Tips for Building a Writing Routine
Like many writers, I’ll sometimes get into a slump where I wait for that magical inspiration to hit, putting off my writing day after day until I feel creative. Then suddenly a month has passed and I haven’t even worked on a character bio, let alone book scenes.
If you’re like me, you’d rather do anything else in the moment than sit down to that blank page with the blinking, mocking cursor. I just spent five minutes looking up jokes about writers’ houses being the cleanest when they have to write a chapter… instead of writing this blog.
Actual picture of me stalling for two weeks.
What’s missing from my schedule is a writing routine.
No two writing routines will look alike, but they should all be designed to fit into our daily schedules in ways that fit our unique lives. Maybe you don’t have a dedicated hour in the morning before work, but you can open up a Google Doc on your phone twenty random times a day. Maybe you need to write scenes in the same document under your rough outline beats so you know what comes next. Or maybe that sounds incredibly awful to you.
Anything works as long as the routine works for you.
So pull up a chair, wordsmiths, because we’re about to dive into all the tips and tricks to help you build that customized, wacky, fantastic writing routine that actually gets the pages written. And to get us into that mindset, let’s frame it in storytelling elements.
The Setting
Location, location, location. Just as your story needs that perfect atmospheric condition, your writing routine requires its own dedicated atmosphere. You want to trick your brain into entering that space and automatically know that it is time for writing.
Selecting a Space: Find your spot that screams “This is where I’ll finally get that book written!” A place where walking into it puts you in the mood to be brilliant and creative. But this doesn’t need to be some specially crafted lair like Sir Terry Pratchett’s entire writer’s barn, with nine monitors and scores of books surrounding his desk. You can certainly sit at the same desk where you work in between Skyrim quests (or is that just me?), but you could also decide sitting with your laptop in bed is more freeing. Try out different locations until that spark hits just right.
Your computer and work desk for that professional vibe
A laptop and comfy pajamas in bed
The coffee shop down the street with excellent people-watching
A park bench
Your morning commute on the bus or train
Pacing around the halls of your house while writing on your phone
That last location is what I currently use. (My husband would like me to note the money we have spent trying to turn several rooms into “writing nooks” only for me to prefer pacing around the living room.)
Showing the Details: Once your writing location is decided, sprinkle in some inspiration that sparks the word flow. Stack books with the same themes and plots as your current WIP to remind you of ideas and options. Use a word-a-day prompt calendar to start the writing session with a small story. Settle into that one perfectly lit corner of the coffee shop where both your computer and journal have room to sit. Or dedicate that one wall to your Charlie Kelly red string Pepe Silvia conspiracy plot outline. Whatever feels right to you.
The Character
This writing routine has one character: you. You may not be the hero yet, but you will be by the end of this adventure. And like any protagonist, your character has a lot of goals to meet and a lot of flaws to overcome.
I’ll be the first to admit I have my deep flaws when it comes to keeping a routine. When the words are flowing, I can stay in the zone. But the second I stop to consider a new conversation or scene description and I’m second-guessing every decision that’s led me up to the words I’ve just thrown onto the page, I’m reaching for my phone to see what’s happening on Reddit. If this sounds like you, here are some tried-and-true tricks.
Distractions:
Put your phone on silent and face-down or in another room.
Use a Pomodoro timer app and write until the break.
Handwrite in a journal and avoid the computer or phone.
Use an app-blocking tool until your writing session is over.
Listen to instrumental music like score or atmospheric to block out distracting noises.
Again, pace around the house while writing on your phone. The combination of physical movement helps keep your mind focused.
Criticisms: Overcoming that self-doubt as your inner critic screams at you is a bit trickier than some bullet point ideas. The advice here is to accept that your first draft will be the worst. No first draft was ever perfect, even from [insert name of writer who you admire]. But you can edit it into that perfect story. First things first, though—you need to get the draft written. Tell that inner critic to shut up and write the worst first draft imaginable. When you revise it for that better second draft, cast the first one into the fire. Destroy it.
Schedule:
Write at the same time every day.
Dedicate writing sprints to multiple times a day.
Write one sentence in your phone app before moving to social media.
Hit a minimum word count—in your book or in writing prompt practice.
Plan for one fewer hour of TV or video games in the evening.
Write during your lunch break.
These tricks all require a change in your current routine or mindset, but a protagonist hero can’t overcome their flaws without some serious internal work on their character arc. Try out some combinations to see what works, and don’t be afraid to change it up!
The Plot
Like above, your writing routine won’t be a rigid plot; it will be a living, breathing narrative with unexpected twists as you discover something isn’t working for you. You’ll also need to embrace the unpredictable changing up your schedule and learn to adapt so you can get back on track.
When you have fallen off the writing track and need to get back on, be ready with some ideas or plans that will make you feel excited to start writing again.
Reread the last chapter of your book to get familiar with the story and character arcs.
Have the outline open on another screen to follow as a guide.
Start your writing session with a fun prompt in a different genre. Switch it up with handwriting before moving to the computer screen.
Pull a tarot card and write a journal entry of what it means for your day.
Find a worldbuilding guide and answer some questions about your world before starting the scene.
Listen to a movie or TV show soundtrack in the same genre to get you in the right headspace.
However your writing routine unfolds, remember to customize it for your interests and needs. There’s no one-size-fits-all plan, no set rules that you absolutely must follow. If your writing session is a major struggle one day, put it aside and read something from your genre. Watch a post-apocalyptic TV show if you’re writing a zombie romance. And if that zombie romance just isn’t working for you, there’s no reason why you can’t shelve it for good and turn to something else. As long as you want to keep writing and you find some combination above that helps you do just that, you’ll have no trouble becoming that hero writer protagonist.
Happy writing!
Lauren Donovan is a freelance editor offering developmental editing, copyediting, and proofreading. She specializes in Fantasy, Horror, and Sci-Fi for indie authors, TTRPG creators, and small press publishers.
Lauren is a member of the Editorial Freelancers Association (EFA), The Society for Editing (ACES), and the Horror Writers Association (HWA).
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