Hi SEers. John is with you on this hump day. I hope your week is going well. If not, just hang in there since relief is only three days away. Today, …

Ten Writer Habits That Are a Detriment to the Writing Process

This post hit a little too close to home.

You all know I don’t shy away from sharing my personal experiences with you. The past 2-3 years have been very tough for me, a time of a lot of changes, transitions, and learning to do things differently. The struggle has bled into every area of my life, including—and even especially—writing.

When I was younger, I could churn out book after book like nobody’s business. I tore through novels in a day. Now, with less time, much less energy (thanks, Hashimoto’s!), and a brain that works a bit differently, I’m having to adjust my writing process to figure out what works and what doesn’t. Along the way, sadly, habits of self-doubt set in. Habits of perfectionism and lack of planning were implanted in me long ago and have only gotten worse as I’ve been forced to face the reality of how dangerous they are.

But, I’ve learned new habits. Being proud of myself. Being okay with imperfection. How to plan (which I’m still working on, but getting much better at!).

Habits are key, as John points out in this post. I highly recommend reading it and the other post about good writing habits that he links at the beginning. It’s a good idea to take stock of your habits every now and then to see what needs to change.

Happy writing!
—E.J.