Building a complex writing routine is a waste of time
You want to become an author and it’s time to get your word out there.
How exactly are you supposed to do?
You resort to the big internet: “Best writing tips for a new writer”
You scroll through the first couple of pages, it’s tip after tip, you feel better, you feel informed.
“But what am I supposed to do here?”
Back to the scrolling pages, another tip, and it continues like this until you feel overwhelmed.
Okay, I don’t know if I’m talking to you or just telling my story.
Because this is how I felt when I started.
Starting new things was easy for me, but with writing I was anxious. I struggled to filter the unnecessary from the necessary and it got to a point where I almost got crushed by the pressure.
But luckily, after a lot of work, I got through my worries. I figure out how to become an author and I was going the complete wrong direction.
And if the story above hits home, then chances are you are too.
Therefore, to help you avoid getting crushed by the pressure like I almost did I decided to write this post.
Here’s how I’d recommend you start your journey to become an author and why it’s actually quite simple.
Build a consistent writing routine to become an author
Writing itself is already quite complex.
There’s a lot of moving parts and you need to keep a good overview to not get lost.
After my defeating experience looking for tips, I realized my time was better used forgetting everything I had just read and figure it out myself.
“But Jack, how can you do that? You aren’t better than the experts?”
I wasn’t and still am nowhere near the level of the expert. The only thing I knew was what I needed to do and what had worked for me before.
I wanted to know how to become an author – not how to deal with information overload. I knew I could rely on fun, instead of forcing myself to be serious. And in the end, I knew I only needed to focus on one thing, namely writing.
Sure, it’s attractive to write 1,000s of words in a day, but it shouldn’t be your focus.
At least as a beginner.
Through a lot of trial and error and experience, I can now confidently say it doesn’t matter if you write something fast or perfect, you need to focus on finding a way to make your writing sustainable.
I replaced my goal with a temporary one:
Create a writing routine and do it quite quickly.
It’s now been over a year since I made that decision, and it was the best decision ever.
I know you shouldn’t gloat, but I need to, to get my point across. The terrible and unpublishable stories I wrote a year ago, they have, because of that decision, turned publishable and enjoyable.
And that’s why the only answer to “how to become an author” is: How quickly can you set everything else aside and build a consistent writing routine? Because it’ll pay itself insane dividends.
How to write a novel with limited time – Write more in less time
But what exactly is a consistent writing routine?
Is it the act of writing daily, a certain result or a certain amount? How do you decide what is best for you?
I know, one question has replaced the others in your mind – right?
That’s the point.
As an aspiring writer trying to figure out how to become an author, you need to do some thinking but let me help you on the way: Focus on your time.
When I started out as a writer, I was so focused on writing for an hour daily that I forced myself to write for an hour. Then it turned to 2,500 words in an hour and lastly, I wanted perfect sentences.
It was an endless cycle with something always stressing me to get things done, because it was the way I thought I got better, but it actually proved to have the opposite effect.
And what do you do, when the thing you’re doing currently isn’t working? You start over.
I pushed away every thought that wasn’t my own and started over, completely fresh and wrote for 30 minutes every day with the focus on having fun.
I quickly realized how calm I felt, how easy the words came out and how it actually was fun writing.
It was the much better way to start.
By setting up a more manageable amount of time you won’t feel stress and since you’re freer, your creativity will flow with much less resistance.
Not only will you get to write a lot more, but you’ll get to improve and produce more in less time.
30 minutes of daily writing – A smart strategy for aspiring authors
“But Jack, I need to do X or else I won’t get anywhere.”
I’m not saying you shouldn’t, all I’m saying is just don’t do it in a single sitting.
Or if you can without stressing yourself, then do it.
The point is, though, it doesn’t matter whether it’s multiple hours, an insane number of words or the whole novel, if it’s stressing you, then it’ll likely be more detrimental for your journey as a beginner.
By working for just 30 minutes, I have found it’s easiest not to get distracted and actually still have the creativity to produce something worth reading.
This is where it’s such a natural spot for you to have an argument like: ‘I need to get my story somewhere’
And get it.
But it’s not impossible to do with less.
I wrote a 90,000 words novel in 17 days.
Sure, I wrote for 5-6 hours daily, but I did it in 30 minutes blocks and it was such an easier experience to get through and there was not a moment when I felt like pulling my hair.
I get if you don’t have that amount of time, but quite frankly, you don’t need to.
If you write for 30 minutes daily and can produce about 2,000 high-quality words, then you have a 90,000 words novel in 45 days (90,000 / 2,000 = 45 days)
45 days to finish the draft of a full novel.
Think about.
As a completely new writer, you can have a full novel done in 45 days. The only thing you need to do is to write for 30 minutes every day.
Seems doable, doesn’t it?
How to become an author – The writing routine for beginners
The part you have all been looking for.
