There’s a persistent belief that real writers write every day, preferably at dawn, possibly while wearing a whimsical scarf and a hat at a jaunty angle. While writing regularly is helpful, turning it into a rigid requirement is a fast track to burnout and creative rebellion, the kind where your brain folds its arms and says, “No.”
A writing habit should serve you, not imprison you. For the last couple of weeks I have been avoiding editing my new book ‘Project Radiant‘ by any means necessary and practical. This has included volunteering at Scouts and running the BBQ at the Victorian street Fayre at a local village, going into London to visit the Norwegian Seaman’s Church for their Christmas Market, looking in the fridge a lot, writing my second novel (of which I lost about 2000 words when autosave did not work as expected) and work of course.
I’ve also been able to find time to muck about with Facebook Ads for my book on Scouting. All of which is to avoid at all costs, editing my book.
That being said, lets get back to the point, first, look honestly at your life. If you’re juggling work, family, a social life, or a long-running feud with the neighbour’s cat, then daily writing might not be realistic. That’s fine, I know I don’t, I’m getting quite good at it. I’ve done the washing today and am now writing this blog post just to not edit the novel. What matters is consistency, not frequency. Writing two or three times a week can be just as effective as writing daily, particularly if it keeps you motivated rather than resentful.
But, some things that can help you start to build up your writing is setting some goals, not big goals, start small. Set a modest goal: 100 words. Ten minutes. One paragraph. These tiny increments build momentum, and momentum builds confidence. Before long, you’ll have a routine that doesn’t feel like dragging yourself through emotional custard.
A habit should also be enjoyable. Create a ritual you look forward to, tea, music, a cosy corner, a notebook that sparks joy. Celebrate progress, even the small victories. Wrote 200 words? Brilliant. Wrote 20? Still brilliant, you showed up.
For music, I have a playlist that I find helpful, but be warned, my kids say my taste in music is awful at points:
Lastly, forgive yourself for missed days. Creativity isn’t a factory output. Some days are productive; some days are sludge. Both are normal.
Build a habit that supports your writing, not one that punishes you for being human.
Today for example, not including this post, I managed 111 words this morning in total for my second book and plan to procrastinate for the rest of the day.
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