at this point.

What does your bare minimum look like?

Is it one article a month/week? What is it?

Figure it out by finding where you cap out on writing but can come back the next time and do it all again.

Mine was an article a week. I started there. Today I write at least 5 articles a week.

In the future, it may be more. It may be less, it may be none. But this is currently my bare minimum.

Figure out what yours is. Do not compare your minimums to other people’s minimums. Let it be yours alone and then go from there.

Happy writing.