Five Tips to Establish Comfy Writing Habits

Medha Mankekar
1 hour ago
5 min read

Let’s face it: writing fiction, also known as filling a blank page with a wondrous, moving story, is hard.

It’s building an entire world from scratch, sometimes several worlds. Far too many potential writers give up before they begin just because of how daunting it can be… but it doesn’t have to be that way.

The idea of writing is full of obstacles like comparison to other writers, work and family obligations, a perceived lack of time, and, of course, self-doubt. But if you arrived at this post, chances are there is a story bubbling inside you and something is nudging you toward this creative endeavor. You just need to release the pressure.

Once you overcome the initial hurdles, you can create whatever world you want and fully express that story in you. The key is learning how to become comfortable with writing fiction.

Making writing fiction part of your routine will carry you through the ups and downs—the frequent satisfaction and duress—one experiences when embarking on creative writing projects.

1. Understand how fiction writing is different from other types of writing.

Not all writing has the same goal. Nonfiction writing typically seeks to communicate something—information, a message, an opinion—to its audience. Poetry seeks to evoke a feeling or sensation in its reader. Screenplays seek to be adapted for film and plays, for theater.

At its most basic, fiction tells stories of imaginary characters. It immerses the reader in a unique world using description, dialogue, character development, themes, arcs, and other game-changing techniques.

This is a definition. Think about what fiction is, specifically to you. What draws you to it? Consider what you're looking for when you pick up a novel, a collection of short stories, or a novella and what it does that other types of writing don’t.

2. Pay attention to the world around you.

Our seemingly mundane world has tons to inspire us. Noticing is the first step.

In her craft book, The Making of a Story: A Norton Guide to Creative Writing, Alice LaPlante writes, “The individual nature of noticing is your greatest strength as a writer.” What you notice will drive the unique stories you tell. LaPlante goes on to say that there is no right or wrong thing to have noticed. It matters because you noticed it.

One of my creative writing instructors frequently talked about using our 'noticings', like seedlings given care and attention, to grow stories. While I was on vacation in Florida, a tiny lizard crossed my path and trampled into some nearby bushes. This noticing grew into a short story about a character who befriends a lizard as they both navigate the uncertainties of climate change.

Noticing takes practice, especially in our attention-scattered world. Learn to set down your phone, take a walk or sit outside, and absorb what’s around you.

You never know what could sprout an idea. It’s food for fiction.

3. Don’t just notice it, use it.

Rather than trying to pull an ‘original’ idea out of everything you’ve noticed, use what speaks to you right now.

Generating an idea from the caverns of your consciousness takes so much mental and emotional labor when there could be something in front of you that draws your attention. In other words, prioritize what really speaks to you, even if you think you should be writing something else.

For a while, I wanted to write a totally amazing, out-of-this-world fantasy novel. It seemed like something truly challenging and in my head, I didn’t really have a vivid imagination if I wasn’t writing a fantasy story.

But at the time, an idea for a contemporary novel came to me and I chose not to ignore it. I am so grateful I moved forward with that story. It gave me characters I connected with, real-world settings I loved writing about, and it taught me how to portray the magic of ordinary life.

By using what’s in front of you, you learn what topics, themes, and plots resonate with you, which will help develop your voice, style, and even give you more ideas for the future.

4. Learn to switch mindsets.

As we go about our day, we take on different mindsets and strategies to tackle different tasks. We get in the mindset of work for our jobs, for example. Learning to switch from your work mindset to a creative mindset is critical for writing fiction.

Switching mindsets effectively opens the floodgates of your imagination and leaves the analytical, editorial, and calculated thinking at the door. Prioritizing in this way allows for clarity and creativity, and helps mitigate disruptions.

A great way to switch from a work mindset to a creative mindset is to have a trusted ritual before your creative writing sessions. Rather than diving headfirst into a project, a pre-writing ritual eases your brain into it by letting your mind know it’s time to start writing soon.

Your ritual could be walking outside, dancing in your room, journaling, meditation, or something as simple as making a cup of tea. Use whatever clears your mind and stirs the creative juices.

Pairing a ritual with my writing time has profoundly changed my approach to writing fiction. It gets me into the write mindset and is now crucial to my routine.

5. Prioritize while writing.

When you settle down and pen your story, decide what to tune in and tune out to make your creative process as seamless as possible.

I tune out my word count goal while writing and think about it later. I stop checking notifications (as best I can) and try not to edit sentences I’ve already written. I also let those around me know I will be working and would appreciate privacy for my targeted writing time (naturally, this doesn’t always happen, but it doesn’t hurt to try).

I tune into my flow state and prioritize telling my story in a creative, immersive way. Almost nothing else matters in those moments.

What you tune in and out will vary based on your personal circumstances. Give yourself grace and create that wiggle room where needed. Try different things until something sticks.

Conclusion

Writing fiction is no small feat. It’s a challenging, perplexing, sometimes downright frustrating art. But it can also be a space of immense freedom and joy.

As you familiarize yourself with these tips, your comfort with fiction will grow until all you have left to play with is your wonderful imagination.

About the author: My name is Medha and I am a rising senior studying Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies with a minor in Creative Writing at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. My interdisciplinary studies have taught me how much I adore all forms of writing: from fiction to academic writing to creative nonfiction to poetry. I aspire to be a published author and was fortunate enough to have one of my poems be selected for publication in the undergraduate literary journal, Jabberwocky.