Daily Routines to Adopt If You Want to Write Every Day

These guidelines from great writers will help you

Do you sometimes see great writers and wonder how they became so successful?

For these writers, their success may not only be ascribed to their ability to write, but also to commitment, willingness and dedication towards their craft.

Writers who write every day have daily rituals that work for them. These rituals could range from several unique practices to singular regular habits. For these high achievers, their writing is not tied to any skill or talent, but due to their persistence in the pursuit of greatness.

Here are some timely routines, as suggested by famous writers, if you wish to write every day:

1. You should be able to work anywhere .

Location should not place a limit on your ability to write.

Adaptability and consistency are very important factors if you must meet your goal of writing every day.

For Ray Bradbury, one of the most celebrated American writers, being able to write anywhere ignited his passion for writing. Whether alone or with people, he continued to horn his craft. The basement typing room was also not an exception for him.

As Shaundra Cragun, an avid writer on BKA Content says, “your desk is whatever you make it to be.”

Writing doesn’t have to be so rigid that it confines you to only one location. It’s important to simply write when an idea strikes. Once you are able to accurately gather your thoughts, putting it down is easy.

2. Write very early in the morning

Ernest Hemingway, a renowned writer and winner of the Nobel Prize for Literature 1954, advises that if you want your creative juice to flow in an extraordinary way, wake up very early to write. It’s the most preferable time because usually, there is no one to disturb you at that time of the day.

Waking up early to write comes with its own form of creatively reserved energy. Channeling this energy into your writing is one of the best feelings a writer can experience at the start of his day.

Doing this should also come with a certain level of persistence till it becomes a routine you have fully settled into.

3. Stay consistent

Haruki Murakami, a foremost Japanese writer and contributor to pinball sequel, advises that if you have to write every day, do it without variation. In his words, “repetition itself becomes the important thing; it’s a form of mesmerism.”

Even if you still have your daily habits of jogging, swimming, running, internet surfing and other daily demands, there should always be an irreversible time slot for your daily writing.

Make regular efforts to attain a particular word count every day. It doesn’t have to be so lengthy or too short.

What matters most is to get into that writing mode.

4. Do not always use writer’s block as an excuse

When you are staring at a blank page for so long, writer’s block may seem like a plague. However, the best way to overcome it is to adopt techniques that can help you get through it.

Jodi Picoult, a renowned writer of the DC Comic Series- Wonder Woman, criticizes the choice of writer’s block as a reason for not being able to write. In her words:

“I don’t believe in writer’s block. Think about it — when you were blocked in college and had to write a paper, didn’t it always manage to fix itself the night before the paper was due? Writer’s block is having too much time on your hands. If you have a limited amount of time to write, you just sit down and do it. You might not write well every day, but you can always edit a bad page. You can’t edit a blank page.”

In dealing with writer’s block, Henneke Duistermaat highlights some techniques to help beat writer’s block here.

5. Find your Trigger

If you wish to write every day, you need to find a source of motivation.

Start by asking yourself what triggers you to show up daily. Once you can identify your “push”, it should become your alarm for writing tirelessly.

Barbara Kingsolver, a Pulitzer prize nominee explains that as a mother, the school bus dropping off her kids was the exact motivation she needed to write. It was a sort of muse for her, because with no one left to take care of while the kids were in school, she would write until the bus came back with the kids.

Jack Kerouac, an American novelist and pioneer of the beat generation said he had a habit of lighting a candle and would blow it out when he was done writing for the night.

For Jack, his willingness to write every day was propelled by these things: a desk, a drink, good light and a comfortable place to write.

6. Even when you don’t feel like it, keep writing

As a writer, there is no end to writing.

Sometimes, it may seem like a struggle between the mind and the body, but you must overcome through self-motivation. First start by typing a paragraph, then proceed to the next.

Even if your first draft isn’t the best, build on it and write a better one. Add more flesh to it as you proceed.

You can start by having a plan for each day and making a decision on what you want to write. Then, model each story into the best you want it to be.

Jack London, a pioneer of commercial fiction, notes that as a writer, you shouldn’t always wait for inspiration to come, but rather, go after it!

When you aren’t in the mood to write, always remember that no one else can write for you.

You are your first audience, so be a fair one.

7. Remove every form of distraction

Distraction could come in several ways. It could start as an unexpected conversation with someone else or a phone call or the internet.

Make a conscious effort to ward off every form of distraction that may hinder productivity while writing.

The ability to stay organized is also relevant. Your resources should be readily available before you start writing. A working computer, pen and a notebook should get you started.

On the subject of distraction, Robin Sharma, a top leadership expert who has sold over 15 million books across 96 countries warns that “an addiction to distraction is the end of your creative production.”

8. Use every opportunity to generate new ideas for your writing

Could your reason for not being a consistent writer be because you sometimes struggle with what to write? There is a way to get through this.

You can start by reading the works of other writers and draw inspiration from them!

As a writer, brainstorming is also very important. Don’t let your brain be idle.

Think about trending topics for writers, imagine life lessons you have gained from writing, share your thoughts on issues faced by other writers or recall important events you have experienced since you started writing. The list is endless.

Except you are in hibernation mode, let your mind constantly nurse new ideas and how best you can communicate them through your words.

As David McCullough, an american author and two time winner of the Pulitzer Prize notes, “Writing is thinking. To write is to think clearly, that’s why it’s so hard.”

Use every opportunity to think. Your mind should be like a working clock, except you are asleep!

Remember:

Nothing is more dangerous than an idea when it’s the only one you have- Emile Chartier