How to Develop a Writing Routine That Turns You from Novice to Paid Writer in Three Months
Within 3 months of writing on Medium, I was making over 1K a month — you can too.
I see a lot of frustration about Medium in groups and chat rooms. I get it. It’s a tough place to stand out. 65,000 writers joined Medium in 2020, the competition is stiff. There are many great writers here, which doesn’t mean you can’t be one of them.
One way to keep writing is to accept that you are a writer, even if you aren’t earning money yet. That doesn’t mean you don’t have to keep striving to become a better writer who earns. But what an excellent opportunity to learn out loud. You don’t need an agent or a publisher. You can just write and hit publish.
For over a year, I’ve been writing here. I’ve had several viral stories and still have to keep stretching myself as a writer to stand out.
When it comes to writing, it doesn’t matter that something you’ve done before worked out well. Your last piece is never going to write your next one for you. That’s what makes writing so challenging; it isn’t like you write something really well that goes viral, and then every piece after that has the same trajectory.
A change of mindset will keep you going until success is yours. You need tenacity and determination. You won’t succeed without it. You’ll cave into giving up, giving in, throwing in the towel. Even with the success I’ve had, it is still tempting to give up and do something far less challenging and heartbreaking than writing.
The best advice I can give you is to write. And then write some more. Write for one year consistently, and you’ll know if this is for you. That is what it takes. And what I did.
What you’ll learn after one year of consistent writing will be priceless.
You will learn:
- If you really want to be a writer
- How you handle inconsistencies in income
- How you handle algorithm changes (they are the only constant here)
- If you’re able stick to a writing habit and publishing schedule when getting paid pennies and income is irregular
- How to write better
- What niche or niches work best for you and the audience you’re building
- You’ll gain more confidence sharing your viewpoint and opinion
- How comfortable you’re with influencing readers
- How much you’re willing to share about your personal life
- What is your best writing routine to be most efficient
- What are your best triggers to get into a state of flow when your writing becomes effortless
Using this platform to answer these questions is a great place to start, and all great reasons to keep in mind on the days you’d rather be doing anything but writing.
The answers to these questions are invaluable for a freelance writer and entrepreneur. Once I had a regular and consistent writing habit down, only then did I start to reevaluate my day to boost my income in other areas online.
Medium should be a part of a larger income strategy. To make it easier to handle the changes brought on by algorithms, have another space that is yours off Medium, like a blog, a monthly newsletter (like Substack), a YouTube Channel, or products and services you sell. You can push your Medium audience to these other areas.
Medium is a great place to gain an audience quickly and write whatever you want. But it can’t be everything.
I wanted to be a paid writer, or rather, a writer who is paid well. One year later, I am.
- It didn’t happen overnight
- It didn’t happen in one week of trying or three months of trying
- It happened with continuous focus and work over six months to a year of refining and reworking the process
Setting the goal is the easy part. And the first part of achieving anything you want. But sustained effort over time is what gets you there.
#1 — Pick a writing goal and write it down
It’s essential to write down your goals so you see them every day and when life gets messy, refocus on the goal.
Here are some examples:
- Post on Medium five days a week for three months and reevaluate (this is exactly what I did. I created a 30-day challenge. It gave me a writing habit.
- Write for one hour a day from 7:00–8:00 am.
- Submit to other writers websites and freelance work.
Get specific but know that writing things down is only the first part of achieving what you want. Without forming habits and routines, your goals will sit in your notebook. Without action, it won’t matter how many times your write down your goals.
#2. Are your writing goals realistic?
It is more realistic to say I will write for one hour a day than to say I’ll write 1,500 words a day. Anyone can write for an hour a day. Everyone has one hour a day to set aside for something you deem important. Do that with writing.
If you don’t have established habits for writing, you’ll be treading water since you don’t have the routine or system down. Be honest with yourself when thinking about your writing routine because if you don’t already have the habit, you’ll have to develop one.
For example, if you want to write, you’ll have to plan for a time and place to get your writing time in. Once you repeat the habit, again and again, you’ll be amazed at the progress you make toward the goal.
You’ll be adding concrete evidence to your identity as a writer. I write, therefore I’m a writer. Sounds simple, but it’s true. Those who write consistently have a better chance of believing they are writers because of all the words they’ve written.
#3. Just take the first step — start
Starting can be scary, do it anyway. Every goal becomes more manageable as soon as you take the leap and do the thing.
If you want to be a writer, the moment you hit publish, even if you’ve never publicly shared your work before, will be the launching point to realize your goals because you decided to start.
