Eight Habits of Highly Effective Writers

(With apologies to Stephen Covey, of course.) (But lists of habits really do work!)

Photo by Alex Lion on Unsplash

Writing is a mysterious practice, so the best thing you can do is to apply logic and systems wherever you can. You can’t conjure a perfect sentence using some practice or program, but you can create an environment in which the likelihood of you being able to create that sentence is increased. It’s a lot like using the right equipment when you cook or play a sport. The equipment can’t provide the inventive twist in a dish or the soaring backhand that wins the game, but setting up the best possible situation for yourself helps foster those inspired moments. So here’s a checklist that can point you in the right direction:

1. Read, read, read. Most importantly, read the writers whose work you admire, and examine it closely. Try to figure out what qualities make the work successful. Dissect it. I was just looking at a Joan Didion piece and noting (not for the first time) how so much of her mesmerizing tone is the result of stringing together long sentences that seem to spill off the page. It made me remember that as a technique, and try it now and then when I feel my piece is too choppy.
2. Write, write, write. This might sound horribly obvious, but I want to hark back to a column I wrote a year or so ago in which I argue the point that creativity is not a finite asset that you must portion out sparingly. It’s more of a muscle that needs to be worked in order to be strengthened. In my early career, I often took assignments that were not optimal just to have a chance to write, and I have never regretted it. Each one was an opportunity to practice. Each one taught me something.
3. Give yourself a daily goal. For me, the best daily goal is a word count, but if you respond better to a time goal, or some other metric of your work, use that. The point is to have a finite, achievable goal every day, so that you can work towards it and feel a sense of accomplishment when you make it. It’s very defeating to have a looming deadline; break it into manageable pieces and bang ’em out day by day.
4. Find a trusted reader. Make it someone with whom you feel comfortable sharing very rough drafts; in other words, don’t have it be the person you’re…