8 tips to build a consistent writing habit
Drafts are not meant to be chronological or organized. Jot down an experience that you want to pull from, switch scenes, or try something different entirely in the scene.
Hello and Salaams my friends,
I hope you’re faring well and your writing is going smoothly. We’re back again with another guest post containing several tips to help you make progress with your writing project.
Ever since I completed NaNoWriMo last year, I only get two questions about my novel:
“What’s it about?”
“How did you do it?”
And I would like to share the process which helped me complete my novel successfully within in a month. But just to note, your timeframe doesn’t have to be one month, it could be longer or shorter, the aim was building consistency with my writing practice by showing up to the page daily in order to get that first draft done.
Make your writing time sacred.
In any venture—our careers, our home, learning a new language, and so forth—this is one of the top tips you’ll get. I found it very helpful to carve out my writing time in my calendar beforehand. For me, that was the night, after work was over and my other responsibilities were finished.
Cut out distractions.
I compared NaNo to Ramadan in our previous email, and that’s because the parallel is too apt. I highly recommend fasting from social media and other distractions. Delete apps from your phone if you must. Ask a friend to change your password for you, and have them keep it until the end of your self-assigned deadline.
In general, my notifications are always off. If people want to reach me, or if something is urgent, they have my number.
Add barakah (blessing) to your time.
Try to also find ways to add barakah (blessing) to your time. Don’t give up Qur’an for writing, or your other obligations. One of the reasons nighttime worked for me was because most people were quiet then. But I still made an effort to pray ‘Isha after out of gratitude to Allah for being able to make it through another writing session. Early mornings also work for this reason—but it wasn’t my preference, as I wanted to read Qur’an during this time.
Have backup time.
It’s also helpful to have “backup time.” Some days, I was behind, and I found time in other ways—30 minutes after sunrise, or my lunch break. When you don’t have time, you make it. And if you can’t make it, you find it.
Push your limits.
In Ramadan, reading the Qur'an for two hours is easy because we remind ourselves of the reward. The same happens in NaNoWriMo—when we remind ourselves that we’ll have a whole book by the end of the month, writing for two hours can also be easy.
At my best sprint, I wrote 1,146 words in 25 minutes–that’s 46 wpm!
Prepare.
I took not only the free resources for “Preptober” but also made a “Preptember.” This meant bulk grocery-shopping and carving out times beforehand. Work yourself up to the attainable 1,667 words a day.
Write what you want.
Sometimes your brain doesn’t want to pick up from the scene you left off on. Remember that you’re working on a draft. Drafts are not meant to be chronological or organized. Jot down an experience that you want to pull from, switch scenes, or try something different entirely in the scene. What would happen if there was a spy listening into the conversation going on? How about if someone were to slip up private information?
The goal is to write. You can always edit later—and don’t worry, you’ll be doing a lot of it.
Keep community close.
Accountability buddies are so important for different aspects of life. Whether you’re asking a friend to come exercise with you or to send pictures of each other’s food to eat well, having someone alongside the journey with you makes it all the more easier to embark on.
I was fortunate enough to join the DFW Rhinos Discord, where daily sprints would happen. When I saw one had begun, it motivated me to join. There were other channels dedicated to encouragement, questions, artwork, and more.
We have something similar with QALB. Peruse the prompts, or air out your grievances with writing. It’s likely someone else is thinking the same thing—but just hasn’t voiced it!
Bismillah.
These are just a handful of tips to get you typing. We pray that this collective allows you to collect your thoughts and spread them throughout the world.
If you enjoyed Hannah’s piece and would love to contribute to the newsletter, kindly reach out at qalbwriterscollective@gmail.com.
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Till next Friday,
Suad x
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