Do you ever get that feeling like every other writer has it all figured out?
Like they have writing retreats, clever spreadsheets, a five-year plan pinned to their wall… and you’re over here celebrating because you finally renamed a Google Doc to something you’ll actually be able to find the next time you need it? Yeah, same.
It’s easy to treat your writing life like something you’ll organize once everything else calms down. Spoiler: it won’t. But the good news? You don’t need to overhaul your soul. Just start noticing what helps.
The trick is to build a weird little system that you can trust on the days when writing feels like a cosmic punishment and your coffee tastes like regret. Here are some steps to nudge you in the right direction.
Every “writing goal” post online seems to come with this pressure to dream big and manifest and commit to a schedule you know you’ll abandon in five days.
Here’s a thought: what if your goals were stupidly small on purpose?
Like “write one ugly paragraph” or “edit without deleting everything.” When you break goals into milestones that don’t make your brain panic, you’re actually way more likely to do them. Because they’re so easy it would be almost embarrassing not to. And doing them beats obsessing about doing them.
A Note for Neurodivergent Authors: If setting and following through on typical goals feels especially difficult or draining, please know you are absolutely not alone. This technique is designed specifically to help you find goal types that actually work for your brain. It’s about making the steps smaller and smaller—even ridiculously small—until they feel less overwhelming and impossible to start. Focus on proving to yourself that simply showing up counts.
Don’t worry – the ambition will sneak in later. But first, prove to yourself that showing up counts.
You’ve got docs called “final_FINAL_forreal2” and screenshots of workshop slides you never looked at again. But your development plan deserves better than a digital trash heap.
The antidote is to put it all somewhere real: your pitches, your rejection tracker, that one note that made you cry (in a good way). Editing PDFs? A simple online (free!) PDF-to-Word converter lets you just fix the thing and move on — no special software, no rage-quitting.
When your files are organized, you spend zero mental energy hunting for that one specific query letter or developmental note, leaving more cognitive capacity for writing itself. For example, a simple, effective file system might look like this:
Don’t let your perfect system decay. To keep this momentum, schedule a “Digital Decluttering” session once a month (or even once a week if you’re very document-prone). Use this dedicated time to process new notes, archive old drafts, and delete unnecessary downloads, ensuring your workspace remains a tool, not a burden.
Not everyone thrives in the 5 AM miracle hour with a smoothie in one hand and a gratitude journal in the other. If you’re more of a “writing between panic scrolls” kind of person, welcome.
Creating your writing routine isn’t about performing productivity. It’s about finding when your brain feels least slippery and giving it a chance to say something. This could be late at night, or it could be Sunday afternoons when everyone’s out. And yes, it could even be at 6:30am before you have to drag yourself to your day job. The point is, write during your best windows — and guard those like they’re your last square of chocolate. This is where boundary setting comes in: be mindful about not letting other commitments creep in (especially if you know they’re not as important as your writing) and treat that dedicated time as non-negotiable.
Editor’s Note: Ironically, a ‘consistent’ routine doesn’t have to be an all-or-nothing same time every day routine, either. It’s like going to the gym – Tuesdays and Thursdays seems to be where I get the most consistency, but if something comes up and I need to swap one (or both) for a different day or doing something at home instead, that’s fine too. Life happens. Basically, do the reps. Writing for ten minutes because something legitimatly urgent/important comes up during your regular writing hour is much better than doing nothing and saying “I’ll get back to it (or, even worse ‘I’ll do double’) next week.”
Already drafted your work but can’t get started with the editing process? Try:
Thought-provoking editorial exercises with a human touch.
E.J. Runyon weaves tasks and anecdotes together to draw the reader/writer along a brilliant journey of creative self-discovery…as well as self-editing. Tell Me (How to Write) a Story will teach you solid storytelling practices for getting your ideas from your mind to the page.
[[ Read The First Chapter For FREE ]]Joining a professional association is valuable for all authors, whether you write fiction or non-fiction. These groups often have resources, networking events, and news relevant to the publishing industry as a whole. You can roll your eyes at the name, but professional associations aren’t just suits and keynote speeches. They’re how you find the people who whisper about job openings before they hit the boards. They throw events, run forums, send newsletters with stuff you’d actually read. They remind you there’s a bigger world out there beyond your messy drafts and coffee shop work sessions.
And honestly?
Sometimes just calling yourself a member of something makes the whole thing feel more legit. You belong… even if you’re still figuring it out.
Look for someone who has been where you are. Having a person who can say, “Hey, this part? It’s working,” or, “You’re not crazy, this is hard” — that matters more than most craft books. The internet is full of noise, but if you look, you’ll find people offering guidance in different ways. This might come from a paid coach, an editor, a generous social-media human. The point isn’t to copy their career, but to leverage their experience to map out your own future and ensure you treat your long-term goals as critical, achievable milestones.
It’s not a secret that not all writing groups are helpful. Some are just trauma dumps with word counts.
You want one where folks are honest but not mean, ambitious but not annoying, generous but not doing it for clout. It’s wild how much your writing shifts when the people around you treat the work with real care. There’s magic in being seen by people who get it.
Even if you don’t always agree with the feedback, often just hearing it can spark things you didn’t know were stuck.
For some great Do’s and Dont’s on getting started with a writing community, check out our dedicated blog post on “How To Get The Most From Your Writing Group” by veteran writing group author, Dorothy Winsor.
At some point, life will inevitably get in the way and you’re gonna burn out. Blocked, bored, or stuck in an existential pit wondering if your work even matters. Welcome to the job.
The difference between people who keep going and those who don’t? They expect the crash. They’ve got little rituals: maybe it’s switching projects, maybe it’s writing something messy, maybe it’s doing anything but writing until the itch comes back. To be a writer, you have to be willing to return. That’s the gig.
If you made it this far, congratulations—you have already taken the first, hardest step: caring enough to plan. This isn’t about setting your life in stone or following a rigid map; it’s about giving yourself permission to move forward with intention. You aren’t behind, and you aren’t missing some great publishing secret. You’re simply an author committing to their craft. Taking yourself seriously is the most significant step in your development plan, and trust us, that is more than enough.
About The Author: Joyce Wilson is a retired K-12 educator and the creator of Teacher Spark, a website full of practical resources, lesson plans, and teaching tips. She focuses on instilling a love for learning by tapping into a student’s natural creativity and curiosity.
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