The dreadful 2020 is finally over. Now that 2021 is finally here, it’s time to put your New Year writing resolution to practice.
Don’t procrastinate starting your project. Procrastination is the arch-enemy of every great plan—it slowly saps away our resolve. It’s so easy to say I’ll start tomorrow; after all, just one day delay is nothing serious. But, keep in mind, you’re at risk of postponing your writing plans indefinitely that way.
Luckily, here at Typewriter, we’ve got some scheduling tips for you.
Work your writing into your daily routine. Add writing into your calendar and stay consistent. Put yourself into a “do not disturb” mode on Slack and turn off notifications on your phone.
Find the time of day that works best for you. If writing during the working hours doesn’t seem to be your thing, experiment a little. Perhaps try getting up extra early to write when there are fewer distractions and your household is still asleep. Alternatively, perhaps you prefer the calmness of the night.
Set up a daily writing goal. Stay realistic about this one—if last year you didn’t do any writing at all, don’t assume you’ll just magically manage to write 2k words every day. Start with a lower minimum word count—even only 100 words. It’s better to feel fulfillment when you continue exceeding your daily goal than to feel continually frustrated with failing to meet your own expectations.
Accept that you may make mistakes. Everyone does. Perhaps, you’ll experiment with your writing style, and it’ll blow up in your face. That’s completely fine! It still means you’re learning.
Read every day. Read news articles, essays, fiction, and non-fiction. Read good novels and bad ones. Every piece of writing you read is a valuable lesson, even if the writing seems cringe-worthy.
Not every writing day will be equally fulfilling. Sometimes words may pour out of your mind so fast your fingers will have trouble typing everything out; other times you might have problems even with the simplest sentences.
Every writing day will be different, but as long as you keep writing, be proud. That’s the hardest part.
Still need help, let the experts at Typewriter lend a hand. Email us.