Writing life
Are You Struggling to Write Consistently?
Form a daily writing habit in 30 days
It’s one thing to want to write and it’s a whole other thing to sit your ass down and you know, write. Writing takes a lot of commitment, and many new writers are afflicted by the lack of it. They seem never to build a consistent writing habit.
It’s either they’re too overwhelmed by the process or don’t have any ideas to get started in the first place.
I used to feel the same way for years. While I wanted to be a writer, I wasn’t doing a whole lot of writing. It was frustrating and I thought I would forever be lost in an endless cycle of unproductivity.
But all hope wasn’t lost. In December 2022, I wrote every day for 31 days. That was a giant step for someone too goddamn lazy to commit in the first place. So how did I do it?
First, I identified the root cause of my lack of consistency, and it was this: I didn’t know what to write about every single day. My productivity slowed down because I lacked ideas for my blog. So, I started a new ritual of idea hunting. Every single day.
But I don’t just find ideas. Instead, I transform them into headlines and record them in a word document I have entitled ‘Headlines.’
I have a document full of headlines about the stuff I want to write. They are so many that if I stopped hunting for ideas today, I would have enough to last me for three months.
If you want to build a writing habit, first learn how to come up with ideas. Never stare at a blank page, thinking about what to write. It will make things even more difficult for you. Instead, train yourself to create at least five headlines every day.
The headline should give you a general sense of direction for what your post is about. Once you know what you want to write, briefly make an outline summarizing all the key points.
Then start writing. Don’t think. Don’t edit. Don’t stop. Just write. Whatever comes to your mind. Just write.
It doesn’t matter how many words you write or how much crap it contains. What matters is that you write. I recommend you do this every day. That way, building the habit becomes faster. Find the time that works best for you and sit behind your computer or notebook or phone.
Pick a headline and then start writing.
Force yourself to write every single day. It’s hard, I know. But since you already have ideas and know what you’re going to write, it’s not as hard as before. All you need is the drive to show up every day to write.
To do that, remind yourself what writing means to you. That should push you to show up and put in the work.
By the time you’re in the third week of consistent writing, you’ll find that things become much easier, and you start doing it unconsciously.
After thirty days, the habit will be so ingrained in you that you’ll feel uncomfortable when you go a day without writing. Such is my reality now. These days, I even have to remind myself to take a break from writing. I truly cannot fathom myself not producing content.
If I can do it, then so can you.
Ready to form that writing habit? Yes? Awesome.
I challenge you to thirty consecutive days of writing.
Don’t worry about what you’re going to write within all that time. I’ve already taken the liberty to get you thirty ideas for the next thirty days.
That’s right, I have created thirty writing prompts just for you. Each day, you just have to pick a prompt and write.
Don’t worry about the word count. Nor should you worry about whether your writing is good or not. You don’t even have to publish it if you don’t want to. The goal here is to get you to form a consistent writing habit. I guarantee that by the time you’re done with this challenge, you would have formed the habit. Yes, I guarantee it. But that’s only if you write every day for the next thirty days.
That’s what worked for me. And if someone like me — the laziest primate in the entire solar system — can form a daily writing habit, then so can you.
Ready for the challenge? Good. Download the 30-day writing challenge sheet and start writing today.
Wondering how to make time to write? Read this.
I wish you all the best. Good luck.
Originally published at https://torshietorto.com on February 1, 2023.
