1. Preparation

I set out a glass of water for myself, set my alarm, and make sure my tea kettle is full. Usually, I even put the teabag in the mug the night before. 

All of this feels like self-care, and it is. 

I am thinking ahead to what will make this process smoother, understanding myself and my own resistance and ensuring my ritual of creative exploring is protected. (I’m also doubling the good vibes by adding the drinking water habit to my routine. Bonus health points!)

Maybe I will get some words in. Maybe I’ll outline a new idea. Maybe I’ll read Rumi, sip my hot Chai tea and watch the darkness outside my window lighten while an idea percolates. The point is: this creative ritual opens the space for more.

2. Play for Creative Payouts

Writing can be serious business—if you’re a journalist covering the local crime beat or an essayist trying to communicate an urgent global crisis. But for most of us, this isn’t going to get us out of bed in the morning. 

Our creative ritual needs to be something we look forward to. 

You might save the world with your writing, but let’s first save your motivation to get in the chair. I am here to remind you that this writing thing is supposed to be fun. You’ll have to trust me that if you’re having fun, you’re more likely to keep coming back for more. There is no guilt or shame in this, only acceptance. 

Leave the drudgery and rules and expectations and disappointments for the day job.

3. Plan Your Creative Space

The space where we write needs to be thought out too. This creative ritual is like making a date with your inner artist. Where does she want to be? 

Try asking yourself, what do I need to do to take that corner of the house for myself? 

You might need to move the kid’s homework desk or insist someone else make space for you. You don’t need to be published or be making millions of dollars to do this. 

It is your inalienable human right to pursue what makes you happy. And if you can’t carve out a physical space to do that in your own home, what hope do you have of taking up enough space to get a book written? 

Take the space. Make it yours. I use plants, trinkets from trips that inspire me, candles, and even the artwork around my desk to make me happy and ready to enact my creative ritual. 

You’d be surprised how quickly those minutes and hours become so life-giving and affirming you can’t imagine what dry, boring life you were living before this practice, this creative ritual.

4. Pick A Reward

We need to celebrate the wins. Every. Small. Win. 

Did you show up for yourself and your writing today? Amazing. For fun, make a list of ways you can celebrate. A hot bath, a movie, a cupcake from that fancy place around the corner. 

You deserve it. It doesn’t have to cost money. In fact, it’s better when it doesn’t.

Let me give you fair warning; you’re going to want to skip the celebration. It’s going to feel silly and selfish and indulgent. It isn’t. It’s an integral part of keeping this creative ritual promise to yourself. 

Don’t believe me? Here is a quick Youtube clip from BJ Fogg, author of Tiny Habits: The Small Changes That Change Everything.

5. Iterate

You’ve got a nice cozy creative ritual established, you look forward to that special time, and that’s usually when the poo hits the fan. It’s okay. Let that poo hit. That’s just a plot twist. 

Even though I write at other times of the day, the early morning is where I have found the most consistency. Do you know why? The poo usually doesn’t hit until the world wakes up. Between 5 and 6 am, the world is usually poo-less. Unless you have a baby in diapers, then all bets are off. 

As I write this, my little one has come out of his room because he’s woken early and wants his mama. Instead of finishing this article before the world woke up, I’m cuddling a toddler back to sleep. What can you do? 

Life doesn’t go according to plan, and neither will your writing life. 

The point is, you keep trying. Keep iterating, keep protecting this life-giving practice not because you think it will make you money (boring!) but because you can know yourself and the world in no better way than to have a consistent creative ritual in your life.

As usual, Elizabeth Gilbert says it best:

A creative life is an amplified life. It’s a bigger life, a happier life, an expanded life, and a hell of a lot more interesting life.” ― Elizabeth Gilbert, Big Magic: Creative Living Beyond Fear

Tell us in the comments: How have you built a creative ritual around your writing?

Angela Yeh is an East Coast Canadian native that lives and works in the great state of Texas. Angela is a black belt wanna-be who loves to garden, write about magic, and eat cake. Her debut YA fantasy novel, A Phoenix Rises, is a finalist in the Dante Rossetti Book Awards for Young Adult Fiction. She lives with her husband, two lovely human children, and three cranky fur babies. You can follow her on Twitter and Instagram or on her website.

