FFW #3: How To Prioritize Your Writing Practice — Super Useful Advice From Someone Who Writes (Almost) Every Day
The biggest difference between “writers” and writers is the commitment to our creative writing practice.
This is Part 3 of the Fighting For Writing series, a 10-part blog series that will help you define and shape your writing practice so that it’s always feeding you, and writer’s block becomes a forgotten thing.
#1 Why Writing Feels Impossible (And How To Make It Fun Again)
#2 How To Write Through Tough Times
Finding the time to write is perhaps the most common gripe I hear across writer’s spaces on the internet. Family events, governmental crises, overtime work weeks, illnesses, appointments, when the heck will it ever end?
This “I have no time to write” is both a truth and a lie; a convenient refrain for procrastinators and alternately the bane of the busy writer’s existence.
But if we all take a step back and really truly examine how we’re spending our life, we may find “time” has little to do with it.
Maybe you’re just not actively prioritizing writing enough. And this is not a reflection on how much you love writing, or how committed you are.
This is about mindfully forming a practice that keeps you writing.
You CAN prioritize writing, and you can start right here right now.
What Does Your Writing Mean To You, Personally, Spiritually, + Ideologically?
Someone’s writing practice may entail anything from casual roleplay to an ideological exploration to their complete livelihood. The only way to prioritize writing in your life is to define what writing means to you.
To define what writing means to you think about these things
- How does your writing reflect in all areas of your life?
- How important is writing to you vs. everything else?
- What do you want to accomplish as a writer?
- Does your writing practice have a deeper meaning for you?
I encourage you to get your favorite writing implements out and physically write down your answers to these questions. Once you do this, you’ve taken the first steps in making writing a top priority in your life.
To Make Writing A High Priority In Your Life, You Must Want It
You’re here reading this because you want to make writing more of a priority in your life, but sitting down for an hour every day or sticking to your 500-words daily count isn’t cutting it anymore. There has to be another way, right?
You want to get more out of your writing, and you want more of your writing to get out into the world.
The only way to do that is to put writing at the top of your priority list. Keep reading to find out how.
Clear and Actionable Steps To Prioritize Your Writing
Put self-doubt, fear, and imposter syndrome aside. Once you take these steps to prioritize your writing practice, you’ll be amazed with how fast you progress and how many words your produce.
Prioritizing is about action. Action is fruitless without follow through. Let’s get started!
Action 1: Write Down Your Writing Goals
I am a deep believer in writing things down not just to tell a story, but to manifest what needs to happen in our lives. Until I put pen to paper, everything I have to do is just an abstract idea floating around in my head.
By jotting down your writing goals, they become real, solid, tangible; they look back up at you from the page, demanding your attention.
Here are some things to think about when defining what goals you have for your writing practice.
- How quickly do you want to complete projects?
- What is the theme you want to translate?
- Do you want to be published?
- Do you want to be part of a writing community?
- What genres do you want to write?
Now that your goals are clear and your heart is soaring with the desire to write, it’s time to hunker down at that writing desk.
Action 2: Commit To Your Writing
Aside from writing, drawing is my other creative love. Despite how much I want to draw every day, I find many reasons and excuses not to.
“I have something else to work on, I should be cleaning, I should be writing, I have no reference pictures,” and on and on.
We all do this to ourselves. I’m no psychologist so I won’t get into the mental hurdles of it all, but I do have some ideas on climbing over the commitment wall.
Get mad. Get passionate.
Write down a mission statement for your writing and read it to yourself, the ocean, your chosen entity of worship. Keep this commitment private at first while it ferments inside you.
There is no way to prioritize your writing without first hitting the wall. We must realize we can’t keep living every day without our passions.
Action 3: Follow Through On Your Commitment To Prioritize Your Writing By Workshopping
This is the hard part, the complicated part, and the part of writing that is just so impossible to distill; this is also why there tends to be a stigma around us laptop aye-ayes just “sitting there staring at a screen all day.”
Doing the writing.
