Writing every day is a challenge for me. As I’m sure you know, telling yourself “I’m going to write every day!” is far easier said than done, and yet, that practice is perhaps the most common suggestion offered for improving your writing. However, like many others, I tend to view the activity as another task on my daily to-do list. We all have our methods, but for me, ensuring that I give myself flexibility in the time and environment to write allows for a sense of freedom. When I can give it my undivided attention and get into my writing “flow” the practice becomes vastly more enjoyable. I usually accomplish this by drinking a cup of coffee and closing myself off from the world. It’s almost mind-numbing. As a once blank page gradually fills with my thoughts, the background fades and I enter into a world of my own.
It would be nice to always start with that level of focus. Unfortunately, as we all know, you can’t just snap your fingers and enter into that state of productivity. I’ve discovered I cannot multitask when I write, otherwise, I lose my train of thought. Once lost, it then takes a large amount of effort to build up the writing momentum again. I’ve also learned that having a set time of day in which I am committed to writing doesn’t work for me. Life gets too busy, but here’s how I’ve been able to overcome it.
For the best possible writing session, I need to sit down at my computer and put all my words onto a page. My most effective method is to break up the task. Over the course of the day, my mind wanders. Often, I find words flow together and I sometimes become inspired by the little moments. Instead of letting these bursts of creativity exit my mind, I quickly jot them down in the notes app of my phone. I think of them as “shower thoughts.” No explanations. No pressure. Later, when I sit down behind my computer screen I can scroll through the snippets of prose until I find something that inspires me. It builds from there. I can come back later and edit when I have fresh eyes. I think this takes the pressure out of the process.
I find myself taking notes on observations, randomly “deep” quotes I overhear, and of course, how I feel throughout the day. I try to define these emotional states so that I can return to them during my writing time. If I can articulate my thoughts in a moment when I’m experiencing an emotion, coming back to write about it later is much easier. I can tap into real feelings and convert them into realistic details in my writing, thus strengthening the piece.
Don’t let your writing suffer for the sake of sticking to a ritual.
Finally, I don’t limit myself. I write until the thoughts are on the page. There is no word count, no standard of quality, no restrictions. The only requirement is that I am fully present in the task. Sometimes I edit and revise in one sitting, other times I don’t. Motivation is a fleeting thing, so when it comes I try to take full advantage of the creative head-space, but I never force it. Think about it, the pressure of forcing yourself to produce quality writing in one sitting only leads to frustration and a mediocre result. (Deadlines are different, but when it comes to writing for the sake of honing your craft, I find this allows me the freedom I need to stick to the process.) Don’t let your writing suffer for the sake of sticking to a ritual.
