by A.C. Williams @ACW_Author

The hardest part of this whole “career author” thing is making the time to get words on the page. Saying it out loud doesn’t make it sound difficult. Surely it’s not that much of a challenge to sit down at a word processor or typewriter and write.

But it is.

It’s a massive challenge, and it requires tremendous focus, intense preparation, and consistent practice. Every author has a writing muscle, and the more you use it, the stronger it becomes. But how can you create space to write when you are busy? How can you develop a writing routine that will work for you?

Here are seven tips to help you as you build a writing routine that works with your schedule and your capacity.

Know yourself and your creative rhythms.

Every author is different. Even though we may all have a similar version of creative oddness, we are still wired differently. We see the world through different lenses with different perspectives. That’s how several people can tell the same story, but each version resonates in a different way.

First, start by understanding your own wiring. Make space to evaluate if you are more creative in the morning or in the evening. Some people are more creative just before they go to bed. Others are most creative before the sun comes up. As you are working toward discovering that, find out if you are more productive in long writing sessions or short, fast sprints. Knowing what time works best for you to write and how long you should spend writing will make it so much more pleasant for you.

Set realistic goals.

This can make or break you. If you set an impossible goal that you won’t ever hit, you will end the day feeling like a failure. But if you set a goal that’s not challenging enough, you won’t ever finish. Once you have figured out when your best writing time is and how long you should spend writing, next consider what reasonable goal to set.

If you are just starting out, don’t set yourself a huge word count goal like 3,000 words every day. That’s a ton of words, and if you aren’t used to producing word count at that level and at that pace, you will burn out.

Consider starting with a time goal for the first week, maybe 30 minutes. See how much you can write in 30 minutes with no expectation. Do that for a whole week and see where you land on average. Maybe after that week, set an hour time limit for yourself and see how you do. That might give you an idea of sort of word count you can expect from yourself.

[tweet_box design=”default” float=”none” inject=”#Writing #Writinglife #BRMCWC”]Build A Consistent Writing Routine That Works For You by @ACW_Author on @BRMCWC[/tweet_box]

If time limits don’t work, try page count goals or scene goals. Figure out a way to divide up your manuscript and write in order to reach those milestones.

Remember that different life seasons will accommodate different writing goals.

Life is in a constant state of flux for many people. We all have to learn how to deal with change, and that means your writing routine may need to adapt and adjust according to your life season as well.

For example, when I started regular writing routines six years ago, I was able to write for three hours every weekday, from 9am to 12pm. Now, I only have an hour and a half to write my fiction regularly, and that time is between 5:30am and 7am every weekday. But because I have built up my writing muscle, I consistently hit 2,500 to 3,000 words almost every time.

Learn to know yourself and your writing style, make the space to adjust as necessary, and stick to it. You will see progress.

Be intentional when you set up your writing space.

I am easily distracted. I like to say my brain is full of squirrels. I try to multitask with everything in my life, so in order to make the most of my writing time, I had to simplify my writing area. I work on a laptop that isn’t connected to the internet. I keep my phone away from my writing desk. I don’t listen to music when I write, but I know many people who do. Get a comfortable chair. Get a keyboard that feels good for your fingers. Get a wrist rest.

And whatever else you do, set a guard around your writing time. Protect it. Make it holy, if you well. Set it apart from the rest of your day, because if you don’t guard it, you will lose it to everything else that is happening in your life.

Be healthy about your writing.

This is my besetting sin. I get so focused on what I’m doing that I forget to move. I zero in on whatever project has my attention, and I blink—boom! Eight hours have passed, and I haven’t moved an inch.

Set alarms to remind yourself to walk. Stretch out at specific times. Exercise your arms and wrists. And don’t neglect to feed your mind either. Make space to invest good creative material into your mind through music, quality storytelling, and time spent with your community.

Always track your progress.

I can’t overestimate how important this is. If you aren’t keeping track of your progress, you won’t feel like you’ve made any. The days can disappear into your word processor, and you will have no idea how much you have accomplished. There is nothing more demoralizing.

Keep track of everything. How long did you write? How many words did you write? Then add it all up at the end of the week and have a celebration for what you accomplished, whether you hit your goals or not.

Finally, remember that you aren’t perfect.

Writing is a process. This is a long game, my friends. Nobody will get it right every time, and, frankly, nobody even knows what getting it right even looks like truly.

Maybe you can’t hit your targets or your goals. That’s fine. That doesn’t mean you’re a failure. That means you need to set different targets and goals. Adjust and try again. Accept the grace you’ve already been given and keep moving forward.

Whatever you do, don’t give up. Keep showing up, keep getting those words down on the page, and one day you’ll realize that you’ve completed a manuscript. And that’s where the real fun begins!

A.C. Williams is a coffee-drinking, sushi-eating, story-telling nerd who loves cats, country living, and all things Japanese. Author of more than 20 books, she keeps her fiction readers laughing with wildly imaginative adventures about samurai superheroes, clumsy church secretaries, and goofy malfunctioning androids; her non-fiction readers just laugh at her and the hysterical life experiences she’s survived. If that’s your cup of tea (or coffee), join the fun at www.amycwilliams.com.