Building healthy writer habits
Six habits you can cultivate to improve your writing
Our physical health depends on healthy habits, from getting enough sleep to brushing our teeth to getting enough exercise. When we make these things not just occasional whims but regular habits, we are stronger and healthier, and happier. Writing is much the same.
Building any habit takes time and consistency. Just as we can’t improve our physical health by just slugging down a kale smoothie once in a while, we can’t improve our writing without sustained practice over time.
Photo by Mikhail Nilov: https://www.pexels.com/
The good news is, you can build habits that will take your writing to the next level. Today I want to share six habits: three you can do on your own, and three that involve connecting with others. Start small. Pick one, and build from there. Take your time—habits don’t happen overnight. But they have the power to change your life.
Many writers tell me they feel stuck. Possibly because they don’t know where to go. But sometimes, honestly, it’s fear that keeps us from moving forward, from just writing. Today, I want you to promise yourself that you will take one step, no matter how small, to get unstuck. I want to offer a few suggestions for how to build simple habits that will do just that.
What is the next step on your writing journey?
Maybe, it’s just deciding to build some healthy writing habits, such as:
Making time to write every day
Reading good books
Writing a weekly newsletter or blog
Note that these three writerly habits depend solely upon you. By scheduling time to write each day, you will make progress—even if that progress is gaining clarity on what doesn’t work. Note that you make time, schedule time. You do not try to “find” time or hope you can sneak some writing in. That’s unlikely. Put it on your calendar, make it happen.
Reading good books teaches you what good writing looks like. I read about two books a week—everything from novels to memoir to non-fiction. Reading books, for a writer, is like listening to music for a musician. You learn to recognize good writing—the cadence, the turn of phrase, the vivid description that somehow evades the temptation to be overly flowery. I recommend reading, at a minimum, books about writing, and books in the genre you want to write in.
Consistently writing a weekly newsletter or blog post will teach you about how to write on deadline, how to come up with ideas, how to connect with your readers. It will provide important practice in writing short form.
Maybe you’ve already built these healthy writer habits into your life—or at least, you’re working on it. So perhaps your next step in getting unstuck involves other people. Though writing is a solitary craft, we need the help and encouragement of others along the path. So you might begin to build one or more of these three healthy writer habits:
Work with a writing coach to improve your craft and hone your writing
Join a writers’ group or critique group where you get feedback from your peers
Attend a writers’ conference where you can learn about writing and publishing, and meet with agents, editors, and befriend other writers
Allowing others to read your work can feel vulnerable and slightly terrifying. Never mind that most writers dream of being published, the point of which is to have others read your work. It still frightens them, and they both resist it and dream of it. When I coach writers, I read their work and offer feedback. I ask questions to get them talking and writing in greater detail. I offer feedback on what to leave in, what to leave out. I try to be honest, yet gentle.
A writers’ group offers encouragement and critique. Ideally, you’ll find a couple of other writers who find themselves in a similar place on their writing journey. In other words, peers who can encourage you, but still offer wisdom. People with whom you can build good habits. Do some research online, or get around other writers by taking a class or attending a conference.
Attending a writers’ conference will provide an intensive immersion into publishing, allow you to take classes and meet people. You may find other writers with whom you’ll form a critique group. You can meet with editors or agents for honest feedback about your ideas.
What’s your next step in building healthy writer habits? Leave a comment below.
P.S. Speaking of conferences, I will once again be on the faculty at West Coast Christian Writers Conference this November. Save the date (November 6-8) and I’ll have more details when registration opens this summer.
