Building a writing life

And a chance to win a free book!

Today I’ve got some tips on building a writing life, and a chance for you to win a free book! Read on to find out more.

People sometimes ask me how to find time to write. But what if that is the wrong question? If you want to write, you must craft a writing life, in which everything serves your purpose, your calling, to write.

That means not just waiting for inspiration, but scheduling time to sit and write. I write (or edit) five days a week, like it’s my job, because, well, it is my job.

But the rest of your life, the ordinary, mundane and even annoying parts, can feed the writing. It’s not work that can be compartmentalized. When you approach other pieces of your life as fuel and fodder for writing, you see them differently, because everything belongs and integrates with your writing. A writing life is constructed of habits. Here are just a few of them.

Move: Our bodies were created for movement. We sit to write, but too much sitting injures us. We need to balance it, and let movement fuel our writing. I’m loathe to call it exercise—just move. Walk, dance, run, even go to the gym. We writers live in our heads, but sometimes we need to be in our body. If that sounds daunting, just walk! As often as possible, outside. Try to think of it not as burning calories or working out, but as a chance to treat yourself well, and to boost your creativity. To discover joy, beauty and freedom. To play. Which leads to my next tip.

Play: This obviously can overlap with movement. But play can also be creative endeavors that aren’t work: gardening, drawing, knitting, just playing with children (your own or someone else’s). What would bring a fresh infusion of joy into your life? That filling will spill onto the page when you write.

Read: Read to learn, read for fun. Read books about writing, read books like the one you want to write, but also, read books in other genres. Read widely. When you read, notice the writer’s technique, their word choices, their sentence structure. Try reading out loud. Reading well-written literature out loud will help you become a better writer. As often as you can, just read for the joy of it.

Pay attention: As you go through your day, notice everything. Be fully present. Look for the beauty in the mundane. Ask people questions, and really listen. And pay attention to yourself, your questions, your thoughts. Keep a journal with your thoughts, questions, observations, little snippets of an idea that might somehow make it into whatever you’re writing. Take pictures of beautiful or unusual things you see. (Here’s one of some gorgeous asters I saw on my walk the other day.)

Connect: I’ve written about this before, but friends, you need connection with other people—especially those who encourage and support your writing. Join a writers’ group, attend a conference, connect in a Facebook group, whatever. If you can’t afford the time and money to travel to a conference, I highly recommend joining the West Coast Christian Writers. You’ll connect online with other writers, have access to critique groups, book club, mini master classes and more. Learn more about the benefits of membership here.

How about you? What habits are a part of your writing life? Leave a comment below!

One more thing: want to win a free book?

Free book Friday

We’re giving away five review copies of Live Like a Guide Dog!

Want to win one? Here’s how:

If you’re on Facebook, click this link to go to the Live Like a Guide Dog Facebook group.  If you’re not a member, just request to join and we’ll welcome you right in! Share any of the posts on that page, then leave a comment telling me you’ve shared it.

If you prefer Instagram or X, just copy the photo below and post it on whatever social media platform you like. Add a few words recommending the book.

Then comment here to let me know you’ve spread the word. We will pick five readers who post about Live Like a Guide Dog and leave a comment here to win a paperback copy of the book. If you’ve already purchased the book—thank you! But I’d love to have you share about it, and I’ll send you a copy to give as a gift! It’s never too early to start your Christmas shopping.

If you’ve read the book, please leave us a sweet little five star review on amazon. Thanks!