Dear Writer: how do you get your writing done?

Early morning New Hampshire fall vibes are going strong. Wouldn’t this make a terrific story setting?

Today is such a special treat!

I asked some favorite Substack writers for an actionable writing habit for getting their writing done. Here’s what they said…

Featuring:

Poet and author

NYTimes contributor and author

Non-fiction writer and speaker, Jessica Lahey

Writer and illustrator Beth Spencer

Children’s book author and illustrator

Writer, athlete, breakfast lover

Writer, speaker, (and fellow Swiftie), Laura McKowen

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Actionable habits and work system…

I try very hard to remember that for me, idle time is often my most important creative time. When I’m gardening, mowing the lawn, chopping wood or just walking in the forest with the dogs, and I allow my brain to sink into “default mode,” an inward, awake but non-attentive state, that’s when ideas coalesce for me. Yes, sitting at the keyboard and getting the words on the page is an essential act, too, but without the default mode time, I’d never write a word. -Jessica Lahey, writer and speaker

I write first—before any other computer/email/online work—nearly every day. I set the amount of time I want to give my current book project and I get that done before I move on. There are exceptions (for example, if I have an essay due, or I've committed to a podcast) but the work always comes first. Because if I don't write the books, I don't need to do any of the rest of it.

I also set "thinking time" goals. On a walk or drive, I might decide to resolve a certain plot problem before I turn on a podcast, or to just think for a certain amount of time first. I do something similar on flights--I'll decide how many hours of the flight I'll spend working, and do that before I read. For me, the pre-commitment (to myself) is everything. -KJ author new book is out now!

I find editing a piece much, much easier than writing the initial draft. So I try to give myself grace when I struggle with the early stages of putting ideas into writing — I really lean into the notion that “this is just a draft!” and I don’t worry if there aren’t complete sentences or paragraphs or fully fleshed out ideas. I just hammer out what I can, knowing that I will surely be able to pull it together when I move to the editing stage. Often, when I come back to a draft after letting it sit there in its initial, jumbled mess for a few days/weeks/months (LOL) things fall into place quite easily. -Audrey Waters

My best tip for getting work done: reduce noise, distraction, and temptation by hiding tech devices! I try to use paper as much as possible, so distractions don't find their way to me through a new browser tab or notification.

-Beth Spencer, writer and illustrator

One habit that helps me get my writing done is waking up before 5am most days. The spaciousness of the morning gives me room to daydream and time to write. There is a lack of obligation in these wee hours that I find so conducive to writing.

-Adam Ming, writer and illustrator

I think I've picked up all sorts of new writing habits because of Substack. Far more discipline! I have a very active audience that I'm responsible to. It feels sorta like daily journalism now. The most surprising new habit is that I often start writing before I even get out of bed in the morning. It's not about dreams. I just usually explore the first thought of the day when I have a clean slate, when my mind is more like a blank sheet of paper.

In terms of being prolific, I used to be a binge writer and would sometimes write 10-20 poems on all-nighters. But I've since learned that was the result of untreated bipolar manias and the resultant rapid-thoughts insomnia. So I now have more writing rules. I usually don't write anything after 9 pm. And I'd always thought that being medicated would mute my emotions and make it harder to write. It turns out that I'm more in touch with my emotions because I'm mentally healthier. Turns out the medications and dialectic behavior therapy lock the door to the manic attic and the doors to the depression basement. It turns out that my mood episodes, aside from those brief manic nights, hampered my writing. So I think, in a more clear state of mind, that I'm naturally prolific.

-Sherman Alexie, poet and writer

Mine is pretty simple, I’m not sure why it’s so helpful, but it is.

I put my phone on airplane mode and set the timer for 50 minutes, and promise myself I’ll do nothing else but write until the timer goes off. If I want to be done after that, fine, but I commit to the 50 minutes. Inevitably, every time, the minutes fly by and the alarm goes off before I know it. Then, I give myself ten minutes (setting the timer) to go to the bathroom, make coffee, or lay down on my office floor and stare at the ceiling (another tip; it works so well). I do NOT take my phone off airplane mode during these ten minutes, unless I’m done writing.. When those ten minutes are up, I set the timer for another 50 and repeat.

There’s something about setting the timer for less than an hour that makes it seem so much more doable, and knowing I will get a ten minute break when it goes off helps. I’ve gone four or five rounds like this before at a clip, easily, which amounts to SO much writing.

I learned this somewhere, I think, though I have no clue where. If anyone knows, please tell me! It works. -Laura McKowen, writer and speaker

Thank you, writers. These writers have been so influential and inspiring to me over the years. They are consistent publishers. I so appreciate them taking the time to share how small, daily habits and systems (thanks, James Clear of Atomic Habits!) are how great stuff gets written, published, and becomes creative gifts to the rest of us.

And now, dear reader. What resonates with you?

Do you have a different actionable habit that helps get your work done?

This week I’m working on “batching” instead of being such a scatter-brained hop-around. I’ll also be incorporating the timer and down time to think…

Please share!

Happy writing.

Amy

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