10 Writing Habits
What My Writing Habits Are Not
For a start, that grammar!
My daily writing habits include many routines but I am not here to tell you about confidence, inspiration and success in the writing life. I covered those topics earlier this year. Please follow the links.
5 Daily Writing Habits
- I always turn up to my desk which is in the spare bedroom that has no bed because it is the study. The peaceful room overlooks a courtyard garden, is full of natural light, and I sit beside the open window so my lungs get plenty of fresh air as I work.
- I write straight to laptop into a Microsoft Word document although I sometimes make rough notes or lists in a notebook beside me. I use pencil so the handwritten stuff feels temporary and disposable. At the close of my writing session, I revisit the notebook and circle anything that was left out or needs more research, rewriting.
- I use Trello, an organisational tool I adore. All my planning and ongoing research go onto this app which I can access on my phone at any time, any place, or online if I am using my laptop.
- I make careful notes and lists as I write so that I have a record of plot points I either need to develop or recall I have already covered.
- I aim to write 500 words, hopefully 1000, sometimes more. I use the Editor facility on Microsoft Word to check the whole book as I often slip back and forth while writing, having decided to add or delete parts of the novel. I am working on the first draft and I hope it will be near perfect (in terms of spelling, grammar and manuscript presentation) when I type The End, as I surely will one day early in 2022.
5 Periodic Writing Habits
- I am organised, being a “perfectionist Virgo”. Every few months, I completely tidy my desk area. The main benefit of this, other than being freakishly fastidious, is the chance to revisit files and books, place a new emphasis on what is prominent on the spaces of the desk and the shelving. Feelings matter to me and when I feel organised in my environment, I feel organised in all I do. Not sad! Having all my books and personal mementoes around me keep me grounded in who I am and what I do.
- I love filing so the cabinet behind me has a drawer dedicated to my writing. There are folders for the business aspects, some for new stationery, some for different writing genres. There are two novels stashed away, not as complete as they do, or don’t, deserve to be.
- I encourage myself by learning all that I can about the craft I’ve chosen. I’ve taken online courses in recent years. When I was younger, fitter, more independent, I used to belong to a writing group, attended workshops. My challenge to myself for 2022 is to get out to literary events or courses.
- I study writing markets, unashamedly follow publishers, agents and authors on social media, and grab every TV programme that associates itself with the world of books, whether a discussion, documentary or drama.
- I read. Full stop.
Ideas For You
- Would reorganising a space in your home where you can write every day help to increase your productivity?
- Are there items in your home that make you feel comfortable, that would help to make your writing space more homely yet still a place of business?
- Is where you write, or when you write, the most important thing to you?
- Can you recognise any bad habits in your writing routine?
My One BAD Writing Habit
Honesty compels me to tell you I am working at eradicating my tendency to tell people I am writing. Why? Because their expectations may cloud their relationship with me. I am not yet published. I’m still an apprentice, and always will be. Writing a novel is no greater an achievement that renovating your own home or keeping your back garden productive and weed free. I am not brilliant. I am ordinary.
But I love writing!