For some people taking the first step like sharing work with strangers can be scary; you might be judged (you will be, but who cares), you might fail (failing is far better than not trying), you’re putting yourself out there, if you stay small you won’t manifest what you want.
You’ll be amazed where just starting takes you.
New ideas, new goals, new information, new feedback, and new confidence comes after taking the first step, but you need to take the first step.
#4. After you start, ask yourself other questions like,
- How can I improve on this?
- How can I streamline my process for more output?
- How can I get help from more experienced writers doing what I’m attempting to do to make progress faster?
- How can I find more time to accomplish this goal?
Refine your system through trial and error. Join groups where writers hang out, be bold, and email someone who is where you want to be a year from now, and ask them thoughtful questions.
#5. Are you busy or productive?
Before I got serious about writing, I was busy but not productive. There’s a big difference. I was spinning my wheels all day with motion and not action.
When we’re in motion, we’re busy; when we’re in action, we’re getting things done.
Getting things done requires sustained focus for a few hours on one task; if you can do your Most Important Thing during your most productive hours, you will succeed. I guarantee it.
If I outline twenty ideas for articles I want to write, that’s motion. If I actually sit down and write an article, that’s action. If I search for a better diet plan and read a few books on the topic, that’s motion. If I actually eat a healthy meal, that’s action. — James Clear, Atomic Habits
My MIT is writing.
When I made it the highest priority and put it at the beginning of the day for three hours of uninterrupted focus, the result is I’m making over $4,000 a month from writing and blogging. I’m working now on doubling that number, if not tripling it.
The best productivity hack I have ever read was to take everything out of your schedule for those hours when you’re most productive and only concentrate on your highest priority task.
When you subtract things from your schedule, you’re on the right track. When you say no to things that will not propel you toward your goal, “I’m not doing this, this or that,” you increase your focus on the things you want most, exponentially.
It is better to focus on one goal at a time. Not forever, but until that habit and goal are routine and reality.
Last year, I was focused on this platform, and the rewards were great.
This coming year, I’m focusing on other revenue streams because the energy and focus it takes me to publish here is streamlined after a year of sustained focus.
#6. Work on habit-formation
Repetition forms a habit. As dull as that sounds, it’s true. That’s why successful writers have a daily writing routine, and the standard advice is, just write.
Simple, but not easy.
Habits will form whether you put conscious thought into them or not.
Negative patterns will develop if you don’t routinely work on positive ones. One hack to creating a habit is to reduce friction. Meaning, if you want to lose weight, don’t pick a gym away from your life. Pick one you see every day, like one on your way to the office.
If you’re going to set up a writing routine, do it first thing in the morning, when the house is quiet and your energy is high. Don’t wait until your energy is low at the end of the night when you are tired and more likely to turn on Netflix and watch all six seasons of The Crown.
The most effective way to form a habit is to pick a time and a place to practice that routine. This is called implementation intention.
Implementation intention is simply this:
I will [BEHAVIOR] at [TIME] in [LOCATION].
Example:
- Writing: I will write for one hour at 7:00 am in my closet.
People who make a specific plan for when and where they will perform a new habit are more likely to follow through. “I’m going to write more,” leaves it up to chance and hope that we will “just remember to do it.”
Write out a specific plan and do it when and where the plan dictates.
In his Tiny Habits program, BJ Fogg came up with habit stacking. Habit stacking is when you add a new habit right after you perform a well-established current habit.
Fogg’s habit stacking formula is:
After I [CURRENT HABIT], I will [NEW HABIT].
Example:
- Writing: After I pour my coffee (trigger) each morning, I will write for one hour.
Once the habit is down, you can add on. I started writing every day for three hours; I now write for a lot longer. And it is reflected in my income.
Remember, add on.
Build the muscle: the writing muscle, the energy muscle, the meditation muscle; the more you build these muscles through repetition, the less energy you need to perform a task.
Go after your writing goals in 2021
- Write it down
- Be realistic
- Come up with when and where you will write every day
- Hit publish
- Focus on vertical growth, not just horizontal
- Push busy work (email) to the end of the day
- Put your MIT at the beginning of the day when you have the most energy
- Focus on small wins while creating a habit
- Add on to your writing time after the habit cements
- Focus on repletion always
- The more you practice a habit, the fastest it becomes second nature
Focus on what you really want, being a writer who is paid. And you’ll be one.
Jessica is a writer, an online entrepreneur, and a recovering type-A personality. She lives in Los Angeles with her extrovert daughter, two dogs, and two cats.
