Three Writing Habits To Get Into Today

The smallest of changes to our outlook and practice can make the biggest difference on the page – here's how...

Habits are a writer's best friend – unless they involve endless scrolling or eating your fingernails.

Creativity needs endless fuel – which means going for walks and reading books and having conversations. But it also needs taming, which is where our good old friend Habit comes in, who's like that annoying neighbour that everybody has, but still proves every useful from time to time.

Here are three useful habits you can start incorporating into your writing routine to increase productivity and – the best bit – make your life easier. What more could you ask for?

1 – Stop Worrying About Habits

Yes, I know – not what you were expecting. But to actually understand the best way to utilise habits in your daily routine, it's probably best to not freak out about missing something or start punishing yourself if you've left something half finished. We all keep hearing that writing 1000 words every single day will lead you to the highs of eventual publication. But guess what – it also leads to burnout and – surprise, surprise – taking your time and enjoying writing is preferable over forcing rubbish out of your head and onto the page, which will get you nowhere.

2 – Make Time For Other Writers

Somewhat selfless you may think? Exactly – writing needn't be a solitary road. Taking time out to review the work of others and provide them with constructive feedback will give you a break from your own work, help you to improve by analysing your peers' writing, and make you feel like a good person. What's not to love? Peer feedback is amazing because you're paying for each other's honesty using words and not pennies.

To find out more about how I personally improved my skills by attending Writer's Workshops, check out this blog post: https://www.henrikenblogs.com/post/how-i-improved-my-writing-skills-at-workshops

3 – Reward Yourself

Every so often, we need to take a break and give ourselves a pat on the back. Simple as that. Sit back and look at that chapter you've written – that line that you've been struggling to string together – that word that took hours to fit in exactly the right place... Writing is not like painting or drawing where we can just layer on more acrylic or rub something out without worrying about the overall structure; when it comes to words, we are constantly playing Jenga, and it's evidently very tough. So stop punishing yourself for taking longer than your peers to complete something, or not being able to spell that one words (Newsflash – nobody can spell perfectly). Just write – and then, when you feel you are read, reward yourself. Because you deserve it.

I hope you've enjoyed reading this blog post. If you're interested in developing your writing skills, why not check out our Start Your Story course, which – at the time of writing – is 50% off!

https://www.henrikenblogs.com/creativewritingcourses

Thanks for reading!