Regular writing isgood for your mind and emotional health.
Sticking to a schedule and always facing that cruel blank page, however, can feel like torture.
Here’s how to make showing up easier.
That primes you to get into the right frame of mind as soon as you sit down.
By that point, my brain has comfortably tuned itself in for the writing it anticipates.
What I encourage is developing your own rituals that involve things that you already enjoy.
From there, a simple investment in your rituals can have a profound impact.
There are all types of writersafter-hours writers, lunch break writers, mini-block writers,and more.
Even better: mark off each day you sit down to write anddon’t break the chain.
The rightwriting appscan help, too.
Apps likeDay One(OS X, iOS) prompt you to regularly journal.
Give yourself permission to write a few lousy paragraphs or pages.)
Read anything and read everythingas a skilled reader.
Other arts can be inspiring toopaintings, movies, photography, and so on.
Soak it all up when you’re not actively writing.
Tap into Peer Pressure
Having an “accountability buddy” is atried-and-true strategyfor getting things done.
There are plenty ofonline forums and critique circlesthat can get you closer to publishing your work.
We all slip up now and again.
Don’t beat yourself up, but alsodon’t slip twice in a row.
Also, be flexible.
Your writing schedule might changeoften.
Life events will throw wrenches in your plan, but you might plan a new schedule.
And then stick to that.
Photos byalexkerhead,archer10,mipeixoto,schani,mcclanahoochie.
