How to Create a Writing Habit
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How to Make Writing A HabitHow to Make Writing A Habit
How to Make Writing a Habit
We all have rituals in our life. Every morning, I wake and make myself a cappuccino, not those want-to-be cappuccino in those plastic k-cups. I make real Italian coffee in an espresso pot, served in my white cappuccino cup, extra foam and topped with cinnamon. The house is usually still dark; I turn on the light next to my chair. I pull a soft, knitted cream blanket across my lap, with coffee beside me and laptop in hand, I begin to write. It’s a simple routine and may not seem important to the outside observer, but to me it is the ritual that launches me into my writing time.
My writing time is distraction-free. There is no music playing, the TV is off and I have not opened my email or social media. Depending on my schedule, I may write for 30 minutes, I may write all morning. The practice of pouring that coffee, wrapping myself in a blanket and sitting in my favourite chair is my ritual. It’s very purpose is to place me in a mindset to write, to be creative.
Why do we want or need to create rituals? Rituals help us to habitulize events in our day, they give us one less thing to think about, one less task to plan. When we begin any new routine and wish to establish it as a new habit, we usually fight it, we question it. There is usually an element of fear present. We are walking into the unknown and the unknown is fearful. If you’re just beginning to write your family history stories than you are probably experiencing some of that fear. You’re questioning whether you have the time or talent to complete this project. You fear you lack the skills and you fear what others may say about your skills. It is unknown territory for you and therefore your fear is justified.
By creating a ritual, an environment that welcomes your new habit, and says ok, I’m here and ready to write, it opens the door to being creative, it eliminates the need to ask the question, why am I doing this? I already know, I perform these rituals to prepare myself to write. The ritual allows you to welcome the habit and to stop questioning its existence. The ritual won’t eliminate your fear, but it will help you to create a pattern, and help to keep the fear from disrupting your intent.
We all have rituals in our day. Morning routines, exercise routines, work schedules and bedtime habits are common practice in most people’s lives. Most of these routines develop quite sub-consciously. Think of the customs you created for your children when they were young to prepare them for bed, or nap time, or dinnertime. Rituals are ceremonial acts to prepare you for an event. In order to set up writing as an event in your life, consider creating a few ceremonial practices as your signal to begin.
Be aware of distractions. By allowing distractions in, you are sabotaging your efforts and your fear just maybe the cause. Stand your ground, don’t let fear sideline you with interruptions and excuses.
Each writer must find the environmental conditions that allow them to be creative. My morning routine is personal to me and me alone. You must find what works for you, what will prepare you and your mind. Rituals offer the signal; this is what I’m doing for the next 30 minutes, 60 minutes or 500 words. This very rite aids you in creating an environment that is habit-forming.
How do you make writing habit-forming?
- Remove distractions, it clears time and mental space so you can focus on the task at hand.
- Identify the writing environment that allows you to be creative. It might take a couple of adjustments to find what works for you, but be aware of your surroundings and how they affect your writing process.
- Develop rituals that prepare the environment for writing and signal your mind it’s time to begin.
- Write every day.
How to Fit Writing a Family History into Your LifeHow to Fit Writing a Family History into Your Life
Are you tired of saying some day?
The number one excuse that I hear when it comes to writing family history stories besides not knowing how to start is how to find the time in what is usually an already busy schedule. There are so many other things that are probably demanding your time and attention, and while you agree that writing a family history is something you want to do and need to get started on, still so many of you are waiting for some time to free up on your calendar.
Ha! Not going to happen. You have to make it happen. So let’s get started.
1.Establish a deadline for your stories or book. It is a well-known fact that without a target date, goals just don’t happen. You need to set yourself a deadline or you’ll not only never start you’ll also never finish. Make that deadline public, announce it to friends and family. Be accountable for it. If not it’s just too easy to keep moving the date. Plan your deadline around an event such as a family reunion or an anniversary or birthday, events that have a finite finish line.
