Your cart is currently empty!
7 Habits of Highly Successful Writers
in
Disclaimer: This post may contain affiliate links for books we recommend. If you make a purchase through these links, at no additional cost to you, we may earn a small commission. See our full Terms of Use here.
It’s no secret that being a writer means spending lots of time alone with your thoughts. If you want to be successful at your craft, it’s important to develop good habits to help you stay productive. There are a few habits that highly successful writers share. It’s important to find out what they are before you start on your own writing journey. You’ll save yourself time, energy, and effort if you adopt the same habits. Here are seven that you can use to gain inspiration and motivation while also improving your own skills.
Start making these habits part of your daily routine and see how much more productive you can be as a writer!
They Make Writing A Habit
Just as in every other field, writing requires time and effort. No one becomes a bestselling author overnight, and even seasoned writers often find themselves stuck for a good line or an interesting idea. Yet successful writers do many things that their unsuccessful counterparts don’t. They have daily routines and systems that ensure they’re writing each day. They write at least 1000 words per day, and they make writing a habit foremost.
As much as we’d like to believe otherwise, writing isn’t something you can just turn on when you need it. Spend a certain amount of time every day practicing your craft if you want to become proficient. If there’s one thing that successful writers do differently than their peers, it’s making sure they stick to a regular schedule.
Part of being a successful writer is making writing a habit. Mark Twain famously said:
“I didn’t have time to write a short letter, so I wrote a long one instead.”
Many successful writers cite a daily writing habit as being critical to their success. It’s easy to see why. A habit makes doing something more likely. In fact, there’s an entire field called habit psychology. The people who practice it tend to stay in the field. Writing every day will get you closer to achieving your goals than any other strategy. It might feel like a lot of work at first, but once it becomes part of your routine, things will flow much easier.
They Set Goals
It’s easy to get caught up in wanting to finish a project, but how can you make sure you’re not over-committing yourself? Smart writers establish realistic word counts or time goals. It may be tempting to skip those numbers and work on your own schedule. Keep in mind that if you want to reach your destination (like getting published) on time, you need to focus on writing with purpose. Write a target number of words or pages for each day. Then, figure out how much time each task will take so that you can stick with it. This way, all those hours spent writing won’t go to waste. You will meet your deadline before you know it!
Some people say that you should only write when inspiration strikes. Professional writers understand that even on those days when they have no interest, they are better to at least try it. It’s not uncommon for writers to need to warm up with a few easy or fun writing exercises before being able to access their inner genius. If nothing else, writing for 30 minutes each day will help ensure that you don’t lose your creativity and motivation.
Motivation and discipline take some effort. Motivation gives us energy when we feel like giving up. Discipline keeps us moving forward even when we don’t feel like doing anything at all. Remember:
1. Set a time goal.
Don’t just write for as long as it feels good—write until your time is up! This will help keep your mind focused on what needs to get done instead of what could get done.
2. Set a word count goal.
Or target several pages to fill out by a certain date. The important thing is that you establish an end point and then stick with it.
3. Make a habit of rewarding yourself.
Don’t set yourself up for failure by promising something unattainable (like an expensive dinner if you write 1,000 words in one hour). Do something nice for yourself, like reading your favorite book while enjoying a cup of tea.
They Celebrate Their Small Wins
Most writers have days when they feel like they’re not getting anything done. When you’re in a slump, it’s easy to focus on everything that’s left to do instead of what you’ve accomplished. Taking minor victories and celebrating them can boost your confidence and productivity. Whether you’ve written 2,000 words or 20 words, congratulate yourself for doing something right!
These little wins help build momentum and keep you writing consistently. They also act as proof that all those hours spent hunched over your keyboard weren’t a waste.
Please sit up straight. Your back will thank you.
If you want to be successful, celebrate every step along the way!
