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Article by: Patience Otitoju, freelance writer at Globe Soup.

What is a Writing Routine?

A writing routine is a regular, intentional practice of writing that a writer incorporates into their daily or weekly schedule in order to write more consistently and productively. Human beings thrive on habit, consistency and routine by nature. This means that creating a writing routine will not only make it easier to write everyday but will ensure that you write more words, more effectively.

A good writing routine determines the kind of a writer you are going to be; one who achieves their literary goals through discipline or one who falls easily to the lure of procrastination and lack of productivity.  In essence, it is very difficult to make a profession out of writing without making writing a daily habit.

How to Create a Writing Routine

Developing a writing routine is a combination of discipline and individuality. Your writing routine has to be tailored to fit your lifestyle. Every writer is different and as such have different mental or social limitations. For instance, one writer might have to fit their routine over a day job whereas another is a full-time writer and have lot of time on their hands

Whatever your case is, these tips are sure to help you in establishing a solid routine.

Create a Comfortable Writing Space

Dedicate a space in your home to be specifically used for the purpose of writing. This could be in your room, your study or a corner in your backyard as long as it is used solely for your writing. Ensure that this space is clean, organized and houses all of your writing supplies.

If you like writing in peace and quiet, make your space as secluded as possible. Eliminate any form of distraction, turn off your cell phone or turn on the “do not disturb" feature, close the door, put on noise canceling headphones or earmuffs. If you like a little bit of noise while you write then listen to your favorite playlist or play white noise in the background. In order words, make your space as comfortable and mentally stimulating as possible.

Make Time to Write

When developing a writing routine, you have to buy more into the mindset of “making time to write” rather than “finding time to write”. You are required to fix a particular time and a particular length of time to write everyday without fail.

Writing is not a one size fits all so you may find that you are more productive or clear minded first thing in the morning or might be more of a night crawler. Many writers also find that they are busier in the mornings and free at night or vice versa, so be sure to pick a time that works best for you

Establishing a length of time to write is essential to creating a writing routine. Setting a definite time limit for writing, even if it is just 30 minutes a day is a sure way to force your brain into being productive. The pomodoro technique is an effective timing method to boost your writing productivity.

Whenever and whatever length of time you choose to write, be honest and realistic with what you can handle. Do not bite off more than you can chew.

Set a Daily Writing Limit

You have to determine and set how much to write each day. Some writers prefer setting daily word counts while others prefer to end their daily writing with concluded scenes.

If you think writing is a little too hard for you or you are going through writer’s block, it is better to set your word count to as little as you can. Pick a number of words between 200 to 500 for a start and scale up every week as you get more comfortable. The moment you decide that you want to write 500 words per day, then make sure it is 500 words per day at least.

As you ease more into your writing routine, you want to turn those numbers into scenes especially if you are a creative writer. With this trick, you begin to notice that writing a set number of words becomes like a walk in the park with every passing day.

Have a Writing Ritual

Writing rituals are essential to the writing routines of famous authors. A writing ritual is a repetitive sequence of actions you perform each time you write. A writing ritual can be anything from a 5 minute meditation session to a cup of specific tea at the start of each writing session.

In an interview with The Paris Review, Author Jack Kerouac admitted to his peculiar writing ritual of lighting a candle and writing by its light, then blowing it out when he was done for the night. Stephen King also described his writing ritual,

“There are certain things I do if I sit down to write… I have a glass of water or a cup of tea. There’s a certain time I sit down, from 8:00 to 8:30, somewhere within that half hour every morning…. I have my vitamin pill and my music, sit in the same seat and the papers are all arranged in the same places. The cumulative purpose of doing these things in the same way everyday seems to be a way of saying to the mind, you are going to be dreaming soon”.

Observing rituals repetitively before or during your writing sessions ties your productivity to said ritual. It is like having an on and off button that transports you into the world of writing at the snap of a finger.

Organize your projects

Organization is very important to the success of your writing routine. Write down and organize all your writing tasks and goals. Divide your writing projects into blocks for specific days of the week and set milestones for them; blocks into goals and goals into smaller tasks. There are many organizational tools that you can use to manage and organize your writing projects.

Set out specific days for different aspects of your writing so that when you get down to it, there are no distractions. Pick specific days for research, once a week or once every other day. Set out time to brainstorm article ideas, writing prompts or new scene outlines for your story.

Enter your writing schedule as a permanent feature on your calendar and daily to-do list and watch how you completely adapt to your routine with no hassle.

Have an Accountability Partner

If you don’t have a writing accountability partner, now is the best time to have one. Having an accountability partner is best to ensure that you stick to your writing routine. Your friends and even your family can be new recruits to your cause. At the very least they can serve you refills of tea or coffee while you write.

However, you will benefit more from having an accountability partner in another writer. Writers make the best accountability partners to each other. Why? Because only a writer can adequately understand what another writer is going through. They can provide advice and feedback on your work because chances are, they have gone through the same thing as you.

If you are a writer who wants to become more disciplined with your writing schedule, you should have a friend and a cheerleader who can make your journey less lonely and more encouraging.

In conclusion, treat your writing routine with the same respect and seriousness as you would treat any other day job. Writing is serious business and you should treat it as such. Also, while inspiration is a writer’s best friend, discipline is a more trustworthy partner. According to famous author Dan Brown, writing is a discipline that is very much like playing a musical instrument, it requires constant practice and honing of skills. This means that discipline, not inspiration, is the very essence of a successful writing routine.

Patience Otitoju is a lifestyle blogger, poet and novelist in the making. When she is not writing caffeine induced articles for her blog, she is strumming free-verse poems for her Instagram and conducting research for that bestseller novel that she would eventually start writing one day.