It only takes twenty days to form a habit. If you have been doing something consistently without skipping a day, then you have developed a new habit. A habit, they say, in any form of endeavor serves as your foundation that will hone your skills. Writing is no exception. 

You’ve heard people often complain about having too much on their plate, that they do not have enough time to pursue the things they like. You don’t put off sending your kids to school, or paying your bills after these are due, so why put off your writing if you feel that it matters to you?

Habit complements commitment. Keep putting something off and you will just wonder about the “what if” possibilities if you had started that story a long time ago. If you could develop the habit of cooking for yourself or riding a bike to work, or even exercising for twenty minutes every morning, the habit of sitting down to write will be no different.

Part of why you put it off is that writing is a cerebral experience. Thinking is far more difficult than believing. If you believe you can write, then you can think and do the writing. Still feeling intimidated? That’s because you think of writing as a long and tedious process. I remember a screenwriting author who wrote: “Don’t set ridiculous goals for yourself.” This rings true for art that demands quality. Take it step by step. Write according to the number of words that you can finish in a day.

Consider these simple accomplishments you could achieve if you begin the writing habit:

--You will find yourself writing more and increasing your output. You will even find the confidence to tackle a longer piece like a novel.

--Procrastination becomes a thing of the past because you learn to meet deadlines, even submit a task way ahead of time.

--You hone your writing skills and you can trace it from the quality of your tone, word choices, and structure. 

--It boosts your confidence and self-esteem and gives you that motivation to keep going. You can affirm that you’re a writer.

--Your writing could reach out, touch lives, or even influence others to take action. That is the truth behind that old adage about the pen being mightier than the sword.

If you’ve been writing, you probably have experienced at least two or three, or even one of the things mentioned above. You could even teach other writers about the craft by writing about writing. Of course, not everything that you set down on paper will impress everyone. Stay true to your craft and your commitment to delivering quality. Understand that you cannot please everybody. Snarky readers will always find a writer to destroy, and there’s nothing you can do about that. Focus on the possibilities of your growth. If you do this, you will not even notice time passing, and you will realize that you have become so prolific that you have written thousands of posts and articles. You have written a dozen books or more. Perhaps you accomplished all of this while holding a full-time job.