3 Writing Habits You Need To Stop

Writers are not immune to bad habits especially when it comes to staying hydrated, sitting up straight, keeping our desks clean, not procrastinating our writing, taking breaks when looking at screens for hours on end, or finding excuses why we just haven't finished that novel yet. 

Among others. 

Well, none of these habits are good and in the long run, each can be intentionally hazardous to our health and some habits just stand out amongst the rest as ones that we need to collectively put a stop to - without finding a reason to procrastinate. 

 Seeking Perfection 

We all want our novels to be the best they can be, but most of us have that evil little voice buried inside of our heads that causes us to criticize things about ourselves or things that we have done, even when there is nothing wrong with them. 

All we should be aiming for is the best that we can achieve, writing with our best intentions and hoping for the best. We can only polish it and rework it so many times before it falls apart. 

Being Too Rigid Or Too Loose in Your Outlines 

Don't run away just because I used the word outline, think of it as whatever word makes you more comfortable with its concept. Blueprint, layout, guideline, or the structure of your story. 

Whether you are a pantser or a plotter, every writer should have at least one sheet of paper beside them when they write with the bare bones of their story. 

Character names, settings, and major plot points.

This sheet of paper needs to have enough information that you can reference it in times that you get stuck, but not too much that you take away the exploratory part of writing.  

Waiting For The Right Moment 

"If you only write when you're inspired you may be a fairly decent poet, but you'll never be a novelist because you're going to have to make your word count today and those words aren't going to wait for you whether you're inspired or not." Neil Gaiman 

 There's not much that I can add to this one that wasn't already said. 

Inspiration may have those moments where it sneaks up behind you, taps you on the shoulder, and tells you that it's time to go write. However, these moments are far between and if you only wrote in the moment that you were feeling inspired you will never finish writing your novel. 

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Out of the many bad habits that writers have, they also have some good ones such as always being able to get lost in daydreams, paying close attention to anyone they speak with, and sure they may not remember what you said, but they will be able to describe back to you exactly how you said it and how your eyes sparkled when you did.  

Now go write. 

With love, 

B.K. xo xo

Want to write with me live? I'm now on Twitch! Come join me in some writing sprints most days at 10:00 pm EST

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