How to Keep Your Writing Flowing With a Trusty Routine

by rickyherawan84 at DepositPhotos

Developing the habit of writing often and consistently can be a challenge. It takes dedication and fortitude. It requires patience with yourself when you slip up and skip out on your writing commitments. 

I’m not one who firmly believes that a writer must drop ink daily. But let’s get real; If the goal is to pen a 60,000-word or longer novel within a reasonable amount of time, the more often you write the better. 

I realized early on in my writing career that if I wrote only when inspiration came calling or I could readily find the time, well, not much writing got done. All sorts of distractions would find a way to creep up and intrude on my thoughts and time. 

It wasn’t until I developed a routine–or rather realized how crucial the routine I occasionally engaged in was–that the words and pages finally began to pile up. 

The best writing routine will vary from writer to writer. There are no hard rules or formats except that the routine should feel natural and inviting. You have the best chance of sticking with it if you find yourself eager or at least ready to sit down and work when needed. 

I stumbled on my routine by accident. I realized that on the days I carried out certain tasks in a certain order, I was more likely to get my writing done. It goes something like this–

• Wake up around 6:30 am but not because I need to or want to. I have insomnia and have learned not to fight it but to go with the flow.

• Make and get a cup of coffee

• Watch a bit of news for around 30 minutes

• Fire up the laptop

• Check my email and catch up on other online reading (Substack, Washington Post, etc.)

• Avoid social media (yeah, right!)

• Shower

• Grab some breakfast

• Write

By the time I get to writing, it’s around 8:30 or 9:00 am. I go until lunchtime, which for me is about 1:00 or 2:00 pm. If there are no afternoon errands or appointments on my calendar, and especially if I’m on a tight deadline, I may write more following lunch.

The routine, or having a reliable list of tasks to punch through each morning, helps me get into a rhythm that flows naturally to the keyboard. When I’m busy with my coffee,  email, and the news, I don’t have the time to get into my head. I don’t have the mental space to obsess about all the problems and challenges I “could, possibly, might, or may” face once I start writing. I’m far less inclined to make excuses and discourage myself from ever getting started.

Writing depends so much on our thoughts and where we take them. We don’t have a boss standing over our shoulders daily, ready to crack the whip when we goof off. Nor do we have co-workers to motivate and engage us throughout the days and weeks. 

We must get our work done on our own and that is not always easy. In fact, it may be the toughest challenge writers face–harder than plotting, developing characters, or building worlds. Those things can be learned, gleaned, and absorbed from our surroundings. They are the activities we look forward to tackling as fiction writers; not the stuff that messes with our minds.

A dependable routine will steer you away from mental distractions and down the right path. It doesn’t matter exactly what it involves as long as you have one.

Yours may include standing on your head for two minutes, doing three backflips, and moonwalking across the living room floor. Or perhaps it will involve drinking a cup of tea while reading a few pages of an inspiring non-fiction book. 

It only matters that you feel at peace while doing it.