HOW TO DEVELOP THE HABIT OF WRITING DAILY

Grace Olumayowa Aideloje

You must have heard that to be an accomplished writer, you must write daily, no matter how little. Why? That is why you are called a Writer. Medical Doctors, Teachers, Traders, Broadcasters, Stockbrokers, you name the profession; they all do their work daily except maybe when they are on vacation or some sort of emergency occurs.

Even if writing is a part time job for you, you must still try to write daily. what happens when you do something every day?

You learn new ways of how not to do it.

You discover the best ways to do it well.

You improve on it and eventually become an expert.

You are known by it.

It becomes a habit.

And this last point is what I want to talk more about.

A habit evolves from an action or pattern of behavior that is repeated so often it becomes typical of you though you may be unaware of it.

Whatever has become your habit forms your character. Your character is who you are. When writing becomes a habit, all you want to do is write. Like a man hooked on drugs, you just must have that fix and do all the crazy things writers do.

Here are a few crazy things I do.

• I sit at my desk writing for hours, too hooked to cook, eat, or do any other thing.
• I am so hooked that even when I’m so pressed to visit the loo, I continue to hold it till it’s almost out.
• I’m sitting there somewhere, anywhere and staring at anything or nothing, but what I’m actually doing is hearing my characters talk to themselves in my head.
• Sometimes, I nod my head when you talk to me but I’m probably writing a script in my mind. If by any chance I’m listening, It’s because I think there is a good story or article idea in what you are saying.
• I sleep late and wake early because I have to write. It’s like a need to purge myself of some thoughts and until I put them all down, I can’t let out that sigh of accomplishment.
• There are seasons when I’m almost a recluse because I’m writing. I lay on my bed, sleepless some nights, thinking of my writing.

Believe me, I do so many other crazy things you don’t want to hear about.

When you do a thing regularly, it becomes so much a part of you that you automatically do it. Some psychologists describe habits as learned or conditioned behavior over which one has little voluntary control. That is why it is important to cultivate only good and productive habits. Destructive ones when set in motion may be uncontrolled until it totally ruins the person.

Thankfully, writing is a positive and fruitful habit. I always say Writing is Sacred. Yes, it is. It is a habit everyone should develop and much more if you want to be called a Writer.

Here are a few ways you can make writing a daily habit for a more fruitful writing career.

WRITE ALL THE TIME

This simply means make writing one of your priorities. You can write anywhere; while waiting to catch a flight and on the flight. Traveling time is a good time to read, write or just rest and think, especially if it is a long trip. You can write while waiting to meet an appointment or while waiting your turn somewhere. All the little times we have in between doing the important things are times to write. So carry with you all the time, your notepad and pen or I-pad.

Successful writing does not depend on how much you can write at a given time, but on the ability to increase and develop your writing at a growing pace. You don’t have to spend two to six hours writing daily; if you have the time, why not. But consistent writing every day, whether for five hours or thirty minutes, is more productive than irregular, longer ones. For instance, one hour of writing every day, gives you an average of thirty hours a month. That’s like writing for two and a half days. Imagine the volume of work you can do if you unfailingly write daily.

FILL UP YOUR FREE TIME WITH WORDS

If time waits for no one, you also should not wait for time to write. Charles Buxton said, "You will never find time for anything; if you want time, you must make it."

Fill in your free moments with thinking about a writing idea or forming those dialogues in your mind and jotting them down. You can observe happenings while waiting for your meal in a restaurant and write about it. Surprisingly, writers pen down their most valuable ideas in those fleeting, unceremonious moments. Ideas come easily when you are not racking your brain for it; but if you are not watchful, like butterflies, they fly off, just as easily as they come.

Filling up your time shouldn’t be all about writing or work. Those free moments are also times we can take a break and recline. Rest our heads on the chair or table and just think or doze. It renews our strength and helps creativity.

Developing the habit of writing daily takes time, good planning and consistency. Spell out why you want it, make a clear plan of action and work that plan. You will soon discover the treasures that come with being a Writer.

©2012 PenParables

Publishing Rights: You may republish this article in your web site, newsletter, or ebook, on the condition that you leave the article, author's name, and all links completely intact.