Every writer has her own style and approaches writing differently. Some write in an office while others write at the corner coffee shop. Some have time to write non-stop for hours each day, while others can squeeze in only an hour here and there. Some have a strict routine while others take up their pen on a whim.
No matter what your style, applying discipline to your writing habits can go a long way toward improving your writing. While some might say following a routine squelches creativity and prevents the writer from fully succumbing to the muse, the evidence says otherwise. The top writers in the world — best-selling authors and screenwriters alike — consistently mention the routines they adhere to in order to get their words down on paper.
Getting the words on paper is what makes the difference between just saying you're a writer and actually being a successful writer.
The key to adopting a disciplined approach to writing is to start small. Sure, everyone wants to turn out twenty perfect pages per day, but it isn't likely to happen that way at first. Setting your goal that high will only lead to disappointment. A little discipline goes a long way, and it's much more motivating to work up to producing more words each day as time progresses than it is to find you're unable to meet your initial goal.
Start by giving yourself a requirement of only one page per day. Resolve to write at least three days per week. Make it not just a goal but a requirement. Stephen King forced himself to maintain a strict daily page count, and look where he is today.
Why discipline yourself by adhering to daily page counts or word counts instead of simply giving yourself the requirement to write for a certain length of time per day? One hour per day? Two hours? Because you'd be amazed at how much time you can kill while staring at a blank page. Make it a goal to write for one hour per day and you'll find out just how quickly an hour can pass without a single keystroke, but make it your goal to write one page per day and you'll find you have the urge to put something down on paper to fill that page.
Once you've decided on your minimum word or page count, you'll just sit down and write, right? If only it were that simple.
Having the discipline to write one page per day is an accomplishment in itself, but what should you write about? For many of us, the motivation to sit down and write doesn't always strike at the same time the ideas hit home. How to merge the two is another challenge altogether.
If you find yourself staring at that blank page with no ideas within your grasp, try journaling or random-topic writing. The Writing Fix website offers a random topic generator, available for free at the click of a mouse. Try clicking your way to a new idea. If you write fantasy or science fiction, check out the Fantasybits topic list for writing prompts.
Invest in a pocket-sized notebook for jotting down your ideas whenever you're out and about. Whether you're on the subway or in the checkout line at the grocery store, use your notebook to capture those fleeting thoughts. Write about character traits you'd like to incorporate in your stories. Make notes about possible story titles as you think of them, regardless of whether or not you have stories to go with them. Refer back to your notebook during those times when you're unable to meet that one-page-per-day quota without a little added inspiration.
For those who need additional prompting, try enrolling in a creative writing course at your local college or university. Most community colleges offer courses for a very reasonable price. Having a weekly homework assignment hanging over your head may be just the push you need to put that pen to paper. If enrolling in a college course isn't a viable option for you, join a local writers' group or an online critique group where you can receive encouragement from other writers in the same situation.
Remember, start small and build upward from there. One page per day will soon grow into two, three, and maybe even ten pages per day, and before you know it you'll be holding a completed manuscript or screenplay in your hands.
