How I Set Up My Writing Habit

And wrote for 14 weeks straight like I meant it (so far).

This summer I decided to give writing a chance. A real one. A few random posts I published ages ago live on my Medium profile, but I hadn’t made the decision to put a serious effort into it yet.

To get good or better at anything, you need to practice.

My practice had thus far never been consistent. You won’t increase your stamina if you jog for 2 miles once per month. I will never become a better dancer by endlessly looking at dance gods online. You will never learn to bake the perfect cheese cake by merely reading a cook book.

I’ve read plenty of posts from successful writers who share how they got where they are now. In the end, it comes down to a simple, unglamorous, bare fact.

They wrote. They wrote shitloads. And they did so consistently.

I can read plenty of books on copywriting, headlines, and human psychology, yet never touch the keyboard myself. Nicolas Cole’s latest book is sitting on my night shelf, eager to be consumed by my brain, which I’m looking forward to! However, I will never reach his 10K daily word count by only reading. It needs to go hand in hand with practice.

Read. Then apply what you read in the real world.

The key component is still: practice. I am as shocked as you. That’s why I decided to place my focus in this initial stage of becoming a better writer on:

My monthly goal is to publish 30 pieces, here on Medium. I aim to write consistently, every day, to train my writing muscle, and make it easier for my brain to put words to paper.

Back in July, I remember it took me several days to finish one piece. And it took a lot of effort. I produced an average quantity of maybe two to three pieces, per week. Now, only a little over three months in, I doubled my output. It’s not there yet, but…

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