Wanting to develop a writing habit?
Start and end each day with a question.
This is something that I developed for myself that’s really helped me. I have been aiming to write one thousand words a day as I gallop through the first draft of my book.
To fulfil that (my work is creative nonfiction) I have a loose outline I’ve created that gives the book a basic form, and from there I consider what each particular segment there is asking.
At the start of my writing time, I ask myself a question:
What about this subject do I want to say?
Why do I find it useful?
What interests me about it?
What would I really want other people to learn and know?
The questions often change, but they’re a start point. They sharpen my focus and give me direction. Whether I stay on the path they’ve provided is not their purpose. It’s just about momentum.
When I’m about to end my writing session, I leave a question for the next day. A clue to the thought stream I’ve just left and an invitation to expand and continue.
This way, I’ve found, the page is never truly blank.
The past version of myself also expected me to continue.
The past version of me trusts that I will carry on.