Simply said: I am a writer. Not in the sense that I get paid to write or have written any novels or anything of the short. Instead, I’m a writer in the sense that I enjoy writing. I enjoy sitting down and thinking about what word or phrase would work best in a sentence, what clever wordplay I could use to impress myself more than anybody else, what ending would really bring my sentence to an effective conclusion. That’s me. Always thinking of words and their power. Perhaps you’re like me or would like to be. If either of those options apply to you, I’ve got a proposal. Write. Every day.
The process
In graduate school, I took on this challenge of writing every day for the month of February. I set aside one hour each morning–as soon as I woke up–to do nothing but write (or read in preparation of writing). So each February morning, I got out of bed and walked to my desk–no shower–and sat down to write. Before me was a list of different documents and topics that I either needed or wanted to write: chapter 1 of dissertation, article manuscript, essay for a class, prayer, short story idea, and so on. And because of that list, my time was saved; I didn’t waste any of my hour trying to decide how I should spend it. It was an hour of pure productivity.
You don’t start out writing good stuff. You start out writing crap and thinking it’s good stuff, and then gradually you get better at it. That’s why I say one of the most valuable traits is persistence. ~Octavia E. Butler
When the timer announced the end of the hour, I felt relieved. Not because I desperately wanted to stop writing but because I could continue the day knowing that I had done at least one productive thing, a feeling that often becomes elusive for graduate students. February went so well that I continued into March. It became my writing regime, an effective practice that I giddily shared with others to encourage them to get on board. Since graduation and the beginning of work, I’ve fallen off my daily writing. But, most recently, I’ve picked it up again and am back at persuading others to join me.
The gains
Aside from giving your brain a regularly scheduled moment to be uninterruptedly productive, daily writing definitely has its benefits.
- It’s your guaranteed time to be productive. Do this for work, do that for your family, and do these for the dog, BUT…what do you do for yourself? If doing something productive for yourself is what you need, the daily writing can serve that desire.
- Writing can be therapeutic. Sometimes, we trudge through the day with weighty thoughts and emotions on our minds. If you’re like me, when you transfer those distractions–however important they are–from your brain to the paper, you relieve your brain at the same time. It’s as though you have spoken your peace or gotten something off of your chest. Now, you can function a little better because you feel a little better. This phenomenon is probably why journals and diaries exist, right?
- Writing can be introspective. Journals and diaries give us the space to reflect and to realize and reconnect to who we truly are. If you watch the video I posted, you’ll see that I used my 10-minutes of writing to explore my thoughts a little more. Perhaps that particular piece can develop into an article. If not, it’s okay because the goal was accomplished: in writing that piece, I moved a bit closer to understanding who I am currently as a teacher.
- Daily writing can help you get necessary documents done quicker. If you decide to use your time to work on pieces that are required of you for school, work, family, etc., then you’ll soon find that spending time on those pieces every day expedites the writing process. You’ll complete those items quickly and will be looking for something else to do. Use the Get It Done Writing Task List to monitor your productivity.
- Daily writing gives you the space for improving your writing. During grad school, I took 5 semesters of piano, but recently I haven’t touched my keyboard. But at the same time, I want to get better at playing the piano. Well, guess what? It ain’t gon’ happ’n. Not if I don’t actually take time to practice. This same principle goes for just about anything. To improve in basketball, I’ll need to pick up a ball; to improve my math skills, I’ll have to look at a few problems; to fire up my cooking game, I just might have to step into my kitchen and start cooking. And so, with writing, it’s no different: to write better, you must first write. Aside from this basic principle, taking time to write or play basketball or do math or cook then creates opportunities for trial and error and experimentation. Because the stakes are low, you can try new styles and techniques with little to worry about. For instance, I use the daily writing to imitate other writers’ styles to see what fits within my own. Over time, their style will be tweaked until it becomes my style. Without a space to practice and try on different styles, my writing would more than likely become stale and bore me. It’s also beneficial to expand my vocabulary from time to time; that way, I don’t end up using the same lexicon that I’ve used 5 or 10 years ago. Reading to find new words and then trying out those words in my writing helps keep my vocabulary fresh and evolving. I currently use the So Impressive! Vocabulary Builder to do this. So just as your phone or wardrobe needs an occasional upgrade, so too does your writing. Use the Writing Progress Journal to experiment with your style.
Next steps
Once you decide to incorporate more writing into your life, consider the following in order to make your time effective:
- Know your writing conditions. Are you better using a computer, pencil/paper, or your smartphone? Are you more productive with music, white noise, or complete silence?
- Find a place to write. Desk in your room, the front porch, the floor, Starbucks, cafeteria, library, office, the bus? Alone or sharing space with others?
- Set a time. When are you going to write? In the morning, at lunch, right before you go to bed, while waiting for your dinner to cook?
- Set a duration and frequency. How long are you going to write? 5 minutes, 10 minutes, 1 hour? How often are you going to write? Every day, MWF, the weekend?
- Protect your time. Things will happen that will make you sacrifice your precious writing time. Don’t give in. Exclude it from your time of availability. Once you give in the first time, it’ll get easier and easier to find a reason not to write.
- Write. Give it a try. You might be surprised who you’ll discover when you sit down to write.
Share your accomplishments
Be sure to advertise your accomplishments. I’ll be glad to hear about them.