Keep Your Writing Resolutions: Commit to 28
By: Sherryl Clark
Tags: Writing Life, Writing, New Years Resolutions, Writing Tips, Commitment

Photo by Toa Heftiba on Unsplash

I often think that writing sits pretty close to the top of the list for New Year’s resolutions, just in behind “get fit” and “lose weight”. Every year, thousands of writers vow that from the 1st of January, they will be more disciplined and they will write every day. Or write 5000 words a week. Or finish that novel draft by 30 June.

But like the fitness and weight loss resolutions, it often fades. You feel extremely motivated for a few days or a couple of weeks, and then something happens and you don’t write for a few days and immediately you label yourself Failure.

Motivation is easy when you’re feeling it. Incredibly hard when you’re busy or hungover or sick or just plain tired. Motivation requires energy and inspiration, and how quickly they can disappear. Boring as it may sound, routine is what may well save you.

Twice, I have been in a small group of writers who committed to writing at least 2 pages (or for 30 minutes) every day, and then checked in with the group to say “Done”. There were two parts to this: one was committing to participating for a block of 28 days, no matter what; the other was agreeing to be accountable — checking in.

You might think this is easy. 30 minutes is nothing.

It wasn’t easy at all. Well, some days it was. Some days the 30 minutes whizzed past and before I knew it, I had 4–5 pages. Some days, though, I kept watching the clock and forcing out some more words and wishing those minutes would magically speed up so it would be over.

I did this group check-in routine twice because it worked for me. The commitment to 30 minutes made sure I showed up at the computer or desk. The check-in was like a constant nudge in my back that said, ‘Have you written yet?’ And it meant we were all in it together, so every check-in said, “I showed up today.”

The accountability part of this makes you feel less alone, and also reminds you that other writers have the same problems and everyone is doing their best. The 30 minutes/2 pages is designed to make writing a habit. You can choose an amount of words, but that’s often harder. 30 minutes is achievable, and by committing to just 28 days, it doesn’t feel overwhelming. You agree to 28 and, if it works, you agree to another 28, and then another. The theory is that you do three lots of 28 days, and by the end of the third lot, you have a habit.

Photo by Estée Janssens on Unsplash

That worked for me, and still does when I need it. There are still days when I don’t want to write. Not necessarily because of time or energy constraints. More often, it’s fear of the blank page. One thing the 28 day commitment has shown me is that I am least inclined to write when I have no idea what comes next in my story. I’m not a natural “pantser” even though I have done a lot of free writing over the years, but neither am I an avid outliner. However, the last thing I need is a 300 page mess with no idea how to fix it.

So I learned to develop my own writing tricks. I’ve never stopped in the middle of a sentence, but I have stopped in the middle of a paragraph, knowing what will come next tomorrow. I’ve also made notes for myself — Next he needs to … After this she will go … I need dialogue now that …

Most of all, by writing every day, I spend much more time thinking about my novel, and about what comes next, so the story keeps flowing, inside my head and onto the page. I have a notebook handy now and often I will write notes to myself about what will come next, or something I’ve realised needs more development or fixing.

Both times I did this commitment with a group, I wrote around 50,000 words. Some days I wrote 500 words, some days I kept going and wrote 1500 words. It didn’t matter as long as I did my allotted time as the minimum. Even the quality didn’t matter — it was a first draft. Often what came out surprised me. Apparently my brain had been working quietly on its own and then gave me words and ideas — once I started writing.

If you want to write more this year, consider starting your own commitment group. Even one other person is enough. They don’t have to be writing. Their commitment could be a 20 minute walk, or 30 minutes of study. But you must check in every day to say “Done”. It’s up to you whether you use email or a message app. If you commit to 28 days at a time, it makes it less daunting. You can keep the 28s going as long as you want.

Every 28 days, you can look back and know that some days it was dedication, some days it was inspiration, and some days it was simply knowing that you had written. And then celebrate it!