10 WAYS TO START A WRITING HABIT
Start writing today and develop momentum! Here are 10 sure-fire ways to develop a solid writing habit that sticks.
Check out video 1: starting a writing habit of our Writing Habits mini-course for more!
Write every day
It sounds so easy but remains so difficult. As with many things in life, it’s all about forming habits. There are all
kinds of daily writing habits: an hour in the morning, an hour before bed, with a cup of coffee, in a specific space,
some music in the background or pure silence. Whatever writing rituals help build your habit, do it your way.
Start a journal or a blog
Habits don’t just form on their own. If you want to write every day, you build habits so there is always
something to write. Journaling and blogging are excellent ways to do that. Some writers aren’t terribly fond of
blogging, because it is public and online. But you can publish your blog under an alias on any of the free
blogging sites (I recommend Blogger for writers) and the subject of a blog can be creative work rather than
diary entries. Plus, with blogging you get to start developing a writing community.
Read voraciously
Advice passed on from the poets: reading is among the best ways to improve writing. If you begin to pair
reading and writing in your habits, the two become mutually-reinforcing. When you read as a writer you want
to notice the way an author puts together prose, the way the book is structured, the working in the craft. Then
you are learning from other writers through their work.
Make an outline
It’s so obvious yet so many writers start work on their project without one. An outline doesn’t need to have
every last detail of the book, and even a basic sketch of the beginning, middle, and end of your work may be
enough to get going. You can always revisit and revise your outline as you write. Outlines help build a writing
habit because you can set goals, such as a certain number of words per day, or a deadline for completing a
section.
Just write the first draft
Some writers get tied down in early chapters of their book, constantly editing and revising just a few pages
without making any movement forward. It’s important to write strong sentences and to try and get as many
details right in the first draft. But it’s more important sometimes to forget about that and just get the first
draft done. Then you can edit and revise on your second pass. Set yourself a realistic goal for completion of
your first draft and stick to it by maintaining your writing habits.
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10 WAYS TO START A WRITING HABIT
Learn as you go
It’s impossible to know the questions or snafus that may come up in the writing process. Structure, form,
style, formatting, plot, framing devices, dialogue, editing, how to get your finished book to print. You
don’t need to know the answers before you begin and you shouldn’t worry about it. No writer knows
exactly what awaits on any writing journey, and so we must learn as we go. The curiosity to learn the
craft is a pillar of good writing habits.
Find your community
Being part of a community of writers and supporting that community is a great way to develop your
writing habit. Writers learn from one another and spread knowledge of the craft. You can join
communities of writers online, like on most any social media or numerous websites (some good places to
start are #WritingCommunity on Twitter and the r/Writing on Reddit). You can join communities of
writers in real life, such as at your local library or local writing collectives. Joining communities of writers
is a great support network throughout your writing process.
Ask for feedback
Sometimes it is difficult to share writing with others. Writers may worry that people won’t like their work,
or that there are errors, or feelings of vulnerability through sharing their stories. But it is vitally important
in any writing habit and to complete any writing project that you get constructive feedback. There are
lots of ways to get feedback that mostly avoid the insecurities that many writers feel. One way is by being
involved in a writing community you trust. Another is working with professional writers and editors to get
the best feedback. While it is important to welcome general feedback, you should also specify the kinds
of feedback you especially want.
Refine your craft
As you progress as a writer, you’re going to be constantly refining your working in the craft. Sometimes
this means critically assessing your own writing. Every writer has strong points and weak points. The key
is to make refining your writing something you make part of your writing routine. You may decide that
once a week you will look for one thing that you will improve in your writing.
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Make writing a part of life!
Building a writing habit is more than just writing one book. It is about continuing to write even after your
project is complete. Writing is a wonderful practice for so many reasons. It promotes wellness and self-
reflection, it promotes community and culture, it brings beauty and wonder into our lives. Make a writing
habit part of your life and find your writing community today!
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YOU GOT THIS!
We’re Jon and Erika, a writer-editor dream team. We founded
Bookends Writing Academy to help writers at all stages of the
writing process. We developed a method for maintaining a
regular writing practice and developing writing craft. We’ve
worked with hundreds of students and writers to help produce
books of all kinds.
As writers ourselves, we’ve experienced first-hand many of the
problems writers face, whether that’s building a regular writing
habit or breaking out of writer’s block. One thing we’ve learned
is that you can’t succeed on your writing journey alone.
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