Writerly Ways

trobadora is hosting write every day this month and posed a question to which several of us answered yes we remember to write every day and then asked how do we remember? Last night I had no real answer to that. I'm not sure I do today either.

Once upon a time Deepka Chopra was offering 21 day meditations for free with the idea that psychologists say if you do anything for 21 days it becomes a habit. I'm not sure where he read/invented that. I can tell you it didn't make me keep up my meditation once the 21 days were over for the most part so it might be hokum.

But the truth is I don't remember setting out to write every day but I have done so for so long HOW I managed to make it a habit is lost in my Dorrie the fish memory. I will say I'm NOT a believer in you MUST write every day but it certainly helps to have SOME kind of writing practice. I do know waiting for the mood or your muse isn't really going to get you anywhere.

But for some every day is too much pressure and not necessarily helpful. Some of us have difficult jobs, maybe more than one, we have partners, we have kids, we have chronic illness. Hell I'm always shocked by the people who can write with young kids. We need to be kind to ourselves or we risk damaging our creative self. Some of us can't work if we're anxious. Others (me!) write and write to make the anxiety calm.

And that's my biggest piece of advice for establishing a writing habit. Find what suits you. Some of you will be morning writers ew as far as working for me. I had one friend who was converted by that how to write book back in the later 80s early 90s that talked about morning papers and insisted that was the ONLY way to do it. Nope, there is no ONLY way. Some of you will need a dedicated quiet space. Others can write anywhere. Some might need to go out somewhere else because all the stuff at home is distracting.

Find what works for you and do that. And then do it again. Do it as often as you're comfortable with. If it helps you, set a deadline (which is one of the reasons I write every day. I'm very often on a very real deadline). Have a friend set a deadline for you if that helps. Basically you do you and keep on doing it. You may falter but that's okay. Dust yourself off and go for it again.


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here.

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