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I’ll decide to do something that seems so good for me. I’ll purchase books and watch webinars and do the research and decide, That’s it! That’s the thing that will change my life for the better!

Then, as I embark upon the journey to make this astounding life transformation… Did you hear the door slamming behind my eternal teenager as she flees screaming, “You can’t make me!”?

Hello, resistance! Not nice to see ya!

Some of us successfully defeat resistance in hand-to-hand combat. Others have to trick her into letting us go.

For the second group, here are my five steps to trick yourself into a creative habit. They worked for me, and I think they can work for you too.

Step #1: Decide on Your Goal

When deciding on your goal, make sure that it connects to your purpose and meaning in a significant way. You want this goal to be something that can get you out of bed on cold mornings or keep you awake when all you want to do is collapse.

For example, I wanted to FINALLY finish my novel. I decided to wake at 5:30 am for a full hour of writing.

By day three of waking at 5:30 am, I thought I was going to die. Thoroughly exhausted in every way, my day job suffered—and I still needed that sucker!

On day four, I accidentally slept in until 6:45 am and felt great all day. No more super-early mornings, I decided. I guess I can’t do that.

I could have stopped there, but my novel! I want to write! Get published! I don’t want to die without finishing all the writing I want to do! When I thought of giving up, my regret laid on top of me like a bag of concrete. 

“How can I make my writing happen?” I despaired.

At the same time, with that question, I knew I’d picked the perfect goal.

You’ve found your perfect project the moment you look at your goal and, instead of “It’s too much. I can’t do this,” you say “How can I make this happen?”

The trick worked!

Step #2: Pick One Tiny Step You Can Take Toward Your Goal

“How can I make this happen?” is the right question.

And the answer? Pick a tiny, itty, bitty step to take.

Something that you can’t possibly NOT achieve. This trick shuffles you inevitably toward your goal.

Something that you can repeat each day.

I decided to write for fifteen minutes a day.

That was it. That was all I asked of myself. That was all I could ask of myself.

Fifteen minutes each weekday. I didn’t even make myself write on weekends. Fifteen minutes a day, five days a week.

Step #3: Create a Ritual Around that Step

Create a ritual around that step that propels you into your writing space. 

To do this, acknowledge your truths. For example:

• I wake up early, but if I get up too early, I’m sleepy and grouchy all day.
• My wife sleeps late.
• I am at my most creative in the morning.
• I like to get my most important work done first.
• If I move making lunch from the morning to the evening, I have my fifteen minutes.

Mornings, in the still and quiet, promised the best results for me. 

Answer these same questions for yourself. What time of day are you the most creative? Are you good at getting things done at the end of the day or do you need to get them out of the way?  When will you be least likely to be distracted? Do you rise early or stay up late? Do you have any final or beginning chores for your day? If yes, can you move them to the opposite time?

Now, visualize your ritual. Does it feel possible? Great! If not, tweak the ritual until peace rises in your soul at the thought of performing the actions.

My visualization went like this:

Before I go to bed, I make my lunch and store it in the fridge. Off to sleep!

At 6:30, I rise. Fifteen minutes to feed the pets and walk back into my office. Write from 6:45 until 7. At that point, get up, take my shower (½ hour), walk the dogs (½ hour), eat my breakfast (½ hour). At 8:30 am, get in the car and go to the day job.

Yep. All doable. 

Time to set my stage! Make sure everything you need to write is ready to go when you enter your writing space. A working pen sitting on top of your notebook. Laptop in its place. 

Now all you have to do is take this same small step, over and over.

Once you start to write regularly, even if it’s only fifteen minutes a day, the words you put on the page will begin to pile up. As you begin to yearn for more time, go ahead and give in. Use a small chisel and chip tiny bits of extra time into your schedule. Too much time at once can undermine your efforts, so go slow. Patience is the key to this trick.

Step #4: Celebrate Your Victory

Each morning, I wrote for fifteen minutes. Done with my step, I proceeded through the rest of my day—so pleased with myself!

For me, the celebration for fulfilling my step was reveling in the work on the page. When I finished up that first day and looked at my word count, I saw that I’d created 50 words. I danced my joy in writing those 50 words all the way to the shower! 

