“How can I build a writing habit that I can actually stick with?”

A regular writing habit is one of the most critical elements of a writer’s life. While there are some among us who can write intermittently as they wait for inspiration to strike or time to write to appear, many more of us do better with a systematic approach to our writing. While generally I’m not a “don’t break the chain” fan, starting with regular, consistent writing will help you create a lasting writing habit that works.

Here are five steps to help you get there:

Step 1. Start small and start now

When you’re struggling to create a writing habit you can stick with, start small and as soon as possible (today, tomorrow or even right now). Begin with a small goal that won’t trigger fear and resistance; one that you can easily complete.

Many writers think they need to “find” big blocks of time in order to write regularly, but I’ve seen that actually work against most writers when it comes to getting a writing habit jumpstarted. First, we don’t “find” time to write; we make it.  And second, large, open-ended quantities of time tend to paralyze writers, not motivate them.

Instead of trying to find huge swaths of time to write on a weekend, set aside five to 15 minutes of time each day to get you started (we’ll talk about building up to more in step five). You might get out of bed 15 to 30 minutes early to make time to write; dedicate part of your lunch hour to writing, write when you get home, write before you go to bed instead of scrolling Facebook or watching TV, or write first thing on a weekend morning before the rest of life takes over.

Step 2. Know what you’re working on

When you sit down to write, have a plan for what you’ll work on so you don’t just sit there and stare at a blank page.

While you’re at it, be clear about what “counts” as writing; I include all writing-related tasks that move the story forward other than research. For example; brainstorming, plotting, outlining, character development, drafting pages, revising, editing, proofreading, and polishing all count in my book.

Here are some examples of plans for your writing time:

• If you’re in the development stage, use your writing time to brainstorm concepts; do character and story development work, plan your plot points, outline, or tackle other pre-writing work you need to do before you start pages.

• If you’ve done all your pre-writing and you’re ready to write pages, your writing plan might include fleshing out your scenes in advance using a scene template or diving straight into writing them.

• If you’re revising, you might start by crafting a revision plan, then systematically tick off the boxes of that plan during your writing time, one by one.

Step 3. Focus on time in, not pages written

Once you’ve decided on your writing time and your writing plan, sit down at your appointed time, set a timer and write.

Although it might sound a little silly, a timer helps you focus on writing and nothing else, so you’re less tempted to skip off and check your email or Facebook. Pressing “start” on your timer becomes a trigger for writing.

As you progress, track your writing time using a log or tracking system. There are online options and apps you can use, or you can use a spreadsheet of your own making (I offer one in my Ultimate Writer’s Toolkit). You can also go the low-tech route and track your time in a bullet journal or other favorite paper method.

Here’s why: A screenplay — from embryonic concept to first draft to rewrites to final shooting script — has a long time horizon. It’s too easy to focus only on how much there is left to go and to forget what you’ve already accomplished. And while page counts are useful measuring tools when you’re writing new pages, they’re all but useless in the development or revision stages of writing. Tracking your writing time helps you see, measure and remember what you’ve completed. It strengthens your determination and resolve to keep going.

Step 4. Write daily at first, then continue with daily or near-daily writing

Now that writing is happening, keep it going by writing every day for at least the next two weeks to 30 days. Making the point to write daily helps anchor it as a routine in your life. Even when you’re writing for just a small amount of time, the consistency with which you show up and keep showing up will make it easier and easier to sustain over time.

Ideally, you’ll pair your writing time with a trigger — something you’re already doing every day — to help cement the routine. For example, if you always get a cup of coffee when you get up, use that as your trigger to go sit down to write. Or if you eat lunch at the same restaurant every day, that can be your trigger to write.

Once you’ve got daily writing down, you can experiment with taking one or two days off each week until you find the combination of writing days on and days off that works for you. Some writers find taking any time off at all causes their writing resistance to build to almost insurmountable levels, which creates a huge struggle to get back to it. Pay attention to how long you can reasonably go between writing sessions without cascading into writing avoidance, and make sure you’re not exceeding that amount as you refine your writing schedule.

Step 5. Build up to more over time

Once you have your consistency, schedule and routine down, you can build up to more daily writing time. You probably already have an ideal amount of time you’d like to be hitting, so you can incrementally nudge yourself closer to that amount.

I recommend increasing your writing time in small doses — say 15-minute additions at a time — until you’ve stretched yourself to the place you want to be. If at any time you find yourself blowing off your planned writing session, decrease the amount of time you’re targeting until you’re able to see it through.

A parting thought

If you’re now wondering if writing for 15 minutes a day will accomplish enough to even be worth it, the answer is yes. In 15 minutes a day, I wrote a full draft of a script in six months. Sure, I write faster now. But six months for a script was far faster and far more than I would have written in zero minutes a day.

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Your weekend writer’s assignment

If you’ve not been writing consistently or want to rebuild your writing habit, before you go to sleep tonight make a deal with yourself to get up and work on your current screenplay for 15 minutes, first thing when you wake up (or pick another time of day that works for you). Then do it again the next day. If you’ve already got something of a routine going, look for ways you can tighten and strengthen your writing habit based on what I’ve shared here. And happy writing!