The 7 Best Writing Habits You Can Have

No doubt you’ve developed some writing habits by now, but are they the best writing habits you can have?

After writing professionally for over 20 years with five (and soon six—check it out) published books behind me, I’ve developed some writing habits that have served me well.

I’m happy to share them with you in case they may help you to reach your writing goals this year. It’s what we do day in and day out that matters!

Best Writing Habits #1: Write (nearly) every day.

For me, writing (nearly) every day is the only way I can make any real progress on a novel. I can do other projects—like nonfiction books—with different processes. But every time that I let my daily writing habit go (which I do more than I’d like to admit), my progress on my fiction suffers.

Writing every day is like exercising every day. It keeps your creative muscles toned so that you can maintain a high level of productivity. Conversely, when you get out of the habit, your muscles weaken, and it takes time to build them up again.

If you want to make real progress with writing—any type of writing, but particularly with fiction writing—have a daily writing habit. Try it for just a few weeks and you’ll notice the difference.

2. Write when you don’t feel like it.

If I could help new writers develop one habit, it would be this one. It will have the largest impact on your career. If you can write when you don’t feel like it, you’ll be able to complete your projects, which is the greatest step you can take toward success.

New writers put too much emphasis on how they feel on any particular day. Of course, we all love it when we feel inspired. But emotions are transient. They come and they go. Our writing needs to be consistent and reliable.

Even if writing is the last thing you want to do, if you discipline yourself to sit down and try anyway, you’ll manage to produce something (which is always better than nothing) 90 percent of the time.

Best Writing Habits #3. Exercise at least six days a week.

This may seem like a strange recommendation when we’re talking about writing, but I know now more than ever that it’s extremely important to your writing future.

As a professional health writer now for over 20 years, I can tell you that if there’s any health panacea out there, exercise (and activity in general) is it. Study after study shows how it helps keep both your body and mind healthy, young, and performing their best.

The alternative—a sedentary lifestyle—brings on fatigue and disease and lowers your ability to think clearly.

If you can’t do anything else, take a walk. Most people can do that. If it’s too cold, invest in a treadmill or exercise bike and use it for 30 minutes while watching one of your favorite shows. Do this at least six days a week and you’ll feel better physically and mentally—and your writing practice will benefit.

Best Writing Habits #4: Care for your inner creator.

While I was working at my first job as a copywriter for a corporation, I was fortunate enough to go to a workshop for creatives. There, I was surprised to hear the main speaker tell us how important it was for us to take time off when we needed to. I was working for a corporation at the time and they weren’t big fans of time off!

The speaker reminded us, though, that we had been hired for our creative abilities. If we allowed ourselves to burn out, it would be our fault for failing our bosses.

I had never thought of it that way, but it made complete sense.

As a creative person, you may take your creativity for granted, but understand that without proper self-care, it could leave you at any moment. You too could become burned out, suffer a health issue, or experience writer’s block because you neglected to nurture your inner creator.

Instead of risking these outcomes—which typically require long recovery times—make it a habit to regularly care for your inner creator. Take it on creative dates. (Read more: “The Secret to a Successful Date with Your Writing.”) Surround yourself with things that inspire you. Take time every day to relieve stress. Make time every week to daydream.

These aren’t “extra” things. They’re critical to your life as a writer. Make it a habit to keep them as priorities.

5. Plan time to market your work.

Marketing is a challenge for all of us writers. We all figure out ways to make it work for us.

For me, what’s working right now is a six-month approach (more or less). I tend to have certain times of the year that I focus more on marketing than others. Often this is because I’m releasing a book—that always involves a flurry of marketing activities.

Other times it’s because I focus on trying new things at certain times of the year. I may do more in-person events in the summertime, for instance, or more guest posts in the spring. When book production slows down, I may focus on a new freebie for subscribers, or jump into something new, like creating YouTube videos.

Some writers manage to devote more time to marketing. For me, as I’m still working full time, I’ve found that if I don’t take a break from marketing, I don’t get my fiction writing done.

The point is to make a habit to focus on marketing activities at least part of the year. Incorporate it into your regular writing schedule. Maybe you increase marketing activities during the first and third quarter or every other month. Do what works for you, but make it a habit. Marketing shouldn’t be something you put off “until you have time” or you will struggle to grow your readership.

Best Writing Habits #6. Always have the tools you need.

A writer doesn’t need a lot to do her work. At the very least, a notebook and pen will do.

But if you’re serious about having a writing career, you need good equipment to support your journey. That includes a computer, printer, desk, good quality chair, tools to support a standing desk (if you work for more than one hour per day), reference books, file cabinet, and all the other trappings of a regular business office.

If you’re getting into podcasting, producing videos, creating websites, and more, you’ll also need software and potentially some additional hardware to support your efforts.

It’s also important to regularly upgrade the tools you have when necessary. I have made many changes over the years to support my writing career. That has included new chairs (and cushions) when needed, new desks, new computers, new printers, new software, and the like.

If you’re making any money at all—and if you intend to make money with your writing—you can write most of these purchases off on your taxes. (Always check with your accountant.) But what you don’t want is your tools (or lack of tools) holding you back. Get what you need to be as productive as possible.

7. At least once a quarter, make a point to focus on the process.

Creating a writing career isn’t easy. We all face many challenges along the way, and it’s easy to get discouraged.

What makes it worse is getting wrapped up in the “numbers:” How many subscribers you have, how many social media followers, how many “likes,” how many books sold, how many reviews, how many fill-in-the-blank.

The more we think about these things, the more we get lost down a rabbit hole of unmet expectations. We want to sell more books, get more subscribers, have more 5-star reviews, more social media followers, etc. When we don’t reach whatever numbers we think we should have, we get discouraged and start questioning our writing.

This is why it’s important to create a habit where you step back and focus on the process of writing and what it means to you. I suggest you do this at least once a quarter—every three months. Take a couple of days to get away, or maybe just an afternoon to reconnect to your inner writer—the one that writes for the fun of it.

You may want to get together with some other writers to mark the occasion, head out to your favorite bookstore or library, take some time to study your favorite stories, or make a list of the things you’d miss about writing if you decided to quit.

Remembering why you’re doing this in the first place can help keep you centered and positive so you’re ready to go back out and meet whatever challenges may come.

What are your best writing habits?

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