Falling – and staying – in love with your writing

Two thirds of the way through NaNoWriMo! How’s your November going?

A writer friend recommended this post on a writing session wind-down routine, which, at a practical level, is applicable to any writing you’re doing, whether it’s your dissertation or a novel or a series of blog posts. Here’s the key bit:  

…a process-focused exercise I do at the end of every writing session. Here’s the template I use:

1. Three things that are working well in the draft

2. Two concerns I have about the draft

3. One question I will answer in my next writing session

As a rule, I always keep my answers concrete and craft-focused. “I’m worried that my character’s goals are too abstract” is a concrete, solvable concern whereas “I’m worried that I’m not a ‘good’ writer” is not. Along with that, I also make myself answer each bullet point in a single sentence. This constraint prevents the exercise from eating into my writing time. 

Overall, this wind-down routine does two important things to help me combat my dilemma. First, by acknowledging my strengths and concerns, I’m able to leave my anxiety at the desk. This way I’m not constantly worrying about my book when I’m watching TV or hanging out with my friends. This exercise also encourages me to be curious about the writing process. If I’m curious about the process, I’m more invested in the writing itself rather than the final product. Thanks to this routine . . . I’ve found a lot more joy when I sit down to write.

Beyond the super-useful template for keeping yourself on track and motivated for the next day, Kat Lewis addresses writing with the goal of publication:

I realized my goal of being a traditionally published novelist is an unsolvable dilemma. I am a Black woman writing about the Black experience in South Korea, hoping to publish in a very white industry. The odds are inherently against my work. But this past summer, I realized that a shift in perception could save my writing life. 

She realized she had to change her mindset:

But now, I’ve reframed my perception, and I write for the sake of writing. This way, even if I fail at traditional publishing, I still succeeded at what I set out to do. This shift in perception was a necessary transformation for my writing life to survive. It’s easy to say, “Change your outlook and your mental health will be great,” but what does that look like in practice? For me, it all comes down to the writing wind-down routine I do at the end of each session.

And so she applies the wind-down routine so that she’s always moving forward, which, perhaps, is a victory we all want for our writing.

Just in case you were worried that Kat Lewis’ writing isn’t published, you can find a couple of taut micro stories in Best Microfiction 2022, which I just happened to be reading for inspiration this weekend. If you’re into stories under 300 words, I recommend it!