How to Build a Consistent Writing Practice
Building a consistent writing practice is hard work. Many of us are busy raising families and working full time jobs, which doesn’t leave a lot of time to do something for ourselves – but it can be done!
First, remind yourself why you want to write. Not the polished answer you’d tell someone else, but the real one. Do you want to process something painful? Finish your book? Get published in a literary magazine? Or, just the simple joy of being creative? It’s important to understand your motivation.
Like any new habit, small, consistent steps build the most momentum. Ten minutes every morning before anyone else gets up, twenty minutes on your lunch break at work, a hundred words in your notebook before bed. These small steps are powerful and builds trust with yourself.
Let it be messy. Don’t expect your most creative metaphor to appear. At this point, you’re just practicing the act of coming back to the page—like stretching a muscle. You’re not aiming for perfection, you’re aiming to show up. That’s how a practice is built.
Track it if it helps—on the calendar or a note in your phone. Accountability can help too: a writing buddy, a weekly check-in, a group that meets just to sit and write. Sometimes showing up for someone else helps you show up for yourself. Most of all, let writing feel like something you get to do, not a task you’re forced to complete.
Steps to Build Consistency:
1. Set small goals at first. Write for 10 or 20 minutes. Write 50 words. Write 1 line. Choose goals that feel manageable and expand on them as you go.
2. Choose a time and place that feels like an invitation, not a demand. Maybe it’s at your kitchen table, in your parked car, or curled up on the couch. The consistency of “this is where I write” helps your mind slip into the rhythm faster each time.
3. Like choosing a time and place, having a playlist or sound that you use each time can also help you get into the writing rhythm quicker.
4. Plan ahead. Have a prompt, outline, or scene ready from the day before so you’re not starting from zero – we want this time to be focused on writing.
5. Lastly, give yourself grace. If you miss a day, or you show up to write and can’t seem to getting anything on the page…that okay. You can show up again tomorrow.
Note: One of the most helpful things I did to build my writing practice was join an online writing circle. These circles are prompt-driven and generative, often I would leave with two or three rough draft poems that I edit and polish through the week. Having these scheduled writing sessions in my calendar helped me continually show up for myself. It helped so much, that I created my own online writing community. Feel free to check out the FREE Solace Writing Circle and come as often or as little as your schedule allows.
Every writing level welcome, though this is specifically for poetry and prose.
You can find more information at www.nicoledalcourt.com and go to Solace Writing Circle.