EXPERIMENTING WITH WRITING ROUTINES
It took me a very long time to get to the point where I had any kind of writing routine. For a long time, writing was something I did when I felt like it. Once I started publishing and began my career, it became something I had to squeeze in somewhere. It didn't always work out though, and I ended up taking about four years off writing when I was doing my degree simply because I didn't have the spoons to do both that, and still write. I say all that to say that it's completely normal for it to take time to find a way for you. It's also normal for you to switch routines at some point in your writing life.
For example, I was always an afternoon writer after my degree. I wanted to get all the things done in the morning, the chat with a friend, and then finally, get onto the writing. In the last four or five years, I've been very much an early morning writer and worker. It's currently almost 3am and I woke up at midnight with no alarm set, my body just went: okay we're awake now!
My point is that everyone changes the way they do things, and that includes set routines. There can be changes in your life, in your health, in your priorities, all of which can lead to you needing to try and find a new routine. My big change was my sleep schedule got all switched around and doesn't seem to be going back to where it was. So I flipped to working in the wee hours, and I actually prefer it. But it wasn't an instant thing, it took time, as does any routine and finding what works for you.
So what can you do to experiment should the need arise? Glad you asked, I'm gonna give you a handful of tips to try and work with.
#1 FIND A TIME THAT WORKS FOR YOU
For me, like I said, it's been all over the place. But that doesn't mean the same will be true for you. If you know that you do better creatively first thing in the morning, see about finding a time then when you will be able to write. If that means getting up a little earlier, and you're able to do so, maybe that's how it will work for you. If you know that you much prefer writing at night, and you're able to manage to do that, then focus on setting up your routine there for a bit and see how things go. I recommend a week as a minimum just so that you have an idea of whether it's going to be something that's sustainable for you, and actually works.
#2 IF AT FIRST YOU DON'T MANAGE, KEEP TRYING
It's really rare for people to hit on the one way that works for them straight away, so if that happens to you, if you find that the way you're trying doesn't work, don't lose heart, it's normal. Keeping switching little parts of the routine, whether that's the time, or the place, and see if these changes will allow you to keep writing on a routine. Don't worry if it takes time, it will, and that's fine.
#3 CHANGE ONE THING AT A TIME
By this I mean, it's hard to know what exactly isn't working. It might be all of it, or it might just be one little part. If you can change it one at a time, then you might find out just what part isn't working for you and land on something that does help. Like I said above, it can take time, and that's okay, it's about finding a way that you can sustain and also have a good time doing it.
So yeah, those are my tips for experimenting with writing routines, I wish you all the best of luck finding one that works for you!
Any questions? Lemme know in the comments!
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