2.Create a to-do list. Make a list of everything you need to accomplish between now and the deadline for your book or stories. Plan to write one story a month, or a book by your next reunion. I use a great app called Asana, for outlining all my projects. Asana allows me to create a project, add a list of tasks and subtasks in the project along with target dates.
3.Identify when you are available to write during the week. Let’s be real. The writer in me tells you to write every day, but I know that’s not realistic for many of you. Instead, try to write for a minimum of 3 days a week. Try to make them consecutive days. It allows you to establish a momentum you just can’t get from stopping and starting every couple of days.
4.Schedule writing days on your calendar. You have to make writing a priority just like any other appointment on the calendar. Establish a time to work on your family history stories and don’t let anything or anyone infringe on that time.
5.Schedule your other life tasks and responsibilities. The best way to settle into a few hours of writing without being distracted is to make sure your other duties are also scheduled. This is a big one for me. Schedule others tasks like, housework, shopping, paying the bills, research. If you know, there is time on your calendar for these other tasks it makes it so much easier to settle into writing. You won’t feel guilty and be distracted thinking you should be doing the laundry.
6.Turn off the distractions. Can’t stress this enough, turn them all off, TV, Facebook, your cellphone, and yes even the landline. Close the door and write. No interruptions during this time.
7.Have a plan when you sit down to write. I firmly believe in plotting out a storyline in advance. It provides you with an outline for what you need to write, no guess work involved. You know the beginning, middle and end of your story. Each day you should know exactly what you need to write next. This will make your writing time extremely productive and efficient.
8.Establish a workflow. Be organised, have a workflow in place, with research close by, don’t waste your writing time looking for a date and finding your sources.
9.Don’t think you have to write your entire family history. If you think in small ancestor profiles, and schedule one or two a month think what you’ll have accomplished in a year’s time. Enough to fill a book.
10.Find a writing partner or group. Writing groups will help keep you accountable to your schedule and deadlines. When you have someone like a partner or group you become committed to the process, you write more, your writing skills grow and you are more likely to meet your deadlines. Look at your local library or genealogical community to find a group. Or better yet, start a group with some of your genealogy buddies.
11.Believe that you deserve this in your life. Writing is an excellent expression of your creative side and personal development. Invest in yourself by giving yourself the time and skills to write. Think about it like exercise or planning nutritious meals, we make time for them because we know they are good for us. Writing is good for the soul and your family history. Don’t deny yourself this opportunity. When you make writing a family history a part of your life, it becomes equally about the journey as it does about the destination.
Bonus: Take a writing course.
Writing courses not only help you to develop your skills but through the exercises, you can finish a story or two and get some practice and feedback. Writing courses will offer the motivation to move your writing to a higher place on the priority list in your life. But we might be a little bias when it comes to that suggestion!
Very interested in your writing workshop.
Hi Lynn, I love your classes, they have opened many new ways to think about the story. One problem, I do need closed captions. I hope to get hearing aids soon, but until then I cannot hear words on my computer. Would you be able to add closed captions to both the Outline Class and to these videos? Even if you cannot retrofit, could this work in the future. You give enough to think about in each video and class that I do appreciate getting to hear it again. Would it be easier to provide a print-out to email us? Anyway, thanks for your experience and skill in giving such great guides.
I’ll make this happen Joan.
I’ve registered for the Intensive level and I’m back for my 11th year. I am finally at a place where I am retired–so I have the time, and I’ve gotten organized so I know where I’m going. I’ve applied to a local writers’ workshop for a 10-month manuscript course and I’m still waiting to hear if I’ve been selected. The program doesn’t start till March.
Also, I now have the framework for the novel I’ve been trying to write from forever ago and have selected a different place to start the story. I’ve started writing the first chapter, and I’m excited to get a writing habit established! Habits are a hard thing for this ADHD procrastinator, so I’m really honing in this time around.
Also, when I left North Carolina I left my old start-up behind. I’m now in the validation stage of rethinking how I want to make an impact in the genealogical writing community.