How to become an author? It’s such an interesting question and there are probably about a few million answers out there. (Okay, I just did a google search and there’s in fact about 3.200.000.000 results)
Kind of crazy, isn’t it?
Well, this is my entry to the pool.
I’m not going to give you a massive guide filled with steps, which I hope is apparent as I only have a single recommendation:
Create a writing routine that works for you.
“Why is that?”
Because everything else will follow once you get started.
Yes, it might not be perfect, your characters might be a bit off, and you’ll spend more time in editing.
But that’s the beauty of writing.
By cutting away the “best way” of the “how to become an author” and doing things your way, you’ll set yourself way ahead of the people still stuck searching.
“Thanks for the advice Jack, but give me something I can work with.”
Write for a simple 30 minutes.
Every day.
That’s all you need.
Whether you do it in the morning, at noon or during the night is 100% up to you.
You just need to do it.
As it’s through writing that you turn ides to words. It’s writing that improves your skill and vocabulary, and it’s through pure writing that you get a better understanding of what works for you and what you need as a writer.
Not through a list of best writing tips.
How to become an author?
My answer: Build a writing routine that works for you, because once you do everything else will follow.
It’s all about the consistent small steps
Have you decided on a writing routine?
Perfect, congratulation – now it’s time to stick with it.
For. A. Long. Time.
This is the part where most people give up, but not you.
As I said earlier, if you write about 2,000 words in 30 minutes then you’ll have a full novel draft of 90,000 in 45 days.
But here’s the secret: those 45 days are only temporary.
Because what if you improve?
Then you’ll see that time halved until suddenly you are able to write a full novel in 2 weeks.
Of course this doesn’t happen by itself, it only happens if you stick to it and get better.
How to become an author: Start small, build up, and let your brain get adapt to the work so it doesn’t burn out from excessive workload.
Kinda like how I wrote one of my novels in 17 days.
When I started, I knew I was going to struggle to keep consistent, but I knew something visual would help me keep going, so I took a piece of paper, drew out a big square, divided it into smaller squares, 66 to be exact. And then daily, when I had done my writing, I’d make an X in a box to signal ‘I have conquered the day’.
It’s a simple method, but it helped me through the 66 days, and it can help you get through yours too.
It’s a simple tool that gives you something to look forward to, something to enjoy, like the cherry on top of the dessert.
If you need more help, I have collected some of my best tips on how to create the best writing system for you.
Why you need to develop a daily writing habit
“If setting a single X was euphoric, how about two?”
Talking about improving, once I finished the first paper, I wanted to test my abilities, so I took another, drew out an identical square and divided it, once again into 66, and started again.
This time I only made a single line, signaling to my brain: ‘You’re going to work twice today to get that feeling’
It was a challenge, but it was up for it.
I still enjoyed every word I put down on a piece of paper, but when I placed that first line and when I saw it wasn’t done, I immediately wanted to go back in.
It was a great, yet simple method to boost the amount of my daily writing habit. One I never would have put myself through, if I hadn’t started with a simple routine.
If I hadn’t started writing for just 30 minutes without the additional stress on myself, then I would never have gotten here.
Then I would still be stuck floating around in the introduction only writing whenever inspiration struck. And that’s why I believe it’s so important that you build a writing habit earlier on.
Not only is it way easier getting into the rhythm of writing, but it’s also a way to help yourself reach your goal much faster. Because let’s be honest, you want to finish your novel faster than in 45 days and this is how you do it.
You just need to have patience and start out small, and eventually you’re able to expand and then you’ll see the only thing stopping you is your ambition.
The way to become an author
Are you supposed to write for an hour? 3,000 words? What skills do you need to become an author? How do I write the best characters?
The questions are endless.
I understand your frustration when trying to figure out how to become an author, but the answer is quite simple: You don’t need to ask any of these.
As an aspiring writer you just need to focus on building a simple writing routine that’ll carry you to the high levels of your ambitions, and for most of you this is not forcing yourself to write for an hour or 3,000 words.
It’s much better to start with 30 minutes of having fun and just getting words down. Then as you get better you can start working towards a daily word count. And once you get comfortable you can experience with multiple sessions per day.
If you need help staying consistent, keep a piece of paper, a note on your phone or send a message to a friend.
Just some kinda of visual reminder that you have put in your daily writing.
And before you know it, you won’t be an aspiring writer anymore, but a fully fleshed writer, with a great writing routine, that has finished their first novel.
And once you have built your foundation, you’ll see your ambition is the only thing limiting you and that the sky is, in fact, the limit.
That’s a wrap for you today.
What does your ideal writing routine look like? Have you figured it out or do you still feel empty? Share your story in the comments or send me a mail – I’m here to help.
Until next time – Hope you have a productive and creative day.
Your writing buddy,
Jack