Creative Conundrums #7: Writing Routine Vs Writing Whenever
A Writer's Corner series dedicated to challenges and worries throughout the creative process, doubts, queries and everything in between.
Apologies, Well Wishes and Past Instalments of Creative Conundrums
Let us address the elephant in the room right off the bat, shall we? I have not posted a Creative Conundrum since March of 2023. It is not often that words fail me, but in this instance, they do. While the Substack community has always been very supportive, and I am sure none of you will need or want me to apologise, I do apologise for dropping off the face of the earth out of the blue. Nothing remarkable stood in the way of Substack creativity, or writing privately for that matter: I did not win the lottery and go on a ten-month trip around the globe, living my best life; surprisingly thankfully, I was involved in no disaster either.
My special thanks are extended to all of you that are still around and have not given up on the publication that does not publish! I am working towards a comeback and harbour hope I will stay (even if 2024 is shaping up to be equally, if not busier, than 2023; about that, later).
Next, I express my thanks to any new Writer’s Corner subscribers. To the people, who have taken an interest in this Newsletter despite its lack of content, I thank you, and look forward to interacting with you, going forward. Feel free to drop a comment on any existing post; it would be a pleasure to get to know you.
If any of you would like to remind themselves of previous editions of the Creative Conundrums series, I have included links below. Apart from #1 and #2, which are inter-related, the conundrums can be read in isolation and in any order you wish.
Creative Conundrums #2: Individual Publications or Publication Sections?
Creative Conundrums #4: What Are the Substack ... Things Called?
Lastly, to those of you celebrating, Merry Christmas! Enjoy the holiday with your family and friends. I am wishing you all the very best.
What is Creative Conundrums?
“What is Creative Conundrums”, you ask yourself. It is a series - if someone has a finer term for it, I would steal it in a heartbeat - dedicated to questions of creative nature, worrisome thoughts, plaguing insecurities, and day-to-day challenges that I wrestle with.
Over the years, I have realised that much of what we often consider to be unique to our personalities, for example the tendency to be indecisive, or circumstances, say our education background or job, resonates with others louder than we have ever imagined.
Creative Conundrums will, therefore, serve two purposes:
Aid me in un-baffling myself through endless rambling and mind backflips, and
Provide solace to you in the realisation that you are not alone in your troubles (Fingers crossed, sound practical advice will be a welcome by-product).
Without further ado, off we go to discover Creative Conundrum #7.
Creative Conundrums #7: Writing Routine Vs Writing Whenever? Context
I would not describe myself as a total astrology addict, but I have always enjoyed reading about the characteristics of the various star signs, and tend to nod in agreement with whatever is being said about Gemini. If you have an interest in the zodiac signs and / or are a Gemini yourself, you will recognise that consistency and organisation do not appear in the ‘Positive Traits’ section of our profile. My mother, a Capricorn and rather different to little old me, used to regularly point out the tendency towards … stopping and starting, and disarray when I was a child and a growing teenager.
Fast forward some twenty years, in my job, I have to be incredibly well-organised, and I am. The odds were stacked against me from the beginning, but I work better when I have a deadline looming over me than when I am left to my own devices. It is when a task has no real urgency (as rarely as that happens) and I have complete freedom that I start fleeting from one thing to another, becoming bored out of my mind pronto. With a cut-off date, bored or not, I suck it up and GIFD.
Creative Conundrums #7: Writing Routine Vs Writing Whenever? The Actual Conundrum
Why then am I unable to cultivate the same discipline that I exercise at work in respect of my personal projects, incl. writing? Consider this Substack, for example. Created almost exactly a year ago, I wrote at regular intervals for the first few months, after which I allowed work to completely occupy my existence, dropping this Substack (and all other writing endeavours) like a hot potato.
I have attempted coming up with a doable writing routine but I have failed to stick to it. Every. Single. Time. Writing in the morning, before work, is out of the question if I need to travel to any office such as London or Edinburg, or I have a *cough* deadline that I need to hit but am in back to back meetings from 8am to 5pm.
Writing after work, at 5:30pm for example, becomes impossible when someone books a call with me at 6pm (and this, of course, is over and above the mental exhaustion I feel from listening, talking, writing and reading for nine hours without a break).
A less stringent approach, whereby I improvise in accordance with my schedule, has proved similarly unsuccessful. Sporadic writing means I lose the muscle memory and the sense of habit. Perhaps, unlike some of you, I cannot simply pick it back up from where I left off. I turn the handle on things after a while, but then, presto: another deadline is on the horizon (and I mean a bigger, pressing one, because the reality is I have them on a daily basis).
I feel like a hamster on a hamster wheel.
Creative Conundrums #7: Writing Routine Vs Writing Whenever? Your Thoughts
This is why I am after some advice. I would be grateful for any tips on how to do better, for I truly enjoy writing, and would hate nothing more than, one day, thinking ‘What if’.
Over to you, my friends. What are your thoughts on Writing Routine Vs Writing Whenever?
My prompts for this topic are:
Have you created a Writing Routine, or do you prefer grabbing opportunities for writing whenever they present themselves? In your opinion, what are some of the pros and cons of either technique?
How did you find out which method worked (better) for you? Did you trial both?
What did you do to create and maintain a successful Writing Routine, particularly if you have a demanding, unpredictable full-time job?
If you are ‘winging’ it, how do you ensure you stay consistent and show up at your desk? How do you prevent ‘losing momentum’?
Do you happen to be someone that uses both a Writing Routine and Writing Whenever approach depending on season and / or other commitments, e.g., holidays, peak and troughs at work, etc.?
I would love to hear your opinion on this topic in the comments section below!
Be gentle with yourself ♥️ Little and often is better than infrequent chunks (imo). Enjoy the catching up!
Wonderful to have you back, Siya. Honestly don’t beat yourself up -- Substack is going nowhere. It’ll always be here for you to pick up when YOU’RE ready.
For me, building a writing habit is about knowing what my bare minimum is per day or per week. Some days it’s five minutes on my phone’s notes app, or an hour in my handwritten notebook, or one A5 page. I always have time to write to at least one of these bare minimums. The worst thing you can do is beat yourself up. Build a daisy chain where you write a small amount each day and anything extra is a bonus. I choose to have multiple methods to write (phone, notepad, etc) so I maximise the possibilities wherever I am. I can be sitting outside school waiting to pick up and I’ll write for five minutes, for example. With this chunking method I’m written every day for over three years. It’s not a great accolade, as some days I’ve only written for a few moments but I’ve WRITTEN!
Fab post with some really thoughtful questions. Great to have you here again ♥️