Developing Habits of the Mind As A Writer
Developing habits of the mind as a writer can mean the difference between getting the writing we set out to do done or not. Habits of the mind are central to overcoming endless distractions and what could become a habit of procrastinating that can produce a bout of writer’s block.
I have been reading a wonderful book entitled Page After Page by Heather Sellers. I am finding what she says about the writer’s life to be very wise and instructive. So, for the next few weeks, I will be blogging about her material and how I plan to be taking on some of the wisdom that she is proclaiming.
Today, I was reading about the importance for writers to write. It sounds very, very simple and easy but it is hard. It seems that writers will do anything to stay away from writing proper. We will read, write, think, plan, ponder, do library research, and just plain mope around. But actually sitting down and writing now that’s a different animal altogether.
I find her book to be very uplifting. She believes that almost everyone can write good stuff. All we have to do is sit down, conjure a state of complete dedication and complete openness and write.
Yes, my friends, we have to actually put pen to paper. Sounds easy. But, very, very hard for a lot writers to do.
But how can writers conjure a state of complete dedication and openness in order to write?
Well, it seems that all the preparation in terms of pen, paper, place, desk, and computer is easy. It is the habits of the mind that are so hard to develop. Writing requires that we develop certain habits of the mind. That is what is so hard to get right and to sustain for any length of time. Developing these needed habits of the mind can take a lot of dedicated practice over time.
Your life must somehow revolve around your writing and it must be central to it in order for you to succeed as a writer. A writer must devote a certain portion of their time and day to actual writing in order to realize the production of articles, essays, manuscripts, and so on. Writers can only actually develop a product that is written after having made and taken the time to actually do the work. There is nothing really stupendous about this observation. Most writers have made it at one time or another through the process of successfully producing something in writing. The greatest challenge, for many, however remains the actual doing of the work of the writing. Taking the time to actually actualize the discipline of committing to and accomplishing the task of writing.
I found with myself that to develop those habits of the mind I had to write each and every day for the first while. I had to sit down and just write. No excuses, no nonsense, and no distractions. I had to let the phone be answered by the answering machine. I had to not bother answering email or cruising the internet. I found it crucial to stay away from procrastinating temptations and realized that I just had to write.
In addition, I had to write before I got busy and did anything else in the day as often as I could. So, in my case, I would wake up around 5 a.m. and head to my study to write for a couple of hours before I had to get ready for and go to work. And I had to do that most days. On weekends, I did the same thing so that I could actually write consistently. The result has been that I have written a lot of manuscripts, articles, and stories as a result of unfolding my own process of writing.
When you put in the time, the writing does get done. It’s just setting that time and sticking to it that can make the difference between accomplishing something or not.
What develops the habits of the mind that writers need in order to write is actually writing. It is in the writing that we build mastery for the process and overcome the many challenges of distraction and procrastination.
© Irene S. Roth
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