Top 3 Habits of the Most Successful Writers

By: Eszter C.
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Habit 1: Write every day
If you could implement one habit, this would be the most important. All of the writers I researched had this practice in common. Each of them had their unique routine, but all of them devoted about three to four hours of their day to writing. Stephan King writes six pages a day.Haruki Murakami writes for five to six hours in the morning. The details of their routines are not important because they are distinct for each writer. Your writing process will also be different. However, all of them carved out a block of time to write. You should too.

Habit 2: Have a routine
Most writers create in the morning because they are not bothered by distractions. A daily writing system trains creativity to emerge at certain times of the day. Ernest Hemingway, a literary legend, began the day by rewriting yesterday’s work. After he was satisfied with the new revisions, he would move on to creative writing. Henry Miller, a daring author, would dedicate his afternoons to distraction-free typing. These well-known writers would have intense work sessions at the beginning of the day, but they would unwind and relax in the evenings. The power of routine helped them reach a state of mind necessary for different steps of the writing process.

Habit 3: Be physically active
Compensate the mentally tough activity of writing with something physically challenging. Routinely exercising will not only boost your productivity, but it will also engrain the habit of pushing your comfort zone. This habit will transfer into your writing hours. For example, Haruki Murakami puts in five hours of work in the early morning and then goes on a 10-kilometer run. This repetitive routine allows him to tap into deeper parts of his mind and push his limits.

Like any skill or craft, the best way to learn is by doing. The most influential writers on the planet achieved success through constant repetition of writing. The only way you can acquire their level of recognition is by following in their footsteps of regular working hours. When others ran out of inspiration and gave up, they would continue to turn out pages of text. That’s how the best became the best. Whether that’s editing the previous day’s scribbles or typing up a novel in the dusty evening, the only way to become better at writing is by practicing.

Sources and Additional Reading

Führen, Florian. “3 Famous Writers on Process and Productivity – Copyblogger.” Copyblogger, 21 Aug. 2018, copyblogger.com/writers-process-productivity/.

Oshin, Mayo. “The Daily Routine of 20 Famous Writers (and How You Can Use Them to Succeed).” Medium, 7 Nov. 2019, medium.com/the-mission/the-daily-routine-of-20-famous-writers-and-how-you-can-use-them-to-succeed-1603f52fbb77.

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