Writers of Habit ☕

At least many writing habits exist as do writers in the world, and it’ll only take a brief google search to be inundated with suggestions. But as they say, no two writers are the same- and who knows, one time you might chance upon something truly original. Original habit ideas aside, it’s the ones that actually work that matter. Do you find it hard to develop and stick to habits in terms of your writing? No idea what kind of habits you could even cultivate? If so, read on and I shall blow your mind.

(Probably not, but it’s worth a try.)

1. Consistent Effort.

If you struggle with producing text, you need to make writing a consistent, repeated habit, which you’ll stick to as faithfully as possible. It can be hard in the beginning if your brain jumps around like a rabbit on coke, but problems are made to be overcome. Setting aside a regular block of time (doesn’t even need to be at the same time everyday) teaches your brain to slip into writing mode more easily once it learns that this is indeed a recurring process. Sometimes you might really not be feeling it, but even ten, fifteen minutes of putting something on the page can profoundly change that – a committment of ten minutes can turn into twenty, thirty, or more, when the flow turns on. And if it doesn’t, you at least showed up. You at least have something to build on tomorrow.
It’s building new connections in the brain and enforcing them every time you stick to your decision. Habits are one of the most powerful invisible forces governing our decision-making and daily lives, and can be phenomenally powerful in writing when properly harnessed.

2. Focus. This might seem more of a mental quality than a habit, but it is one that can be highly developed by habit and you’ll be thankful that you did. Developing a habit of getting into the zone and shutting out all extroneous distractions before writing will improve your writing (and other) life by leaps and bounds. There are so many ways to do this, but some suggestions include:

🍵 Having a mind-brightening peppermint or rosemary tea (or, you know, coffee)
🎼 Playing calming music or certain songs that get you in the mood of your book
💃 Taking a short walk, dance or some other brief excersize moves to unclog your body and mind
💫 Focusing on mental imagery and even lighting a scented candle/incense/whatever scent association with writing.

Different things work for different people (obviously) so experiment with your own and eventually you’ll get to the point where you only need smell vanilla and your mind is bursting with ideas for your murder mystery. Or something.

3. Schedule. It might seem a terribly restricting thing to some of you freewheelers out there, but the truth is that if you’re struggling with getting any writing done, it’s not necessarily because you “don’t have time.” Ok, maybe you don’t if you juggle three jobs and then gambol at the local club until 1 am, but most of you have at least half an hour here or there on a semi-regular basis that you could be using better. Them question then becomes: how badly do you want it, and how much are you willing to give up to get there? Could you be developing your characters for twenty minutes after dinner instead of scrolling instagram? Instead of finding yet another TV-series to mindlessly binge on, could you be weaving together your own thrilling story twists?

Maybe you have motivation, but you just need to learn to manage your time. Schedule it.

Maybe you think you don’t have time, but you’re really just throwing it away as a sacrifice to the altar of social media. Schedule it.

And maybe, you’re genuinely, honestly so busy that there’s not much you can do. Still, schedule.

Not only will scheduling clarify what you really spend your time on, but you might be surprised how much time may magically present itself through some clean-up and shuffling of priorities.

4. Healthy body, healthy mind.

Physical health isn’t always automatically linked with writing capabilities, but it plays a more vital role than many give it credit for. How would you expect someone to produce sonnets that would make Shakespeare tear up in awe if they’re subsisting on a diet of Redbull and 2 am donuts from 7-Eleven?

A bad lifestyle equals worse mental state equals impaired creativity and a mind hanging under a cloud of sugar fog. Like spun sugar, if you will, but not so sweet and pretty.

Since going into the details of everything that physical health entails would require a 5-part book series and countless essays to boot, I shall refrain from doing so. Instead I recommend looking into details yourself, if you haven’t already done so, and not always believing what official guidelines recommend. Sticking to eating what nature gave in its purest form is a good role of thumb to start with.

Exercise: I can hear the audible groans. Nevertheless, to me exercise is also a writing habit because it’s a wonder drug for the brain. The benefits of exercise for your mind are vast and numerous, and whatever affects your mind naturally affects your focus, concentration, creativity, etc. Many of the significant inventions and ideas in history have been gained while in motion, and even Steve Jobs was known for his walking meetings. Even if you’re completely out of shape, going for a long, relaxing walk will get those creative juices flowing way better than being the couch potato surrounded by packets of its cousins in crisp, edible form.

5. Read. A lot.

If you don’t read, how can you expect to write? The more widely and voraciously you read, the better a writer you become. Read different genres, interesting voices, random themes, fiction and non-fiction. Read funny things and strange things, works that make you think and essays that don’t seem connected to writing at all but will make you better at it. I have often read non-fiction that commands its prose more fluidly and poetically than a work of fiction supposed to achieve that effect, but falls short. Don’t discount any type of literature in learning what to do – or what not to do. Even bad books can teach a lot, and sometimes more.

My Writing Habits ☕

And what are my own writing habits like? I aim for consistency when I’m in a writing season, to let the work carry itself across the days – producing text becomes incrementally easier the longer I’ve stuck to it, since it can take some warming up to get into the Zone. In the best flows I’ve had I’ve been writing up to 8-10 pages a day, and the story keeps running day after day. But that’s usually only after I’d built up to it, consistently and intensely, whether or not I felt like it on a particular day or not.

I tend to get started by sitting down with a hot drink and the entire Game of Thrones- soundtrack playing through, set my fingers on the keyboard and write. I also build playlists for whatever manuscript I’m working on, so I can really feel the scene and immerse myself in the tone and the emotions of the characters. You really do know when you get *there*.

Another thing I do is not cut the flow. If there are words I don’t know or facts I need to look up, I leave them blank and make a note in my story note document. But if the process is moving in tar, I might just look them up to give my brain something different to think about.

And since I mentioned exercise earlier, I can’t not mention it here. I like a wide variety of exercises, which form a balanced mix in the long run. If I’ve exercised first thing in the morning and sit down on my computer to start the working day, I feel a clarity and energy that would otherwise be hard to reach, and a bout of exercise can jump-start a flailing writing energy.

I hope you got some ideas to get you started, or something new that inspired you. What are your favourite writing habits, and what helps get you in the zone?

x The Foxglove Scribe