As an aspiring writer, there is a lot that goes through your mind – even before you actually start to work on that first draft of your book idea. It wouldn’t be wrong to state that you can be your worst enemy and your worst critic. If you are reading this, there is no doubt that you want to write, but it is equally true that you might have dozens of reasons in your mind that prevent you from sitting down and starting to write.
The best part is that some effective methods can help remove the inner barriers and improve your habits so you can kickstart your writer’s journey effectively.
Here is how.
Set A Timeline for Yourself
To kickstart your writing career, you must develop the habit of writing first so that you navigate towards your writer’s station on autopilot instead of convincing yourself hard to get to your writer’s desk. So, you want to start by setting a schedule and assigning yourself a daily time slot when you will practice writing.
Set up a time that is intended to be dedicated to the writing task alone. Ideally, you should create a to-do list every evening in advance for the next day. So, you can set two hours for writing the next day. In your planner, you can write that you will be writing or working on your short story between four and five in the afternoon at the kitchen table.
Make A Plan and Follow It
Now, what this does for you is that it helps you establish the intention for the new habit that you inspired to set up for yourself. The key is to follow through with your plan, so your brain gets accustomed to the new writing habit. Once your mind adjusts to the new habit, you will find it much easier to write in a flow and feel more inspired while you are at it.
On that note, if you are considering becoming a writer or getting better at writing, check out the best writing classes and improve your skills so you can kickstart your career with confidence.
Establish an Encouraging Environment
If you are really serious about becoming a writer, then you must know that your environment plays a crucial role in helping you succeed. If your environment isn’t aligned with what you want to do or learn, then it will prevent you from practicing your writing skills or the new habit of writing.
For instance, if you are used to sitting on the sofa to binge-watch your favorite television shows, it might be a bad idea to choose the very same sofa to sit on and write your short story or novel. The reason is that you will be tempted to abandon writing and watching television instead.
On that note, you will be doing yourself a great favor by consciously choosing a different place to practice the habit of writing. Now, it doesn’t have to be a different room as you can still use the living room to practice your writing skills, but it would be a better idea to avoid the sofa and sit on a chair instead.
Set Up A Dedicated Workspace For Writing
What is even better is that we advise you to set up a dedicated writing corner for yourself that is exclusive to the writing task alone. What it will do for you is that you will mentally and emotionally associate the task of writing to that place, which is why your brain will expect you to write instead of any other task.
The point is that no matter what you have heard before – environmental cues are absolutely necessary to introduce new habits in your life and to make them stick with you.
Establish a Reward System
New habits are more likely to stick when there is a reward system in place. Now, you might be wondering about how you can create a reward system for yourself, and the answer is about creating temptations that will make you sit down and write in the first place.
The truth is that the human brain operates at its highest when it is driven by dopamine. Dopamine kicks in with the anticipation of a reward that the brain wants to receive. Subsequently, the release of dopamine makes you feel good, but the anticipation of that reward releases more dopamine, which makes the entire journey worth it.
For instance, if you have the habit of having your first cup of coffee first thing in the morning, and you scroll social media, too, during that time. You can use these two habits to set up a reward system for your brain by telling it that you will be writing for forty minutes after you have had your morning coffee, and only after you have written for that assigned amount of time will you proceed to scroll social media, which will be your reward.
Remove Distractions
If you want to be a writer and write for a living, you must remove all potential barriers that stand between you and becoming a professional writer. Of course, we have established an encouraging environment before, but you should also know that there might be other distractions that can serve as barriers and prevent you from adopting the writing habit.
For instance, if you have set the morning hours for yourself to write, we recommend arranging your writing tools, such as your pen, notebook, and laptop, in advance the evening before so that you know the next morning what you intend to do.
Keep A Notebook with You Always
Also, it wouldn’t hurt for you to carry a notebook with you at all times so that whenever you have a brilliant idea or an interesting character pops up in your mind, you can jot the ideas down wherever you are instead of waiting to get to your dedicated writing desk and jot down the details then.
Now, you know that writing is a serious job – despite the fact that you might start to write as a hobby. Of course, being passionate about writing is mandatory, but you must also do the work that is needed every day to get closer to your goal.
