by Lisa Jordan, @lisajordan
Years ago, when writing was a hobby, I wrote when I wanted or when inspiration struck. With two little boys at that time, my focus was on my family. As my boys grew older and more independent, I was able to shift some of my focus on my writing. Since I worked during the day, I wrote in the evenings while my boys did their homework or on Saturdays when they were busy with other things.
However, once I received my first book contract and needed to meet deadlines, my writing schedule needed to change. I needed to establish a good routine that fit with my lifestyle but also allowed me to focus on my writing. Otherwise, I risked putting off my writing goals and not meeting my deadline.
As I continued to grow my career, I realized the importance of an established writing routine. Since I balance my writing with a day job as well as family and church obligations, I have a two-hour window each morning when I can write. Showing up and doing the work has helped me to get my books written and grow my writing career. Here are the three advantages that came from building that habit:
- Discipline
- Creativity
- Productivity
By establishing a writing routine, I created a habit and disciplined myself about the importance of keeping that scheduled time for my job—yes, writing is one of my jobs. If I were working outside the home, I wouldn’t leave in the middle of the morning because I didn’t feel like doing what my boss wanted—at least not if I wanted to keep the job. By viewing our writing as a job even before that first contract is signed, then we’re disciplining ourselves to set a time, show up, and do the work. Otherwise, it’s too easy to fill in that writing timeslot with other activities and appointments.
Disciplining ourselves with a routine also helps us to set goals and create a timeline to know how long it will take to achieve them. Knowing how much time we have for writing sessions enables us to present smart and realistic timelines to our editors.
Look at your schedule and lifestyle and determine how often you’re able to write each week. If specific days work, then determine how many hours you can write on those days. Keep showing up at that time on those days so you can establish a habit that becomes routine. Even if you work outside the home, you can still discipline yourself to write in order to meet your writing goals.
Speaking of writing goals, establishing a writing routine will help keep your creativity active. When you have an established routine, you’ll have the mental expectation of when you’ll be writing again. That way, you can ponder what you’re planning to write next and get your scene or chapter set up. Your writing time will be more productive because you’ve done the pre-work, and you can get words on the page.
Before I begin a new story, I use Susan May Warren’s The Story Equation to get to know my characters and their story goals. Once I have their SEQs in place, I can plot out their stories by creating two scenes per chapter. I determine what the POV character in each scene wants, why it’s important, what obstacles need to be overcome, and what’s at stake if the scene goal isn’t met. Knowing those details keeps my creativity active instead of floundering about what I’m going to write.
As I mentioned earlier, showing up and doing the work gets the books written. Establishing a writing routine will help you to become more productive because you’re using your writing time wisely. Put your phone on silent (your favorites can still call if there’s an emergency), close your browser windows so you’re not distracted by social media, and close your mail program. If you don’t mind the sound, turn on quiet background music to help with your focus.
By learning to establish a writing routine and using that dedicated time for working on your novel, you’ll be writing smarter, which means you’ll be writing faster. The more you write, the more books you can sell. The more books you sell, the more money you can make. The more money you make, the more you can grow your writing career. Perhaps you’ll get to a point where you can afford to leave your day job and focus exclusively on your writing. But, in order for that to happen, you need to get the words on the page.
A fight for her future…
Might not be the one she thinks.
Returning home after losing her job, Macey Stone agrees to care for the daughter of old friend Cole Crawford. Then she discovers that Cole’s uncle’s company wants to bulldoze her family’s land. Seeing the devoted dad with his child soon has her falling for the enemy. But can she choose between saving Stone River Ranch…and helping the man who’s stolen her heart?
Heart, home, and faith have always been important to Lisa Jordan, so writing stories with those elements come naturally. Represented by Cynthia Ruchti of Books & Such Literary Management, Lisa is an award-winning author for Love Inspired, writing contemporary Christian romances that promise hope and happily ever after. Her latest book, Rescuing Her Ranch, released in January 2023. She is the content manager for Novel Academy, powered by My Book Therapy. Happily married to her own real-life hero for over thirty years, Lisa and her husband have two grown sons. When she isn’t writing, Lisa enjoys quality family time and being creative with words, photos, fibers, and papers. Learn more about her at lisajordanbooks.com.