Creating a Writing Practice
Inherently, being a writer means we have a creative brain. That creative brain can often show up in ways that feel like chaos — the best possible kind, but chaos nonetheless. If the phrase “writing process” makes you wiggle in your seat as it did for me, I can assure you this article isn’t about telling you what you’re doing wrong or what you need to change. The writing process is very personal. It's also a process that can be hard to define. At the end of the day, all that really matters is that you are joyfully allowing words to flow and hit the page.
One of the core benefits of defining your creative process is consistency. A writing process will help to keep you accountable for showing up and writing. The words don’t have to be perfect but they need to appear. Just like physical activity is key to toning and sculpting your body, words are key to a completed writing project.
What Is a Writing Practice?
A writing practice can be defined as creating a space that supports you to get your story out of your head and onto the page. It’s as simple as that. It will look different for everyone and sometimes hearing what another writer’s process includes can help you piecemeal together aspects that most resonate with you. I know writers who have to write at the same time every day. Some writers need to meet a specific word count every day. Some writers need to set up the environment around them by lighting candles and brewing a cup of tea. Some writers need to spend time journaling or free-writing before writing their book or next blog post. Ultimately, the way you define your writing process should feel nurturing to what you need to release creativity.
What Is a Writing Practice Used For?
A writing process is meant to be used as a tool to consistently show up and write your story. As I mentioned above, it can take on many forms and for each writer, it will be different. A clearly defined writing process can help you stay focused and continue to make progress which will further fuel your creativity. Additionally, a writing process can help you work through edits and revisions of your previously written work by taking the dedicated time to review and make changes to your work. A writing process = joyfully finishing the damn thing!
Writing Practice Steps
Allow your writing process to develop organically. At first, you may try on a few different aspects to see what feels right for you. For example, I can’t write with music unless there aren’t any lyrics. For some writers, having music blaring in the background helps them focus. For you, you won’t know until you try. Another example is the time of day when you feel the most focused may be the best time for you to write. I know for myself that that time of day fluctuates based on my energy levels, schedule, and general life demands. That means some days I feel ready to write in the morning while others, I’m happy to write in the evenings with a glass of wine. Being able to check in with yourself to tune into your body, mind, and creativity needs—without judgment or pressure—is key to not being hard on yourself while still making progress.
From a high-level perspective, a writing process example for a book or blog post may look something like this:
Researching
Prewriting (if this feels right for you)
Writing (for a specific period of time or word count)
Proofreading
Revisions
The environment this takes place in is entirely up to you. So is the timeline. Creativity can’t be rushed. I’ve learned with my writing that the more flexible I can be with each writing session and allow for space (sometimes 2-4 weeks) to let the writing sit and process, can help me deeper the story in a way I wouldn’t be able to by forcing myself to write more words just because I committed to it. Determining how much time to take away from your writing can be difficult to determine. Rest is also forward motion, just don’t leave your writing piece to sit for a year or more, we want to read your story!
This is where doing an intuition check is important. Get honest with yourself to see if you’re avoiding the project altogether or if your mind starts to wonder about the characters and plot. When you find yourself getting curious, ask questions such as “What if this happened?” Or, “What if the character says this?” then, it’s time to re-engage with writing again.
It is consistency that will move you closer to completing your writing project. The journey doesn’t need to be neat and clean. The messier the better! This is a creative process that requires nurturing ourselves, our minds, and our words. Remaining committed to the process matters and so does your story. This process is rarely linear and you may find that you stick with your writing process for a few weeks or months and then start to fall away from it. Instead of beating yourself up, give yourself grace and allow yourself to get curious again. Are there pieces of your process that were helpful in the beginning but no longer serve you? Great! Edit your process. Maybe you need a new setting or environment. Great! You can change that. Allow this process to be fluid and flexible in a way that keeps you moving towards your goals without feeling like a burden.
Need support in honing in on your writing process? Working with a professional writing coach can help! This is a large piece of what I help writers define and maintain. Remember, there are no right or wrong answers, there is only exploring to honor your craft.