Your celebration is the daily manifestation of your victory! Dance, sing, have a cup of that tea you keep for special occasions.

Allow your celebration to proceed in any way that you wish. But make sure to rejoice each time you succeed in taking that step. The continual reward helps you return to do the step again and again—and that keeps you moving forward.

Step #5: NO GUILT ALLOWED.

Finally, here’s the biggest trick of all—we all have those days, a day when we oversleep, a day when we feel sick, a day when we have to get the trash out and the cat pukes in the middle of everything and the dog runs outside and barks at a deer and we spend our fifteen minutes of writing time corralling him back into the house.

But our real goal is that when those things happen, instead of dwelling on our failure for that one day, we put that day behind us and show up brand new the next day. That one day’s worth of failure doesn’t get to seep into the next. Tomorrow, we return to our desks with our heads held high and write. 

And trick ourselves into continuing to write every single day that we can for as long as we can.

LA (as in tra-la-la) Bourgeois supports writers, makers, and other creatives to find their meaning and use their creativity to manifest it in the world. And, if they want to turn their creative work into a business, her twenty-five+ years of entrepreneurial experience answers their questions. Writing and knitting are her nonnegotiable mediums, and she can usually be found with a pen or knitting needles in her hands. Find her free guide, “Tricking Yourself into a Creative Habit” online on her website and start writing those words today. She can’t wait to read them!

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Step One: Do I need a habit, a routine, or a list?

Let’s start by discussing the difference between routines and habits. A routine is a step-by-step process that you follow to achieve a desired result. It can be either simple or complex, but generally requires thinking through. A habit is a behavior that feels automatic. They sometimes overlap because a habit might be part of a routine, and a routine might become habit, but for the purpose of our discussion it’s important to differentiate between the two.

If you’re trying to create an automatic behavior that enforces your goal, such as getting up at a certain time every morning without having to wrestle with your alarm clock, you’re seeking to make a habit for yourself. If you’re looking to create a step-by-step process, you’re seeking a routine.

You’ll probably need both habits and routines, working in synchronicity, to be most effective at meeting your goals and achieving your purpose.  You’ll also need a to-do list, because some parts of your goal will require one-time tasks (but often crucial ones) that support the process. 

Step Two: Break Down Your Goals

After going through part one (WHY) and part two (WHAT) of this process, you should have a list of goals that fit your writing purpose. Goals are specific aims that are achievable. For example, “I want to read more writing craft books that will help me structure stronger plots” is a clear goal that connects to the larger purpose of being a better writer. 

But how will you achieve that goal on a daily, nitty-gritty basis? You’ll want to break down the implementation of it into habits, routines and items on your to-do list. 

Let’s take that example again. If you truly want to achieve your goal of reading craft books, you’ll need: 

• A list of writing craft books that serve your purpose
• Time in your schedule to read them
• Regular access to those books, whether they be on your bookshelf, e-reader or through the library system. 

The first point, making a list, has both an up-front and a cumulative component. You need to decide where to keep the list (phone, bullet journal, planner) and set up a reminder system to check in with it. Next, you should set aside some time to do research on the books that best serve your purpose. This can be done all at once, or over a period of days. Once you’ve started the list, it will likely grow as you receive other recommendations. Soon, you’ll have completed the initial step of the process.

The next step is finding time in your schedule to read them. Decide how much time you’d like to devote in a day or a week. You might consider tracking your time for a few days to find out where pockets of time exist. You’ll also want to buy or borrow the first book on your list and put it somewhere accessible (if you’ll be mostly reading on the go, put it in your bag or purse; if you’ll mostly be reading before bed, put it on your nightstand). 

Finally, you’ll need to feed your new system by ensuring a continuous supply of writing craft books. When you’re halfway done with one, queue up the next by buying or borrowing it. Make sure you’re ready with your new title as soon as you finish the last one so that your routine doesn’t slip. 

There you go! You’ve implemented your goal into a three-part system: to-do list; time habit; book-reading routine. 

Step Three: Find Your Trigger

Habits and routines need one final component: a trigger. For some people, a trigger is placing their sneakers next to their bed so they are immediately prompted to start their day with exercise. In the previous example, a trigger might be needed to remind you to read the writing craft book instead of watching Netflix. The book itself can be a trigger, or an alarm on your phone, or a helpful partner reminding you of your goal. I like to use the snooze function on my email app to remind me of things I want to do weekly or daily. 

