Reconsider Your Writing Habits: No Need for Extensive Time Periods to Pen Down a Narrative
In the world of writing, a regular, firm commitment to the craft can lead to astonishing accomplishments. According to a study by Robert Boice, writers who commit to writing daily are twice as likely to have a creative thought as those who write only when they "feel like it."
This finding debunks the myth that one needs big blocks of time to write effectively. Writing in short, regular increments is highly beneficial for overcoming procrastination and resistance, while also boosting creative insights and professionalism.
Consistent, focused time blocks, such as the well-known Pomodoro Technique of 25-minute work sessions followed by breaks, help maintain momentum and minimize overwhelm, making the writing process more manageable and habitual. This regular practice builds persistence that ultimately beats procrastination, helping writers stick to their goals even when motivation wanes.
By breaking writing into manageable chunks, writers reduce internal resistance triggered by the daunting idea of writing a whole book or article at once. This approach encourages writing as a practice rather than a one-off achievement, facilitating improvement in craft and idea development over time.
Regular writing also fosters clearer thinking and deeper creative insight because the mind stays engaged frequently, allowing ideas to simmer and evolve naturally, rather than forcing premature drafting that leads to endless redrafting or idea drift.
In addition, writing frequently in short increments supports professionalism by cultivating discipline and reliability. It helps writers develop coherent, sustained arguments and build strong book-level ideas through cumulative effort, rather than relying on sporadic bursts that often lead to inconsistency and confusion.
Other writers have conquered dreaded rewrites in just 15-minute increments. For instance, a coach who struggled for years to carve out big blocks of time to write found success with a daily writing commitment of just a few minutes at a time. This approach not only antidotes the fear of writing but also helps make a writer a professional.
In the screenwriting world, daily writing is emphasised as a path to professionalism, as highlighted by Steven Pressfield in his book Turning Pro. Writing a screenplay is an elephant-sized project, which can lead to feelings of overwhelm, self-doubt, and fears of success and failure. However, professional screenwriter Pamela Gray suggests writing for 15 minutes a day, six days a week, is more effective than writing for five hours once a week.
This method works best when combined with deliberate ideation and goal-setting, ensuring that writing sessions are purposeful and aligned with a well-understood central argument or idea. Committing to daily writing can lead to more frequent creative insights and a library of scripts and completed work faster than waiting for the right mood and the right time.
Many writers worldwide are inspired by coaches and mentors who nudge them towards building daily writing habits. These coaches help writers overcome the biggest challenge they face: resistance, despite having ideas, enthusiasm, and passion. Daily writing can help make the writing process less intimidating, more habitual, and ultimately lead to astonishing accomplishments.
- Consistent daily writing, divided into small increments, effectively debunks the belief that significant blocks of time are required for successful writing.
- In the screenwriting industry, daily writing is considered a stepping stone towards professionalism, helping writers overcome feelings of overwhelm and conquer projects like writing a screenplay.
- By committing to daily writing, a screenwriter like Pamela Gray suggests that one can foster professionalism and creativity, achieving more frequent insights and a library of completed scripts faster than relying on sporadic writing sessions.
- In addition to fostering productivity, writing frequently in short increments also promotes personal growth by cultivating discipline, reliability, and clearer thinking, making writing a practice rather than a one-off achievement.
- Regular writing, coupled with deliberate ideation and goal setting, can boost creative insights, making the writing process less intimidating and ultimately leading to astonishing personal and professional accomplishments.
