The Write Routine

"Improve your spare moments and they will become the brightest gems in your life." 

- Ralph Waldo Emerson

Take time to evaluate your write routine.  Check on your writing fitness.

Do you follow the ritual of a daily workout to exercise your writing muscles?  

Which aspects of the process make you look forward to writing?

When you do not want to write, do you create diversions to make the routine fun? 

All writers have times they do not feel like writing. A difference exists between periodical feelings of not wanting to write and a dislike of the writing. Often a change in your current writing habit will provide new sparks when you feel cranky. Discover ways to muscle beyond temporary limitations.

Let free forms of writing stir the passion inside.

Freewriting energizes the fingers and brain.  Permit yourself to do it without the heavy lifting of judgment. Play music to inspire the flow.  Laugh as you tap the keys or push the pen.  Keep your writing fluid, fun and fanciful. 

Five to Ten Minute Drills:

Write your favorite quotations or poems across the top of the page and move into them with responses. Add sounds, scents and tastes. Go for ten minute sprints.           

Let your personality become reflected in writing. Try five minute push ups for each area: Rant. Rave. Applaud life. Write silliness beyond the seriousness. Be grateful.

Write chants you knew as a child for five minutes.

Take a ten minute break to breathe and stretch.  If you have a yoga practice, do a series of sun salutations.

For ten minutes, write about ways to jump into escape: Retreat. Rewind. Reflect.  

Ignite your writing with fantasy for five sit ups.

Get active in movement with nouns and verbs. Do it for a fun ten minute run.

If you just do not feel like writing, draw and doodle. Create lines, circles and fill them in with colors.  You may find words nudging to come out?  Add them.

Walk around the block and carry a notepad.  Stop every ten steps. Look up and around.  Write and move on to the next ten steps.

Write two lines that rhyme.  Let the words go where they want.  Dit a dot.   Flip a plot.  Let words fly. 

Distract yourself by singing and writing. Let your writing fears dance with creativity.

A Write Routine: Use the above ideas to develop your own write routine. Exercise daily.