Writing Habits

Writing is a passion of mine. I love to create my own characters and worlds. But even I have a resistance to doing it. Writing is a daunting task; it's hard to be creative. You're putting out something entirely new. How can you hope to do it consistently? 

Really, you have to find what works for you. I tend to be tired and have anxiety at night so I focus on working in the morning. I like to ease myself into it by saying "I'll watch one more youtube video then write". It's like jumping into a cold swimming pool; some people will dive in head first while others gradually sink in. The important thing is it happens. I try to write a page a day, everyday or in the case of editing, work on several pages. Routines help me a lot. You want to make it as easy as possible with an outline to guide you.

A proper time and environment are also key. I tend to have wrist trouble so I bought an ergonomic keyboard. Distractions like the phone and cat are arch nemeses of the creative process. Ironically, I waited to write this at night and got interrupted by the doorbell and phone for my poor timing. You can't eliminate all distractions but can limit them to some degree. Being interrupted is jarring and can break the flow of writing. Again, find what works for you.

The final thing is to accept you won't always produce your best work. In fact, you rarely will. First drafts suck but laying the bones is important. Writing isn't concrete and you can make it better later. Just do it.