Creating a Writing Routine

The advice on writing routines is endless and contradictory. Many aspiring novelists will be familiar with the idea that you must write every single day, preferably at the same time of day, and hit the same word count. Spend some time digging for it and you will surely find the opposite advice too—don’t force yourself to write when you don’t feel like it because if you don’t like doing it, you won’t do it at all.

Contradictory advice becomes frustrating when you feel like you want to write, but you don’t think you know the right way to do it.

Social media is awash with writers trying other writers’ routines. Some aspiring authors have entire series for it (they write like Stephen King or Murakami for a day, etc.). Eventually, they work through so many authors that there’s hardly one left who has a full daily schedule publicized. These videos can be a lot of fun but after watching a few of them, you’ll quickly see that the routine which works so well for your favorite author isn’t the magic solution for every writer.

The worst part is that such a magic solution doesn’t exist. I feel (as lots of you might) that I’ve tried it all: The New Year’s resolution to write every day. The word count goals. Getting up early. Staying up late. Sticking with something is difficult, especially when writing has to be balanced with everything else we need to do day-to-day. 

So, what can you do? The slightly better part is that there are lots of things we can try:

1. Different Goals

Maybe setting daily goals isn’t realistic because our schedule is very different on a Monday than a Saturday. The last thing we want is for our goals to discourage us from picking up the pen. 

One idea is to set a weekly or monthly goal instead. I like to write down my weekly word count goals on a piece of paper and tape it to the wall in front of my desk so I can’t avoid it.

Editor's note: LOVE this tip, I use it all the time. It's so much more difficult to avoid a note in your own handwriting.

Perhaps numerical word count goals are a bit intimidating. If so, you can set goals that are specific to the project you’re working on at the time, like a chapter of your novel each week, or to finish a draft of a short story in a writing session. 

But more than anything else with your goal-setting practices, flexibility is crucial. When you don’t meet your original goal, try to figure out what wasn’t working for you. That might look like trying a completely different method for a while. Don’t let a routine that isn’t helping you anymore be the thing that holds you back from finishing a project.

2. Different Mediums

Some writers swear by drafting everything with a pen and paper. It can be great if you’re anything like me and you always feel like you need to go back and edit what you just wrote. Pen on paper is far less erasable than the words on a screen. 

If you’ve never tried dictating your writing, recording yourself speaking your story aloud provides a good change of pace.

Most writers will use the trusty laptop because typing is fast, and Google Docs is accessible from everywhere. Still, if you find yourself getting distracted while trying to work in your Google Doc, try a different word processor which isn’t attached to the internet to isolate yourself and eliminate the distraction.

3. Different Times

Of course, you can try to write at different times of day. When you know you’ll be home late due to work or school, you can set the alarm an hour earlier to write some words before you have to go. Stephen King insists on starting between 8 and 8:30 AM. Murakami is particularly brutal, writing for six hours starting at 4 AM. These might be completely impractical for you, even if trying them out does make for an entertaining YouTube video. 

See if getting it done after work is better for you. Is it helpful to set breaks for yourself every 25 minutes with a timer? Is it more helpful to set aside a whole hour where you have to try to write the whole time? Especially on days when it seems like you don’t have any time to write, see if little writing sprints are productive. Test whether taking a break for day or two helps you feel better when you do get back into it.

There isn’t a magic solution to creating a writing routine. There probably will be moments where writing is energizing and works for you every day, and moments where it feels impossible to keep up with. Allow yourself the space for that. 

I think “try” really is the keyword: try, try, try. Try the routine that sounds like the opposite of what you usually do, even if you think it will be ridiculous. Try giving yourself more time to rest. 

There is no right way to do it, just a lot of different ways to try. Try them all till you find one that works. Good luck, writer!

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About the author: Catherine is an undergraduate student at Rutgers University studying Comparative Literature, Italian, and Creative Writing. She is passionate about reading and writing literary fiction and fantasy in short stories and novels. After graduation, she will pursue a postgraduate program in Comparative Literature, and she hopes to share her love for books as a teacher of English.