WWN23 : Writing Routines and Skinny Jeans

The lady climbed into the bathtub.

She sank into the warm water, immersing herself completely.

She surfaced, picked up a crisp apple and bit into it.

Then she closed her eyes, and as she enjoyed the sweet crunch of the apple, she planned a murder…

…the lady, of course, was Agatha Christie. Allegedly, she planned all of her sixty-plus murder mysteries using the above routine.

(I read it on the internet so it must be true.)

Perhaps you don’t like apples.

Perhaps you’d rather write at a standing desk in purple ink, like Lewis Carroll.

Perhaps you’d rather write in a notebook while riding a horse like Charles Wesley or Sir Walter Scott.

Perhaps you’d rather have four large screens, one of which has BBC news on a permanent loop, like Sir Terry Pratchett.

Perhaps you’d rather have a cupboard of five-hundred hats, which you put on at random when you’re stuck.

(That one was Dr Seuss.)

Perhaps you’d prefer to place one yellow rubber duck on your head and write until it falls off.

(That one I made up.)

Or perhaps you’re starting to sense the point of this issue of the Write Way Newsletter, which is that all the “writing routines” for success that the Content Creatoooor gurus love to wank about online are ninety percent bullshido.

(Did I give away the ending right at the start? I hope you’ll keep reading anyway. I do have some more to say on the way.)

But the truth is…

Writing routines are mostly bullshido

Which is to say that they’re full of fancy moves but do nothing at all.

Recently, there was even one poser online who said that just like a toddler who refused to eat unless you put the peas on a choo choo train, he pretended to be in an airplane to get work done…

…yeah, I know.

Lame.

Either lying for engagement or his brain is majorly messed up. Either way, not good.

Most of these Content Creatooooor guru routines are like skinny jeans for dudes. They look good on the rack but if you try and put them on they just constrict you uncomfortably.

(And if they don’t, gentlemen, please hit the gym until they do.)

Here is the routine that works:

Sit down. Write.

It’s three words long, and actually the first two are negotiable. I do a lot of writing standing up. I also do some sitting in a rocking chair with two floorboard across the arms propping up my laptop (drafted the introduction to this newsletter like that), some lying in bed, some in my head or on my phone or by dictation while walking, some in a comfy armchair, and some, like this paragraph, curled up on my living room sofa.

All that matters is that you write.

Now.

Can routines help with that?

Yes.

But unlike the guru Content Creatooooors online, I’m not interested in lying to you.

I’m not going to say that “I studied fifteen famousest writerinos and hey diddly lookee at this, they all did the same thing, give me engagement pleeeeeeeeeeeease!”

Because lookee, dear reader, the only thing that successful writers have in common is that they write. That’s literally it.

And anyone who actually studied their routines would realise that.

From disciplined to decadent, writers show it all.

I’m belabouring this point because it’s so important. The point is to write and the routine that helps is:

Whatever makes that easy!

So instead of giving you rubbish about a killer routine hackerino or whatever the Content Creatoooors are plugging these days…

…let me give you one craftsman writer principle instead.

It’s a principle that actually works, but how you apply it is going to vary depending on who you are.

And to be honest, it’s really just a restatement of “whatever makes writing easy”.

The principle is this:

Reduce Writing Friction.

That’s it. That’s the newsletter. Send it.

All the rest is just frippery.

Reduce writing friction.

But what does that mean in practice? Well, it depends on you my dear reader. Ain’t much I can add to that…

…but I’m feeling kind so I will.

Thing is we have all sorts of writing friction, all sorts of baggage that gets in the way, gets in between us and the work.

In between the ellipses just above, I clicked through to X-Twitter and wasted a few minutes scrolling the ‘for you’ feed of all things.

That’s one example. There are hundreds more. Kids, noise, good weather, bad weather, headaches, self-doubt, confusion, lack of purpose, social media, work, emails, other writing projects, discomfort, TV, politics, news, chores,

There are hundreds more than that.

But we can simplify it by saying that most friction either comes from lack of direction or excessive distractions. So our routines need to increase direction or decrease distraction.

If you internalise that principle, you win!

But how that looks like for you, will depend on you. Because I don’t know, writing to over 4,500 people, what your individual and unique problems are.

So let me just quick fire some solutions at you to get you thinking…

If you’re struggling to concentrate even though nothing is distracting you externally…

…take a break, get some quick exercise, check your sleep habits, make sure you’re hydrated.

If you’re struggling to concentrate because of external distractions…

…check your environment, clean your desk up, find a quiet corner, try noise-cancelling headphones, write earlier in the day before everyone else gets up, try writing in your local library.

If you’re struggling to push through the mental barriers of writing…

…sit down and think about your purpose, write it out, pin it above your desk, pray at the start of each writing session, write stuff that’s more aligned with your goals.

If you’re struggling with what to say next…

…write your one big idea for the piece at the head of the page, outline before you start, spend time brainstorming random ideas, use a framework like we teach in Ghostletter Seminars, or write out your thoughts in clunky sentences before you try and make it pretty.

If you’re struggling with something that’s not on that list…

…hit reply and let me know. Maybe I can help, or maybe I can address it in a future Write Way, or in a future course.

Meanwhile, may your pipe puff pleasantly and your routine produce productively,

James Carran, Craftsman Writer

fin

But not quite fin for the fine folks in Craftsman’s Corner who keep the lights on around here.

For them, a power idea generation tactic that can unlock unused parts of your brain permanently.