The Writing Habit

(I was requested to upload my talk at the Christian Writers Fellowship. Sharing with you an abridged version.)

No generic writing habit exists that can be used by all writers as a template. Each of us has a different rhythm. Some are allegro, some are staccato, some are lento, some are slightly or greatly in between. 

A writing habit, therefore, cannot be mandated. But we can learn from each other. Tonight, I hope you learn from mine. From these personal principles, you may realize that you already have your own—and it's even a better one.

Creative writing, as we writers know it, is not about words or grammar. Otherwise, all grammarians and English teachers would all be writers. I don't remember who said this, but it is a thought I share: "Writing is about heart and soul, about life. It's bringing the unique experiences in our life to the writing table for others to examine their own lives."

Having said that, let's look into the writing habits of some prolific writers:

Stephen King writes 10 pages a day without fail; Ernest "Papa" Hemingway wrote 500 words daily, starting early in the morning; Truman Capote had to write lying down, whether writing in longhand or using his typewriter; and Philip Roth paces around as he thinks, walking half a mile for every page he writes.

Philip Yancey—40% goes toward getting ready to write (research, interviews, travels, and outlining), 20% toward writing (the burden of composition), and 40% toward cleaning up (he enjoys this because he was once an editor); and Max Lucado constantly writes because he is a pastor and has to work on his sermons. He has written over 50 books since 1985.

It is awesome to talk about these authors and knowing their writing habits. Unfortunately, they're different from mine.

Busyness and procrastination—those are two of the biggest battles we writers face. The busyness I have solved by leaving the paid workforce. Now 80% of my time is spent on writing and the rest of the 20% to other things like teaching, reading, book talks, and conducting seminars on creative writing.

Procrastination—well, that comes and goes, with any job, in various forms. And writers are no exception.

By God's nurturing grace, I have picked up Seven Writing Habits (with apologies to Stephen Covey) in the workplace which help me write books today. The advertising world was my learning lab. There I imbibed habits that have stuck like leeches: 

1. Play deaf. As an ad writer, I was in a big room with seven other writers. Imagine the droves of loud people who came in and out of there! I put on imaginary ear plugs, played deaf, and got my work done. Today, I can work in the noisiest of places.

2. Finish everything yesterday. When you asked anyone who gave you job, "When is this due?" he'd say, "yesterday." Work had to be done on time or you'd be 1) penalized by publications or TV networks; 2) lose the account; 3) lose your job. Today, I thrive on deadlines. If my editors don't give me a deadline, I give myself one.

3. Be a vendo machine. In meetings, clients demanded that you'd come up with ideas quickly, or a smart one-liner, like you were a vendo machine 24/7. Today, I always write down thoughts that invade my brain.

4. Begin with a big idea (or concept). Again, writing is about ideas. If you have a solid idea, the words will come. Today, I write words only after I have the big idea down pat.

5. Look at old things in a fresh way. "Expect the unexpected" "Resist the usual" were some of our buzzwords. Practically everything has been said before, so the challenge is to say it in a fresh new way. Today, I continually self-edit, rewriting phrases I've already said before.

6. Write wherever you are, every day. Writing didn't happen only when our hands were on the keyboard. The writing process was ongoing in every space we occupied. Today, I write in my head in supermarkets, book stores, buses, classrooms, etc. every single day. 

7. Do a Creative Strategy. Before any creative work was ever begun, one had to be guided by a strategy. Otherwise, everything was off-strat and trashed. Today, I write down a one-page strategy for every book that I write.

My creative intent has changed. From selling shampoos, toothpastes, and sanitary napkins, I have moved to . . . selling hope. And therefore, I have felt it necessary to change HABIT, a very inert word, into a series of action words, or verbs.

H—Heed your heart, write about what it tells you about hope.

A—Accomplish your daily goal, one day at a time.

B—Break the barriers that block your writing by writing. 

I—Internalize the big idea. Let it swim in your soul, in your core.

T—Trust God to give you wisdom. Every word is for Him and for others to know Him. 

(Some of the attendees: all writers [and editors], including the little ones)