Content Creation: What Are the Best Habits for Writing?
Content Creation: What Are the Best Habits for Writing?
Every writer has their own habits, and I know plenty of writers who suffer from writer’s block. Other writers work best under deadline pressure. Most of us are somewhere in between–a little pressure, but not too much.
Carve out Blocks of Time for Writing
Having at least a half-hour block of time to write undisturbed has always been a great trick for me. Maybe it’s not a secret, though. You may need a certain space, a favorite pad of paper, or absolute silence. But having enough time to write is key. And starting ahead of time before you’re too stressed to write at all has worked for me. Here are some tips from Forbes on How to Manipulate Time with These Powerful 20 Time Management Tips. (See #2.)
Trick Yourself into Writing
Another best habit for writing is to write for 15-minute chunks. Because you can do anything for 15 minutes, right? Getting started has always been the most difficult part of doing anything for me. Whether it’s a chore around the house or writing, that first 15 minutes is the most painful. And if I think about writing too much, then somehow my mind makes it into an overwhelmingly huge task. Also, if you’re able to gamify your blogging, that’s very helpful, too. Here’s a post about the gamification of social media that you might like.
Have Five Topics
I learned this idea from Syed Balkhi years ago, and it’s stuck with me. Create five topics so you have no excuse not to write. If you run out of steam, go to the next topic. Here’s the post where I wrote about WordCamp Orange County and Syed Balkhi: WordCamp Orange County 2013. I can’t believe it’s been five years! Anyway, create those topics and don’t let “not having anything to write about” stop you.
Keep Going and Edit Later
Don’t stop, and don’t think about what you’re doing too much until later. You can always edit. You can add links and images later, too. For now, your job is just to do a brain dump on the topic. You may want to get the high-level topics within your post, but other than that, just write. Add one sentence per topic. Then add two more sentences and take it from there. Soon, you’ll have something that looks like a blog post.
Make it the Same But Different
When you’re writing, you may think it’s exactly the same as another topic you wrote about, and sometimes it’s very similar. But not everyone is going to read every word you write. Even if you’re writing about the same topic, it’s going to be different. And the images you add will be different, too. For images, I like Pixabay (make sure the images are really free).
What Are Your Best Habits?
What are your favorite and best habits? What gets you going? Do you need a favorite beverage in a favorite mug? Let me know in the comments! And thank you!
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