A trigger can also be disconnected from a specific point in time. In the book-reading example, a trigger could occur each time you’ve read 75% of your book; that serves as your reminder to download or buy the next book on your list. A successful habit is created through the “cue-routine-reward” system established by Charles Duhigg in The Power of Habit. You’ve already established your routine through the process above, and your reward is fulfilling your goal; the cue is the final element, your trigger. 

It will take some time to complete the HOW process for all the goals on your list, but the result will be a system that can take you all the way from purpose through goals into reality. 

Here’s to your most productive, accomplished and rewarding 2020!

Leanne Sowul is an award-winning music teacher and writer whose writing has appeared in such publications as Hippocampus, The Rappahannock Review, Mothers Always Write, Confrontation, and Hudson Valley Magazine, and in live performances such as Read 650’s “Gratitude” show at Lincoln Center. She writes the “Be Well, Write Well” column for DIY MFA, where she helps writers live full, happy lives while pursuing their creative dreams. In 2017, Leanne won both the Scott Meyer Award for personal essay and the All-American Dream Champion Award for music teaching. Her novels are represented by Suzie Townsend of New Leaf Literary Agency. Connect with Leanne at leannesowul.com, via Facebook at Words From The Sowul, and on Twitter @sowulwords.

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Routine can be an enemy to writer’s block. An established routine supports a writer by providing familiarity, comfort, and mental cues that are conducive to writing. Everyone is different, and what works for one writer may not work for another. As you can see from this infographic, writing routines can be as unique and peculiar as the writers themselves. Though you can derive some ideas from other writers, you must find what works for you.

Here are 5 ways you can establish your own writing routine. Consider mixing and matching among them!

1) Choose a suitable environment

Technically, you could write anywhere, but what works best for you? Writing at a certain location? In a room with windows, or would windows be too distracting? Objects that inspire you can be placed in the working space, such as that stuffed animal you love, or the photo you took of the beautiful mountain scene when you went on vacation. Some people like to work with music on, while others prefer silence.

For those who enjoy working in cafe’s or other public places, noise wouldn’t be a problem, and may even be stimulating. You can even write outdoors in the fresh air, perhaps by the ocean.

2) Set dedicated time aside for writing

Is there a certain time of day when you work best? Mornings may work for some, while afternoons or evenings will be the most optimal for others. Availability may not always be possible for those with day jobs, or children. Regardless of the time of day that you choose to write, carve out a specific window of your day dedicated solely to writing, and stick to it.

3) Create Rituals

What can you do that will put you in a mood to write? Do you like to get up early to watch the sun rise, then start to write while sitting on your bed, in the blissful silence? Do you like to have a cup of your favorite tea as you write? Some prefer standing up while writing. You may like to write while you are on the move, such as during a walk, or on your commute to and from work (if motion sickness is not an issue). Physical activity such as going to the gym, running, or walking can do wonders for your creativity.

4) Remove perfectionism from your mind

The more you expect your writing to be perfect, the less bold you become when expressing yourself. Allow yourself to write unimpeded by both external interruptions as well as internal ones. Expecting that your first draft to be flawless will more than likely hurt your progress. Work constantly, as being sporadic with your efforts will hinder your focus.

5) Do what make your heart sing . . . and then come back to writing

If you find yourself staring relentlessly into a blank page, go ahead and do something that gives you joy. You can take breaks as necessary, as long as they aren’t distracting you or helping you procrastinate. Go do something relatively mindless, like cleaning your room, watering the plants, or sweeping the floor. Or plan to do what gives you joy, be it a long hike in the forest, listening to a favorite piece of music, or cooking an eclectic, delicious meal. Ideally this activity would be done outside of your dedicated writing time. Short breaks should be encouraged.

Remember, you cannot wait for a particular mood or inspiration to strike in order for you to write. You must make writing a regular habit. No matter what writing routine you establish, it can only help you if you show up to write.

Global English Editing has compiled the writing routines of 20 famous authors into this fun infographic. Do you see anything here that may work for you?

