People who write regularly tend to write well and to enjoy it; people who write infrequently tend to write poorly and to dread it.
So how can you enhance your (ahem) regularity? We recommend seven steps:
- Establish one or a few consistent places (writing sites) where you do all your serious writing.
- Keep your site clear of distracting clutter—especially attractive nuisances such as magazines, newspapers, and novels.
- Schedule a 30-minute daily segment for writing. Think about what you might write in the hours before the time comes (including the night before).
- At the appointed time, sit down and write. Commit yourself to that.
- Limit interruptions by (a) closing your door, (b) informing the most obvious potential interrupters that you’re taking 30 minutes to write, (c) post your writing schedule on your door, (d) silence all alerts on your phone so that only emergencies can get through, and (e) enlist significant others and colleagues to be gatekeepers who head off disruptions.
- Make your writing site comfortable—with a good chair and writing tools that you like.
- Ensure quiet at your writing site. Although some like instrumental music—do whatever works—we recommend silence.
With an inward emotional commitment to write—even if it’s just personal letters—you’ll find that all your writing will improve.
Wait: You say 30 minutes a day is undoable? Come on. You’re a professional writer. You need at least that much ritual in your daily life. And if you can manage 60 or 90, so much the better!