14 Habits Writers Should Embrace

14 Habits Writers Should Embrace

Each new year is an opportunity to begin again. It’s a fresh start. A renewal. Whether you make resolutions or not, I encourage you to take stock and recommit to your writing by embracing these 14 habits:

Write Daily
I can already hear your protests and excuses. Every day? What about weekends? Yes, daily. Whether you take off weekends is up to you, but starting out, I suggest writing daily if you want to hone your craft. It takes time to find your voice as a writer and that only comes with practice and time at the keyboard. So pick up a pen or start tapping away. The more you write, the better you will be.

Stop Talking About It
Stop telling everyone about your novel and write it. The more you share your story idea, the less motivation you will have to put it on the page. Use that desire to share your characters to put more words on the page. Don’t waste them chatting with every random person you meet. Write it instead.

A Reader’s Problem

A Reader’s Problem

It’s a new year and a new opportunity to write and read.

I have been adding to my to-read pile throughout the holidays and it is now so large I don’t know where to begin. There are more than 600 books on the so-called “short” list of what I want to read this year and that doesn’t account for new releases that will appeal to me. It is insane. There is no way I can hope to read a quarter of that, much less all of it.

Writing Goals for 2016

Writing Goals for 2016

Every new year I set writing goals. They aren’t lofty, but I take a moment to recommit to writing. Making an official resolution makes me feel more dedicated.

This year, I have set a goal of writing daily.

Now when I say daily, I mean every business day. I’ve always wondered when other authors say they write daily, if they mean 365 days a year. This seems a bit ambitious and overeager to me. I know I would burn out if I tried to maintain that schedule. I need those down days to let ideas percolate and feed my imagination.