Writing a novel is a daunting task. There’s no denying that.
Sure, it’s easy to write the first three chapters in one day when the initial spark ignites something deep within you.
You might even keep at it for a week or two, your motivation soaring high as you write and write and write some more.
But soon, the thrill wears off; the plot needs further planning, giving you a headache; the shiny new idea turns into a long-term project that requires dozens and hundreds of hours of your time.
And that is when you either give up and move on or…
Build a sustainable writing routine.
Here are our four tips that will help you do the latter and eventually reach the finish line.
1) Set small goals to overcome procrastination
Procrastination is every writer’s nightmare, and yet it’s what we all fall prey to more often than we’d like.
Since writing a novel is such a long, creativity-fuelled, and sometimes arduous task, it makes sense that you’re not going to be able to bang out five thousand words every single day.
But it is important to make writing into a habit that sticks.
Writing is the combination of creative inspiration and strong determination, which means that if you’re not feeling particularly creative, it is your willpower that will help you push through and get into the swing of things.
The best way to build a writing routine is to be realistic and to aim for easier goals than is necessary.
Why?
Because the main reason writers procrastinate is that they find it difficult to overcome what James Clear, author of Atomic Habits, calls “activation energy.”
This is the energy required for you to begin a task. The bigger the task, the harder you will find it to actually start because you’ll feel overwhelmed and pressured.
If you’re thinking of writing one thousand words a day, try five hundred. Chances are, you will continue writing once you get into it. If you don’t, well…
Five hundred words is better than zero. Plus, since it’s a much smaller task, you’re more likely to stick to the habit even on the days when you don’t feel like it.
RELATED CONTENT: 6 Types of Writers: Discover Your Style
2) Write when you’re at your most creative
Night owls are a real thing. You don’t have to be one of those writers who write from 7 AM until noon if that’s not how you operate or if you don’t have time for it.
The key to a sustainable writing routine is that it works for you and your specific lifestyle.
If you feel like writing at midnight, so be it. If you’re most productive in the late afternoons, why not head to a café that has a later closing time and finish off your day there?
Of course, then there’s the issue of availability. Most people, especially aspiring authors, write alongside full-time jobs, which means that you may need to squeeze your writing in early before work or during a lunch break.
Find whatever works for you and make it a habit.
3) Figure out how you want to measure your progress
Did you know that it’s usually progress itself rather than reaching an actual goal that keeps us motivated?
However fun the idea of achieving your dreams and having a book published is, there is only so much it can do.
When you see how much progress you’ve been making every day, though…
That’s a different story. It’s extremely satisfying, and what’s more, it propels you to sit down and keep working on your novel tomorrow and the day after that so that you can maintain the streak.
Here are just a few ways you can measure your progress and keep yourself motivated:
- Use online writing tools that help you calculate the daily word count necessary to reach your goal in a certain period of time (some tools even adjust the word count depending on how much you’ve written each day) and then log in your word count after every writing session
- Set a goal of writing every day for half an hour and time yourself (there are fun apps that measure your progress by planting trees, for example – by the month’s end, you can have a whole forest of “focus” hours)
- Set designated “writing days” and tick off your writing sessions on a wall calendar to keep yourself accountable
RELATED CONTENT: How to Structure Your Book in 10 Steps
4) Surround yourself with other writers or consume more writing content
Have you ever watched a cleaning video or advertisement just to get into a cleaning mood and start tidying up your whole apartment?
Or have you seen an influencer you liked post about something and thought to yourself, “I’d like to try that, too?”
People are social creatures. We vibe off each other.
The more inspirative writers you surround yourself with and the more writing content (from writing vlogs on YouTube to writing courses or books) you consume, the more likely you are to actually sit down and continue working on your book.
For example, I like to join different online writing events where dozens of writers work in silence while we’re all together on a video call. Afterwards, we have a nice little chat, satisfied that we’ve all put in the effort to pursue our vocation.
Conclusion: It’s a marathon, not a sprint
Finally, don’t forget that it takes months and sometimes even years to finish a book.
Writing a novel is far from easy, and as long as you keep your long-term goals in mind, it doesn’t matter if your progress is slower than expected.
All that matters is that you’re keeping the momentum going.
