Wednesday, February 22, 2012

Writing Regularly

Is it important to establish regularity in the craft of writing? What difference does it make? Is it essential or a waste of time? Is there actually a certain time in the day where your ideas flow easier and faster? And what is the point of setting a certain time in your day to write?

These are questions that most "beginner writers" have asked themselves or others around them. We all know that there area only 24 hours in a day and each one of those hours are very valuable--at least to me. There is hardly enough time in my day to do anything extra so this is why I write a planner every weekend before I start my week. To start with the very first question: Is it important to establish regularity when writing? Yes. I believe so very much. I know that it is important to write at a set time everyday because the mind and body will get used to it and know, "Oh this must be the time that I write!" and believe me, the ideas will flow like never before. I didn't believe it at first, it actually took me a few weeks to realize this but sure enough it was true. The time is up to you and what works for your schedule. I work on the side and I'm in school so I write every day from four o'clock in the afternoon until six o'clock. However, I start my days with writing at seven in the morning for half an hour. It's not very long but it's just enough time for my thoughts to get rolling and steaming. Once I mess with this routine it takes me awhile to think of something. I'm still trying to figure out if this is all psychologically, whatever it is I won't change it. But for you...you need to figure out when that time is JUST right. You may be an early bird writer, a late morning person who writes before noon or one who writes from evening to midnight. Or perhaps you're the writer who wakes up in the middle of the night and grabs the journal to jot down ideas and thoughts. I'm not saying that this hasn't happened to me before because it has. It has occurred far too many times, but I don't ignore the action to write down an idea (which can easily turn into ten ideas). Discovering that perfect time for YOU is a very important element for the life of a writer.

Not only is it a good habit for you, it's a good indication for others. When you set this time family and friends will notice that you are busy and don't need to be bothered right now. Put the phones away, lock your door if you must, and stay away from the temptation of the internet. Write! Write! Write! If you have a dream to write a book you must start now. You need to put aside the thought of later and do what you can now because you may never know when later will arrive. Once you establish this routine you will realize that you can't be without it. It's almost as if you get dependent on that schedule and when you slip a day or two, you feel incomplete. Take the time to write--whether it be five hundred words to start or five thousand words, write. I started out with writing two hundred words a day and now I'm typing out five thousand words a day and counting.You may start out writing for ten minutes a day and eventually excel to thirty minutes, and soon an hour. A good practice is to set a goal before you start writing. Maybe you want to write one page everyday or ten pages in your book, or whatever project you are composing. I write a set amount of words daily and once I reach that, I call it a good day of work. Write every day. Mark it in your calendar to keep you accountable and eventually it will become an unnoticeable pattern that has become a normal manner.

Track your writing progress daily 
You must get your feet out in that writing world in order to have the feeling run through your body. I promise that somehow and in someway you will understand what all of this means. You will acknowledge and your mind will perceive that writing is not only a hobby it's a job, a career. If you want to become professional in this endeavoring task then you must act professional, even if you are working for yourself at first. It all starts somewhere. The best selling authors didn't start with the highest positions and working alongside with editors, they started with an idea and put that idea to action. They implanted a routine, a schedule in their daily lives.

Allow the passion of writing to slowly live within you. Allow it to overflow your soul and compel engaging styles and risks. Let the act of writing conquer the writer within your heart and soon you will become the well-known author.

2 comments:

  1. Great thoughts, Vanessa...welcome to the blogging world. Blessings on your writing!

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  2. not sure about the becoming "well-known author" part...butttt I heartily agree with the making a schedule/ writing in your planner part!

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