Five Daily Habits and Helps that Make Me A Better Writer, Poet, and Person

It Takes a Village to Write a Poem

Every single day, I write. Of course many will say this is all that it takes to make me a writer. And maybe it is. I would like to have a few more things under my belt. The dreams of publication in journals, a successful book or two, of “going viral” do often float through my mind as a writer, poet, and as a person who is apparently getting older and not any younger, am I right?

In my daily striving to write, write something good, and to improve as a writer I have noticed a few things stand out as being helpful to my practice, goals, and mental state. These things are both habits that I have carved into routine and support systems of sorts that are more than habit, that are the joy and gift of life, really.

So, in no particular order here are the five habits and what I am calling ‘helps’ — helpers, helping hands, helpful things, and so on — that make me a better writer, and if you will, and I hope you will, they make me a better person too.

1. Reading

I read. A lot. I read online. I read books. I read poetry. Writers are readers, naturally, by design. And reading helps with writing by exposing us to words, ideas, and stories that inspire. Now some of this is the inspiration that strikes us down — the ‘I will never be this good, why do I even bother?’ And sometimes it is just the reverse — ‘wow, I can do this, or better, what am I waiting for?’ But, really most of the joy of reading is not this sense of ‘how can I use this’ it is the thing itself that is important. Reading feeds the mind, and the mind is where we draw our words, feelings, and narratives from. Reading fuels empathy and an open mind. It heightens awareness. And it teaches differences in form, tone, voice, and skill. Reading as a habit, as a delight, and as a way of life is something that helps me do what I need and want and live to do in terms of being a better writer and being a better person.

2. Community

Prior to 2019 I wrote alone. I shared my poems with some people, but mostly, it was me, by myself. And while writing itself is a solitary act, now I am blessed with a community of creatives. A community of writers and poets, a group of musicians and artists. Having this community has been amazing. I love writing and knowing it will be read by others. I love reading the work of other poets and writers. I love talking with members of this community about writing, ideas, places to share writing, and about life in general. Coming together under this banner of writing, sharing, reading, learning, growing and supporting each other in this thing that is simultaneously our passion and our dream job makes the day feel productive, inspiring, and truly lovely.

3. Meditation

Am I a pro at meditation? No way. Do I try every day? Yes way. Is it consistent? No. Will I give up? No. This is vital to me. I am a budding Buddhist. I feel this philosophy, spirituality, this way of living and walking through life really speaks to who I am. It helps me calm down when I have anxiety or panic. It helps me center when I am feeling aimless and scattered. It helps me come to some sort of peace when it is hard to get this peace from external sources. I listen to guided meditations, read one of my many Buddhist books, or just do what I remember doing when I took yoga. I light a candle. I burn some incense.

I take time to be with my thoughts and to clear my head from those same thoughts. When things in my life are hectic, or painful, when I am feeling low or like I am not a great writer, or like my relationship has issues, or my body is not feeling right, I take time out to get focused with meditation. Is it a one and done deal? Never! Anyone who is walking this path knows that it is an all day thing. It is an all day turning of attention towards the moment, towards the now, and towards the things that serve kindness and compassion.

4. Waking Up Early

Something super practical and often hard to do is waking up early. But I find that when I do it, and it is natural not from oh say night anxiety that wakes me up at 4am so I just stay awake because the ability to rest is pretty much over now. When I intentionally set a clock and wake up at 6am, let’s say, and have this be the start of my day, it helps me immensely. I can exist in the quiet hours of the morning. I can make my coffee and enjoy it. I can have silence before the house wakes up and the TV is on and the breakfast is wanted and the chores are calling to me. Waking up early is good for a person, I am sure. It feels like energy. It feels like calmness. It feels productive.

5. Writing

This last habit that makes me a better writer and person is writing. Obviously. It is ingrained into my day, it is a reason why I am excited to wake up in the morning, it is the reason I am connected to community in such a devoted and fulfilling way, it is the reason I love and value reading as much as I do, and it is a habit and a practice and a way of life all on its own. I think about writing all day and night. I try to not think about it when I am trying to meditate, of course. But, I think about what I have written, what I want to write, what I might outline to write, what would be fun to write, all day long. And then, joy of joys, I take the time to actually write whenever I can, however I can throughout the day.

I am sure there are other things that make me a better writer and a better person. Things like my gentle nature, my background in Sociology and passion for social justice, my open mind and my love for learning. But for now, for you, I thought I would break down a few of the things that stand out to me as I go through my day, make my dreams into plans, my plans into reality. I always have my head up, aiming to improve as a writer, improve as a human, devote more of myself to things of peace, calm, kindness, compassion,and justice.

Writing is this beautiful thing that encompasses every single aspect of the best of who I am and I am grateful for the chance to share it with people when I can.

Jenny Justice is a poet mom who longs to bring poetry to life in ways that spark empathy, connection, joy, and feeling. She loves writing love poems, climate change awareness poems, poems for kids, and of course, poems about poetry and poets. You can follow her on Medium and at Jenny Justice, Writer. You can support her on Patreon. You can follow her poetry at Justice Poetic.