In the simplest terms, making your writing top priority by following through looks like this:
- Pay attention to your writing in new, mindful ways.
- FINISH pieces.
- Seek feedback.
- Be willing to accept the feedback and grow from it.
If you’re doing these things, you’re inherently going to be prioritizing your writing because you’re seeing projects to the end.
Want to start workshopping your writing but have no idea where to start? Ask me about my Discord server, Common Ink!
Action 4: Tell Your Non-Writer F&F That Writing Is Your Priority
Now that you’ve clarified your goals, committed to your practice, and started workshopping your writing, it’s time to spread the word.
Each and every one of my family members knows that nothing comes before my books.
My vacation time and money are spent on writing workshops. Most goodies I buy for myself are journals and pens. People I haven’t seen in two years always ask me, “Are you still working on your book?”
Tell every single person in your life you’re a writer, and not just a writer, but that your writing practice matters deeply to you. That writing is your top priority in life. That this craft you have dedicated yourself wholeheartedly to is now part of your entire world.
A writing practice is equivalent in depth and self-exploration to any hobby, spiritual, or religious practice. Don’t discount the significance of it, and share your love, joy, and commitment with everyone.
Action 5: Expand And Push Your Writing Further
One small experience can be the spark for an entire novel, but the richer your life, the richer your writing will be.
You will hear me use the phrase “fill your well” a lot throughout this series. Some writers do this by traveling, some by people observing, some by reading avidly.
Expanding and pushing your writing harder and further is something only YOU can do.
Others may motivate you, but no one cares about your growth and development in only the way you can. There is no instruction manual on how to push yourself as a writer, but here are some decent jumping off points.
- Join a real-life writing group
- Enter a competition
- Read/write outside your preferred genre
- Get our of your comfort zone
- Study a new religion, language, philosphy, etc.
Action 5: Make Your Final Decision
Some writers simply know that writing is their calling, their purpose, their Ikigai, from day one.
Others come into writing more gradually, migrating from other arts, or always sitting in the world outside wondering how they can start telling stories. Still others sit bolt upright in their bed one morning and decide to write a book; then, that’s what they do.
Either way, once you’ve committed to prioritizing your writing practice, you’ll learn quickly whether the “writer’s life” works for you. And if you find it doesn’t, there’s absolutely nothing wrong with that. Writing doesn’t have to be a top priority for everyone.
But if you start living a writing-centered life and find it works for you, you’ll want to keep pushing yourself as a person and writer to write groundbreaking stories and maybe even publish someday.
TLDR; Know Thyself
Real Talk: Why Bother To Prioritize Writing When It’s So Difficult To Make A Living On?
We bother when we love something.
The writer’s life is not easy, but neither does it have to be miserable and discouraging (all the time). It also doesn’t have to be driven by monetary gain.
That said, when you make writing such a high priority in your life that you’re workshopping stories and following through, you inherently have a better shot at publication.
Not only that, there are more ways than ever to publish, and places like SubStack and Medium pay you for your writing.
Maybe money isn’t even a motive for you, and places like Chanillo or Wattpad bring you the writerly fulfillment you need.
Either way, your story deserves to be told and you deserve to feel whole in having told it, regardless of payment or publishing.
A Handy Recap On How To Make Your Writing Practice Top Priority
Making writing the first thing on your priority list is no small decision. It’s not going to be easy, and it’s almost guaranteed that not everyone in your life will understand.
Remember, this one life belongs to you and if writing is what you need to do to feel fulfilled, these are the best ways to prioritize your practice:
- Define your writerly goals
- Commit to your writing practice
- Follow through and workshop projects
- Share your commitment to writing
- Push yourself creatively
- After a trial period, decide if the writer’s life is for you
When you prioritize writing in your life, it leads you to greater fulfillment and chances of success. At the very least, you’re creating more stories which is an amazing thing.
Stick to your guns. Remind yourself each day that your writing and stories are meaningful, important, and worth seeing through to the end.
Start now, get those goals on the page, and start writing!
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See you there! Borahae, much love, 好き, be well!
-Ari