Consistent writing practice is one in which you not only make writing a daily habit but also find joy and fulfillment as you do.
In this blog, I discuss the process that closes the final gap in the process of creating a daily writing practice.
This is Part 3 of the daily writing practice series.
In Part 1, we talked about finding a personal word count. In Part 2, we worked on scheduling your writing time.
Here, we try to answer some very important questions –
How do you keep up with the writing practice?
How do you know what to write?
How do you NOT stare at a blank page during your writing time?
As I’ve said before, writing time is not thinking time.
Writing time is sacred time.
Do you spend your writing time thinking about what to write or ruminating about what your characters need to do, without getting any real writing done?
Do you see blocks of your writing time go waste as you stare at the blank page?
If you answered yes to any or both of these questions, then you know what I’m talking about.
Here, I discuss the creative process called incubation that works behind the scenes and gets a lot done when you’re not actually writing.
How to develop a consistent writing routine – Part 3
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What is story incubation?
Every creative project juggles a lot of ideas that need incubation time.
Incubation time is the time you need to think about ideas, solve problems, and receive answers to the plot questions you may have.
It is the time you fill up your well.
It is the time to ruminate over what you’re working on and to think about what you’re going to write about next.
Where do you find story incubation time?
Incubation time can be scheduled just like your writing time.
As you’re doing routine work throughout the day like cooking, driving, or going for a walk, think about your writing.
What will happen next in the story?
How will you write the next scene?
What will the conflict in the scene be?
I recommend making the incubation of your writing process a daily practice too because it feeds into the first two parts of making writing a daily practice and produces an uninterrupted flow of ideas and words that will keep your writing going without a break.
Two ways to incubate ideas during your writing process
Make incubation time as sacred as your writing time.
I have planned as well as unplanned incubation time, and I will share my favourites in each category below.
Planned Incubation time for story writing
Setting aside time for incubating your ideas every day is very useful to generate new ideas, hash the old ones, and keep or discard what is or is not useful.
Over the years, I’ve looked at three different ways to incorporate planned incubation time into my writing practice.
As you read through these activities, think about how you can incorporate one or more of them into your day seamlessly and with little effort so that it does not become a burden but fuel to charge your writing day.
1. Journaling
I’ve been practicing journaling first thing every morning for many years. It centers me and puts me in a positive frame of mind for the entire day.
Stream of consciousness writing, a great way to journal your thoughts, helps you to put your fears, anxieties, worries, onto the page to free your mind to think about your life, work, happiness, and all the other things that you have planned for the day.
Journaling is also a good way to write down your thoughts about the scene that’s bothering you and come out with ideas to solve them. Ask some questions and write down 25 answers that come to mind. Some of them may seem whacky but some of them could be gold.
I also use this method to come up with titles for my books or conflicts in scenes.
Sometimes, writing out the troublesome scene by hand in your journal will bring out unexpected nuances of the scene that you never thought possible.
Do this first thing as soon as you wake up for the most positive and magical results.
2. Reading
Reading fiction or non-fiction is another go-to for getting great ideas for your story.
Reading provides fodder for thought. Sometimes a scene in the book you’re reading may trigger a completely tangential thought, though completely unrelated, to the problem you’re facing in your own book.
Reading improves language and vocabulary.
Have you ever struggled with the right word for a gesture or action?
Have you wanted to find that word that’s usually at the tip of your tongue but you can’t seem to find it now?
Reading helps with those kinds of situations.
Reading helps great sentences flow easily in your writing too.
Try reading every day to see vast improvements in your writing.
3. Routine / Mundane tasks
When I’m cooking or folding the laundry, it’s usually a great time to think of the scene that I’m working on.
Making this a habit on a daily basis will make sure you are never short of ideas when you sit down to write.
Unplanned Incubation time for story writing
These are some ways to include unplanned incubation time into your day.
These practices are also very useful in idea generation and re-generation.
1. Watching movies
Movies are a great source of inspiration for stories.
They are a source of entertainment as well as learning. Watching movies can often get you out of a stuck spot or a writer’s block.
Movies are well-structured and can be a great guide to how to structure your story.
If you enjoy a movie so much that you’d love to re-watch it, try to figure out why?
Is it because it has wonderful characters, action, or storyline?
What appeals to you in any movie can be brought forth into your own stories.
I have used movies to get me out of stuck places many times.
Just watching the hero take action when he has to woo a girl or when he is down in the dumps can trigger an idea to use for your book.
Watching a movie is one of my favourite incubation techniques and I often lean towards it after finishing the first draft or if I’m really stuck.
2. Brainstorming
Brainstorming is when you run your ideas by another friend or anybody who loves discussing stories.
It is best to indulge in this activity before you start writing so that you can nip an idea in the bud if you decide that you don’t have enough of an idea to build an entire plot.
Or, in the middle of a story, if you feel stuck.
You can lay out the outline of the story as you brainstorm.
This helps to identify gaps or holes in the story that had never occurred to you.
I use this process to run the story idea by someone before I start writing, especially if I’m not sure if the idea is a good one. Or if I think the idea is good but I just want to know what others think.
This is a great way to get unstuck, generate new ideas, or hash out existing ones to give a great boost to your story idea.
3. Making lists
This is my favourite idea when most things have failed.
While I like to brainstorm and run ideas by other trusted friends, I do enjoy making lists to get all the possibilities that are inside my head into a list form.
That way everything is right in front of me and gives me great ideas to bounce off of.
4. Going for walks
Going for a walk can help unclog certain stuck viewpoints in the story.
There is something about an unstructured physical activity like walking that can unclear some of the brain fog.
5. People Watching
Coffee shops, malls, parks are great for people watching.
There are fun things waiting to be discovered as you watch people go about their business and allow you to watch them in peace.
Overheard snippets of conversations, a multitude of facial expressions and body language, and pure imagination can stir up a whole set of new ideas for your brain.
6. Asking a question
If a problematic story situation has been troubling me for a long time, I like to ask a question about it before going to bed.
And I usually find that the answer seems to miraculously appear out of nowhere the next day.
It could come from a new idea that occurs to me, or a conversation I’m having with someone, or it could be something random.
If you’re having a story dilemma, ask a question about what should occur in the story, and keep your eyes and ears open to receive an answer.
Summary
To sum up, a daily routine that includes one or several of these incubation techniques takes care of most writing problems like not knowing what to write, not having an idea, or having a problem that keeps you stuck.
These incubation techniques are wonderful ways to get your creative juices flowing and to propel you to finish that draft you’re working on.
I hope you enjoyed learning about them.
Using them will really transform your writing process and make daily writing a productive and satisfying experience.
Book Recommendations for you:
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A habit developed the right way goes a long way in achieving a lot more than you can imagine:
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You can find all my books here at BOOKS.
I’d love to hear if you found this article useful!
You can write to me at sudha@sudhanair.com