Sierra Delarosa is a musician, scientist and writer. She is the content manager for Global English Editing.

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However, mere discipline won’t keep me or my readers engaged. Cranking out pages simply to meet a word count while my heart is elsewhere is a recipe for boredom for me and for readers.

A few years ago I began wondering how to stay emotionally engaged and disciplined. Here are five things I try to do every day to help keep my writing fresh.

1) Read Poetry

Even though I was an English major, I avoided reading poetry after I finished school. I clung to the idea that poems were difficult and impenetrable. I returned to poetry during a tough emotional time in my life and began reading poets like Rumi, Mary Oliver, and Marge Piercy. The sounds of the words and the rhythm of the phrases drew me in. Maybe I didn’t always get the poems, but they made me feel alive.

Poems are emotional nuggets that can connect you in an instant to what’s most important. I often start my morning reading a poem from one of my favorite poets. It takes only a few minutes and sets the tone for the day. If you’re poetry-shy, here are some places to start: The U.K. Telegraph’s suggestions for five best living poets, book recommendations from poets, and Billy Collins’s “Poem a Day” list.

2) Connect to the Moment

It’s easy to switch to autopilot mode when you’re doing something you’ve done a lot. (Think of what happens when you drive a familiar route and end up at your destination with no idea how you got there.) Strangely, this can happen even with writing. Your fingers type away but half your brain is focused on what to make for dinner or the latest Facebook notification.

Mindfulness, once considered a bit woo-woo, now has been studied and documented as beneficial for everything from calming anxiety to healing the body. As a writer, I find that mindfulness keeps my brain out of a rut.

Try a five-minute mindful writing exercise: pick an object on your desk or in the room. Describe it as if to someone who can’t see it. Pay close attention to the words you choose. If the description sparks a memory or emotion, write about that. Bring that same attention to your current writing.

3) Follow a Wild Idea

Writers are urged to avoid the Internet when we’re writing. It’s true: Google can kill productivity. You start out researching horse farms because your character grew up on one. Three hours later, you’re reading about coffee plantations in Brazil and you haven’t written a word.

But don’t ban research altogether. And don’t use it just to answer a specific question. Reading about unfamiliar places, activities, or ideas might be the juice you need to get your ideas going. Sometimes, when feel uninspired, I devote 15 or 20 minutes (I set a timer!) to researching something that interests me. I try to get deep into a topic rather than just skimming the surface. (Believe it or not, some web sites still publish long, thoughtful articles. Try Aeon or Longform.)

4) Step Away From the Desk (but don’t forget to come back)

Hard work and elbow grease may pay off when you’re cleaning the garage or refinishing the hardwood floor, but it’s not always effective when you’re seeking to connect with your deepest, most creative self. Many fiction writers like working in short bursts interspersed with non-writing activity, the way novelist Ellen Sussman does. She pioneered the “Sussman method,” which you can read about in Glimmer Train’s blog.

It’s kind of like improving endurance by interval training. After focusing hard—the way you might when writing mindfully—your brain needs time to recover. I do my best work in the morning, so I schedule at least an hour of writing time before noon. But I often do that work in 15- or 30-minute intervals in between loading the dishwasher and feeding the cats.

5) Remind Yourself Why You Write

George Orwell said of writing a book that it’s “a horrible, exhausting struggle, like a long bout of some painful illness. One would never undertake such a thing if one were not driven on by some demon whom one can neither resist nor understand.” If writing is indeed that painful, then we all need reminders of why we do it.

I write because I can’t imagine not doing it. Maybe you write to engage with an audience, to express yourself, to bring joy to the world, because you would feel empty inside if you don’t, or even to make money. Hang a motivational statement on the wall, keep a copy of something you’ve published on your shelf where you can see it, or simply listen to the little voice inside that says this is worthwhile. Whatever your motivation, reminding yourself of it every day can keep you going through the horrible, exhausting struggle.

Audrey Kalman writes literary fiction with a dark edge, often about what goes awry when human connection is missing from our lives. She is the author of two novels: What Remains Unsaid (Sand Hill Review Press, 2017) and Dance of Souls (2011), both available on Amazon. Her short fiction and poetry have appeared in a number of print and online journals and she is at work on another novel. Connect on Twitter, Facebook, or via her website.

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