How to Develop a Daily Writing Habit
By: Chris Craft
Tags: Blogger, Book Writing, Blogging, Writing, Writing Tips

Stephen King

Stephen King doesn’t need an introduction. His books have sold over 350 million copies. Some of his work has also been adapted into feature films, television series, and even comic books. Stephen talked about his writing routine in a biography by Lisa Rogak, Haunted Heart: The Life and Times of Stephen King. You can also learn a lot about King’s approach to writing in his book, On Writing.

“There are certain things I do if I sit down to write…I have a glass of water or a cup of tea. There’s a certain time I sit down, from 8:00 to 8:30, somewhere within that half-hour every morning. I have my vitamin pill and my music, sit in the same seat, and the papers are all arranged in the same places. The cumulative purpose of doing these things the same way every day seems to be a way of saying to the mind, you’re going to be dreaming soon. It’s not any different than a bedtime routine.”

The king of horror writing compares his writing routine to a bedtime routine. This goes to say that your writing routine is all about developing a habit of writing. Whether you are working on a book or a blog post, making and following a routine will ensure that you always have/make time to work on your writing project.

Quick Tip: When you are developing or tweaking your writing routine, take the time to determine when you feel most productive. For instance, some people enjoy writing early in the morning while night owls are likely to produce better copy at night. There is not one fixed routine for writing, so make sure you follow one that works best for you .

3. Make a Dedicated Writing Space

This is a small but crucial step that can help you make sure you achieve your daily writing goals. Creating a dedicated space for writing eliminates most of the distractions that may hamper your progress. It will also help you establish your writing routine.

A writing space can be anything from a home office to a desk in the corner of your room. Some people also like to work in the library or a coffee shop. Regardless of the place you choose, it is important to make sure that it is comfortable and free from distractions. You don’t want to be disturbed every few minutes while writing. Distractions break your rhythm and can make it difficult to come up with the right words.

Now, when you are in your dedicated writing space and are ready to work, staying focused is of utmost importance. So, remove all distractions, starting by switching off your mobile phone or turning down the volume. If you like working with music in the background, put in your headphones to drown the noise. You can also disconnect the internet if notifications and emails keep coming in and taking your mind off the task at hand. I also suggest that you limit the number of browser tabs that you have open if you write in an online editor like Google Docs.

Maya Angelou

Take a look at Maya Angelou’s writing routine to understand the importance of creating a dedicated writing space when working on a project.

“I keep a hotel room in my hometown and pay for it by the month. I go around 6:30 in the morning. I have a bedroom with a bed, a table, and a bath. I have Roget’s Thesaurus, a dictionary, and the Bible. Usually, a deck of cards and some crossword puzzles. Something to occupy my little mind…I have all the paintings and any decoration taken out of the room.

I ask the management and housekeeping not to enter the room, just in case I’ve thrown a piece of paper on the floor, I don’t want it discarded. About every two months I get a note slipped under the door: “Dear Ms. Angelou, please let us change the linen. We think it may be moldy!”

But I’ve never slept there. I’m usually out of there by 2. And then I go home, and I read what I’ve written that morning, and I try to edit then. Clean it up.”

4. Try Different Writing Methods

Writing is an art form like other creative forms of expression, there are no hard and fast rules of writing. So, before you settle for a writing technique, take the time to try different writing methods and see which one helps you produce the best work. Let’s take a few different writing methods that you can try.

Write in Chunks

For some people, writing in chunks works best. If you have created an outline for your book or blog, you may keep going back-and-forth to cover all topics. For instance, some bloggers prefer writing the introduction of the blog at the end. This helps them make sure that it gives a good idea of what the blog entails before writing an intro. Try this method if you think that writing in chunks can help you avoid a writer’s block.

Ray Bradbury, the author of Fahrenheit 451, follows a similar approach. He talks about the importance of letting your writing guide you instead of the other way round.

“My passions drive me to the typewriter every day of my life, and they have driven me there since I was twelve. So I never have to worry about schedules. Some new thing is always exploding in me, and it schedules me, I don’t schedule it. It says: Get to the typewriter right now and finish this.”

Word Sprints

Word sprints is another popular method when it comes to writing. It involves setting a timer, for let’s say, thirty minutes, and writing continuously for the period without paying a lot of attention to the quality of the writing. You will come back to that once your thirty minutes are over. The aim of going on a word sprint is to get your ideas on paper. You can always take the time to polish it later.

Jodi Picoult, the author of multiple New York Times bestsellers, takes a similar approach. In an interview with Noah Charney, she talked about her writing method,

“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.”

Writing Prompts

A writing prompt is simply a topic on which you base your piece. A prompt can be anything from a single word or phrase to a paragraph or even an image. If you have difficulty diving into writing every day, try starting with writing a prompt. Take a few minutes to reflect on what you want to say and how you want to say it. You can even create a mind map to help you get started. Keep in mind that while most writers use this technique to write essays, it can also work for books and blogs.

These are just three writing methods that you can try. Your goal is to find the method that works best for you. This will require you to measure your own performance. You may want to keep a writing logbook to track your performance and see which methods help you unlock your full potential.

Now you know how to make writing a habit! Keep in mind that there are no hard and fast rules. Every writer has a different writing style and method. However, you can always follow the tips mentioned above and take inspiration from the writing habits of great writers to find your calling and reach your writing goals with a bonafide writing process.

Happy writing!