January 15, 2013

“Habits are the little anchors that keep us from straying very far from the lifestyle to which we’ve become accustomed, whether that lifestyle makes us happy or miserable.” 

~~from Karen Scalf Linamen’s book Only Nuns Change Habits Overnight.

Habits: Help or Hindrance?

We all have habits that either support or hinder our writing lives. [NOTE: I'm working on a f.r.e.e report right now on organization, time management, and writing habits for you.] Habits are simply the ways we repeatedly do some things.

Positive writing habits include daily writing practice, telling ourselves positive things about our abilities, and keeping current with publishers’ requirements.

Negative writing habits run the gamut from playing computer games and surfing the Internet during our writing time, to not keeping track of submissions and not studying to improve our craft.

Do you see any consistent patterns in your writing life? Which positive habits help you? Which habits detract from your ability to pursue your writing dreams consistently?

Habits from Scratch

If you could redesign your writing life from scratch, which patterns would you reestablish? Which habits would you drop, if you could break them? Can you even identify the habits that are getting in your way? Do you wonder where your time is going, why you can’t seem to get around to working on the project that is so dear to your heart? Try journaling about it.

“Keeping a journal can help you identify hidden habits that are interfering with your life,” says Linamen. “You can embrace the changes you want to embrace–and getting a handle on what’s really going on is a great way to begin!”

The Art of Change

A good writing life–a productive writing life–is built on good writing habits.  They keep you anchored to the writing life you want to have, both now and in the future. Building good writing habits may not sound very exciting, but discipline now will give you a lot of freedom later on–and a writing life worth having!

If you have time, share with others one GOOD writing habit you’ve developed (any kind) and one BAD one you’d like to break before the end of the year.

11 Comments »

1. 

   Good: write a letter (email) to my husband every morning.
   Bad: reading news/blogs before I have worked on my pet projects. I want to break that habit.

   Comment by Vijaya — January 15, 2013 @ 11:19 am

2. 

   Vijaya, like you, I want to put my writing projects (pet projects, as you say) either first or second in my day, before working on projects for others or doing the blog.

   One good habit I DO have is making detailed written goals/subgoals/etc. and having them in a notebook with tabs that is easy to access. NOW just to do them!

   Comment by Kristi Holl — January 15, 2013 @ 10:00 pm

3. 

   Good: research. Whether it’s for a book or for the market.

   Bad: craft. Not setting aside the time to specifically work on a certain aspect of it for improvement.

   And a bit of EXCITING news: just got an offer to publish one of my picture books! I can’t believe it! One of the six publishers I sent it to scooped it up. Woo-hoo!

   Comment by Christie Wright Wild — January 17, 2013 @ 10:04 am

4. 

   Oh, Christie, how exciting for you!!! Congratulations!! That really gives you a writing boost, doesn’t it??

   Comment by Kristi Holl — January 17, 2013 @ 12:33 pm

5. 

   Yes, oh, yes, and I’m trying not to stress.

   I just started a new semester for school. It’s only one class, but I FEAR it’s going take up ALL my time! Learning a new skill. I’ll have a proposal for you later this year. Now I’m sure I’ve got your curiosity seriously piqued. Hee-hee…

   Comment by Christie Wright Wild — January 17, 2013 @ 1:12 pm

6. 

   Well, yes, you do! Good luck with your class…and staying calm!

   Comment by Kristi Holl — January 17, 2013 @ 2:14 pm

7. 

   Vijaya, I JUST now learned, discovered, or came upon, the fact that you are the SAME Vijaya Bodach who had books for sale as a PAL member at the last Carolinas SCBWI! Wow-sers! All this time I’ve been reading your comments here on Kristi’s blog, and I had no idea!!! And you’re an instructor at ICL. Amazing!!! Wonder if I could ever be an instructor at ICL… Were you at the conference in September? It was my 2nd year. It’s an annual ritual, now. Also, I go to Charleston every March/April for the Cooper River Bridge Run. What a small world.

   Comment by Christie Wright Wild — January 17, 2013 @ 9:02 pm

8. 

   Talk about a small world! I’ve never met either of you in person, but I know you’ll like each other!

   Comment by Kristi Holl — January 18, 2013 @ 7:19 am

9. 

   Christie, I met so many new people at the Carolinas conference (my first one in the Carolinas) that it’s all a blur … Did I meet you in the bookstore? But yes, it’s me. I’m like a bad apple, turning up everywhere

   My husband and kids are doing the Bridge Run, so let’s try to meet. I don’t run (the thought of being with 50,000 people makes me want to crawl into a hole, and thank goodness I have a bad knee, so that I have a legitimate excuse).

   Congratulations on your new book!!! How exciting!!! I doubt I could stay calm too. Enjoy, enjoy this phase and write some more.

   Comment by Vijaya — January 18, 2013 @ 8:37 am

10. 

    Bad Habit — over-researching for nonfiction books that don’t need as much as I do and certainly don’t pay enough for all the work.

    New Habit — I’m determined to set limits on the amount of research even though that’s the part I love most.

    I’m playing with some new time management software that I bought on sale this week. It’s called the Achieve Planner. I’ve never been patient enough to learn complicated software before. This one seems to be more intuitive. I’m hoping it will help me develop some new and much needed habits.

    Comment by Bonnie Hinman — January 18, 2013 @ 1:00 pm

11. 

    Bonnie, I really identify with the “over research” thing. I even do it for fiction, especially if there is any historical element or some unusual occupation to research. I don’t know if I’m just extra curious, or I’m using it to procrastinate!

    You’ll have to let us know how you like the software after you’ve used it for a while. Good luck with it!

    Comment by Kristi Holl — January 18, 2013 @ 5:12 pm

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