As long as you write, you are a writer.
Being a writer isn’t about the number of books you publish or that bestseller tag, its about sitting down and writing. And it is here that having a writing routine and schedule can be really important.
Let us begin with why having a writing routine is important and what it helps with. The first reason is that it helps with consistency and quality. No matter how much you have studied, it is the practice of writing that helps us improve. Writing is a skill, one that the more you use and exercise, the better you will get. It also holds you accountable and lessens procrastination if you set aside a set time to write. And finally, it’ll help you get those story ideas out of your head and onto the page.
When it comes to creating a writing schedule, it’s important that you focus on what is right for you, rather than trying to mimic the routine of another writer.
Begin with choosing a time.
Some writers will say that you should write every day. I personally don’t think this is necessary and realistically we all have busy lives and that might not be possible for everyone. So, work out what time you have to dedicate to writing. If you’re a student, think about how you can fit writing around the work you have to do for school or uni. Maybe you write for half-an-hour every morning before you get ready or when you get back before homework. If you work, can you fit in an hour in the evening?
I am pretty much a fulltime writer now. However, I cannot write all day. And I find writing in the mornings particularly difficult. I accredit this to previously having to fit writing around school and uni that my body is used to writing later in the day. So, I tend to write in the afternoon for a session and then later again in the evening/night for another session. This is what works for me.
Once you work out the best time, writing becomes a bit like brushing your teeth. Most of us brush our teeth at around the same times each day. We don’t really think about it, we just do it. The more you can set your writing time into your day, the more it will start to feel like just part of your day.
And there will be days where you don’t feel like writing but if you create and stick to a schedule then eventually, you’ll train yourself to write when it’s time to write.
It’s important to work out how long you can comfortably write for. Half-an-hour or two hours; both can be just as effective if used to their full potential. Timer apps like FOREST can be used to keep you focused within whatever time schedule you give yourself.
You may also want to consider where you are going to write. If you have housemates, for example, you might find that writing in the kitchen where they are coming and going, might not be the best place. If you have your own desk or station where only you are going to work, then having your notebook or laptop set up ready to go might make starting writing easier as you don’t have to prepare anything, you can just get started.
It can also be helpful to create your own writing calendar. Physically schedule writing into your calendar and planners so that you have that time to write. You can also use this later on to set date goals for drafts and word count goals as well, all of which you can schedule in to keep yourself accountable. Most of us writers have multiple writing projects in our heads. So, you can also use you writing calendar as a means to prioritise your projects.
Using daily word count goals can also be a useful for developing a writing routine. I have mentioned this before, but I don’t focus on word counts until later in my writing process but this doesn’t mean that having these goals doesn’t work. If you use daily writing goal, comment below how you use them in your writing routines.
Some writers will also have a pre-writing ritual with which they will begin their writing schedules. This might be doing some writing warm-ups, for writing a to-do list, perhaps it’s just having a nice cuppa tea or lighting a candle. For me, I like to start my writing sessions by making some quick notes so that I can tidy up my plans ahead of writing.
Once you have worked out when, for how long, where and how you’re going to start your sessions, now all that left is to write.
If you create a writing schedule then it’s important to respect it, within reason. If you have set aside half an hour to write but spend it scrolling on your phone, then you’re not respecting your routine. Now this doesn’t mean that you can’t EVER change your schedule.
Allow your writing schedule to have wriggle room.
I have days where I work way over my schedule and write late into the night. And there are other days where an hour is all I can do. Life gets busy and sometimes there are things that need to be prioritised over your writing. However, if this happens, keep a check on it. You may miss a couple of days but so long as you get back at it again, then no harm done.
Burnout is a serious and real problem and it doesn’t care about your draft deadlines. Whilst its true that sometimes we all don’t feel like writing but should anyway, its also true that we are human and we do need to listen to what our body is telling us. If you find yourself dreading your writing time and having anxiety over it, then it’s time to take a break.
Make sure you have other hobbies so that you can take care of yourself and don’t beat yourself up if you need a break. You can change and develop your writing schedule so that it works.
You are the one who needs to write therefore make sure your schedule actually suits you, and not that it just looks cool on tiktok.
And that brings us to the end of this ramble. As always remember these are just suggestions and they might not work for everyone. It might not work for you, but that’s okay. Writing is subjective and sometimes we have to find what doesn’t work in order to find what does.