How to Maintain Your Writing Routine

Whether you are a beginner or an old pro.

Jun 09, 2024

A writing routine is one of those rare parts of writing that may appear more accessible initially. When you are flushed with the excitement of starting your journey, you are more likely to want to sit and put words on the paper.

It can be harder to maintain when you have been writing for many years, especially if the results are not as good as you hoped. One thing is for sure: if you quit, you will never succeed.

So here are some tips and tricks you can use to maintain your writing routine. These are as relevant to the first-time writer as to the old veteran.

Track your words - This may not be easy if you write on several platforms as I do, so instead, I track the time I write. I have set myself a small goal of half an hour a day. This is small enough to accomplish but not so small that it has no consequence. Most days, I exceed thirty minutes, but all I can do is that I still feel accomplished.

Phone write - For as long as I have been writing, I have advocated for writing you your phone. Sure, it might not be as fast, but the snatches of a minute here and there that you can grab on your phone soon mount up. Whether standing in the queue or waiting for an appointment, you can fit 100 words here and there.

Vary what you write - Sometimes, as writers, we can get stuck on one article or novel and not be able to move forward. If you vary what you write, you can move on to one of the other tasks you have. Moving onto this often unblocks the first project. All writing counts, whether a tweet, a note, an article or a book.

Write what you love - I could make more money on Medium if I wrote personal stories rather than crime. We have been told that true crime is not the direction Medium wants to take. But I can't do it. There are some brilliant personal story writers there, but it is not me, and it would bore me to tears. Write what you love, and you will keep coming back to it.

Get through the first draft - Ernest Hemingway famously said, 'The first draft of anything is shit.' But you have something to work with once you have a first draft. Power through the first; don't worry about spelling, punctuation or severe continuity. All of that can be fixed in the edits, but you will have the first half of a story.

Other quick ideas you might adopt are:

Ensure you permanently save all your ideas so you have something to write about.
Publish regularly to stay accountable and get feedback
Take breaks and get back to nature to recharge your batteries.

These are the techniques I use to ensure I keep turning up every week, even when the work is hard.

What do you use?

If you enjoy this email, please share it so more readers can find it.

Until next week, stay safe

Sam 😊

Weekly Three

Part of the inspiration for this article came from this video which looks at writing routines.

The Active Mind - Have really been enjoying this channel at the moment, he mainly talks about books classics and philosophy. I have seriously added many suggestions to my TBR file from watching these.

In Cold Blood, Truman Capote - Not sure enjoyed is the right word but I have been devouring this classic true crime novel over the last week. I am going to do a full review on it, but I love the novel like storytelling in it.

Quote of the week

Nothing you have done in the past, no matter how long or short term, was a waste. Everything was adding up to something you can draw upon today. - Laura Berman Fortgang