When to Deliberately Break Your Writing Routine

by Elizabeth S. Craig

Writers hear it all the time: establish a consistent routine. Write at the same time every day. Create a dedicated workspace. And I totally agree. My routine has helped me stay productive over the years.

But sometimes the best thing for your writing is to deliberately break that routine. I’m not talking about the interruptions that life throws our way, but strategic, intentional changes when your writing needs a creative jump-start.

Recognizing When It’s Time for a Change

How do you know when to shake things up? I’ve come to recognize several tell-tale signs:

When I find myself staring at the screen more than typing, despite following my usual schedule.

If I repeatedly get stuck around the same point in different projects, my routine might be reinforcing the pattern.

When my characters start feeling like carbon copies of each other, or my plots follow predictable patterns, then that’s my creativity crying out for something different.

And perhaps even more telling: when writing feels more like an obligation than a joy, even on good days. That’s when I know a deliberate routine-breaker isn’t just helpful, it’s necessary.

Simple Ways to Shake Things Up

Breaking a routine doesn’t mean totally abandoning discipline. Instead, it means trying new approaches with the same commitment. Here are some changes that have worked for me:

Time shifts: If you always write in the morning, try an afternoon or evening session.

Location changes: During particularly stubborn chapters, I’ve taken my laptop and headed to a park or the library for a change of pace.

Medium switches: When I’m plotting, I often step away from the computer completely and work on paper. I know folks who swear by index cards, too.

Write out of order: If you’re stuck in the middle, try writing the climactic scene, then work backward to figure out how your characters got there.

Voice experiments: Write a scene from another character’s perspective, even if you’ll eventually rewrite it.

Making Your Breaks Productive

Random changes rarely help as much as strategic ones:

Set specific parameters—instead of vaguely “trying something different,” decide to “write in the evening for three days” or “draft the next chapter longhand.”

Pay attention to what works (and what doesn’t). If you try something and don’t get anywhere with the approach, note it and try something different instead of forcing it.

Change just one element at a time. If you’re shifting your writing location, maybe keep your word count goals or pre-writing rituals the same.

After your experiment, return to your regular routine with new awareness. What worked well enough to incorporate another time?

Finding Your Balance

Breaking a routine works best when you’ve established one in the first place. And I definitely don’t recommend major changes during the final push on a deadline or during really stressful times.

But I’ve also discovered that never challenging your established patterns poses its own risks. The adaptability you develop through occasional, deliberate changes builds resilience that serves you well when life eventually forces adjustments anyway.

Have you experimented with your writing routine?

Feeling stuck in your writing routine? Discover when and how to strategically disrupt your process for renewed creativity and insight. Sometimes breaking the rules is exactly what your writing needs:: #WritingLife #CreativeProcess
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