Recognizing your small wins and celebrating them is an important part of maintaining a positive, forward-thinking attitude. This keeps you grounded and focused on what really matters. Some people like to celebrate with a bit of chocolate or a day off from work, but that doesn’t have to be a bad thing. Research has shown that moderate indulgences are actually beneficial for long-term success. Even if you don’t think you have much to celebrate about, focus on writing one good sentence per day. Within five years, that’s 85,000 words! Celebrate each one. You’ll marvel at how far it gets you.
They Make Reading a Habit
You can’t become a talented writer if you don’t read. Reading is The Best Thing a Writer Can Do. It helps to build your vocabulary. It improves your style. Reading gives you ideas for topics you never would have thought of and exposes you to different sentence structures that will make your writing more complex and interesting. You could simply tell yourself to read more, but research has shown that setting goals for yourself is an even better way. Successful writers don’t just read a lot. They make sure they’re reading what they need to read. Like works that push them outside their comfort zone and challenge them in their craft.
As many successful writers will tell you, reading is not only about books. It’s also about studying other forms of writing: magazines, newspapers, blogs, etc. Reading is an essential part of any writer’s life and there are plenty of ways to ensure you get your daily dose (and then some). You might not agree with everything you read, but it will help you develop a good sense of how to write better and what kinds of things succeed in your genre. Even if all you do is quickly scan articles, try to get into that habit and make it part of your daily routine. If you take nothing else away from these tips, remember: Read.
They Write What Excites Them
Be honest with yourself. Are you writing because you love to write or because you are being paid? If money alone motivates your writing, odds are that your passion will fade. At some point, so will your success. If you want to become a successful writer, it’s important to keep your passion. If you have a genuine interest in what you’re writing about, then don’t let go of that passion, no matter how difficult it gets.
You must continue pushing yourself until writing becomes natural and less laborious. That way, it will attract readers to great content rather than forced plot lines or dialogue. The best writers do not always come up with great ideas. They simply take their passions and make them into stories that everyone can enjoy. They write about what interests them.
When you love what you do, it’s a lot easier to get up in the morning and put fingers to keyboard (or pen to paper). It’s also easier to stay motivated and come up with great ideas when your subject fascinates you. The more excited about your topic you are, and if writing about it makes you feel like bursting out in song, then jump right in. That enthusiasm will carry through in your work. If you’re not sure where to start, think about things that make you happy or interested or angry. You can write about almost anything—just make sure that it excites you!
They Let Go Of Perfectionism
Don’t expect overnight success. Writing regularly will help hone your craft and build your confidence. Thirty minutes a day is just enough time to write something good—or at least something mediocre—while still leaving room for family, friends, and living life to its fullest. The goal is simply to stay productive. Don’t set unrealistic goals for yourself. Chances are you’ll quit soon after starting if it seems like an overwhelming task. Focus on being consistent. Getting in that habit early on will pay off down the road.
If you’re anything like me, your perfectionism can kill a great idea before becomes great. To be successful at writing, let go of that need for everything to be perfect before sharing it with others. You don’t have time to rework each piece an endless number of times. Focus on creating drafts as fast as possible so you can move on and improve those pieces later. Don’t give up when things aren’t perfect. Instead, learn from your mistakes.
If you want to write professionally—and I hope you do—you accept that rejection is part of being a writer. In fact, it would be more unusual if someone who writes regularly didn’t get rejected every once in a while. It happens. Just brush yourself off and keep going. The most important thing is to not take rejections personally. Instead, look at them as learning experiences and ways to improve your writing.
They Don’t Compare Themselves To Other Writers
Don’t worry about how well you’re doing compared to others. Comparing yourself to other writers can make you feel you are constantly falling short. Focus on improving your own writing skills and set realistic goals for yourself. Everyone is unique! A successful writing career will take time, hard work and patience. Know what works best for you and stay focused on your craft.
There will always be faster or more popular writers. The only person you should compete with is yourself. Armed with these habits, you’ll no doubt emerge victorious.
-R.E.