Consistency is the quality of achieving a level of performance that does not vary greatly in quality over time and there are 6 ways to write consistently.
Consistency is what gives rise to mastery in a specific area of work or group of activities performed by an individual.
To become a master at art, you need practice. When you practice often, it becomes a habit you do consistently, which will grow over time to help you gain mastery in a particular activity or group of activities.
Building consistency with your art as a writer isn’t as simple as it sounds because dedicating your time to constantly practice something you are not being paid to do yet, might become a bit burdensome and tasking.
This article isn’t about writing tone, writing structure, or plot consistency; it is simply about growing your writing mastery as a young and budding writer.
Writing consistently is one of the greatest challenges many new writers encounter because it is the only assured way to grow as a budding writer, yet the hardest to keep up with. It is easier to fantasize about becoming an author/writer than to make it a reality.
That’s why many budding creatives sprout every day but only a select, consistent few make it through.
Read Writing Habits of Inspiring African Authors
Being consistent doesn’t only apply to your writing; it is surely evident in your life. Simple instances are, going to school/work every day, getting up at 5am for that 10-mile run, cooking breakfast, lunch, and dinner, caring for your teeth twice daily, and so on.
These are consistent behaviors characterized by repetitive habits you’ve grown to accept as a norm over time. So also in writing, several writing habits can help you build consistency over time.
Writing consistently doesn’t apply only when you make the decision to publish a book; it applies to you the minute you identify as a creative writer. Why? Because to get to the point when publishing a book becomes a burning desire, you must be grounded in the art of writing or your desire to publish a book may never come to fruition.
Read How To Develop Good Writing Habits As An Aspiring Author
Benefits Of Writing Consistently
Writing consistently has its perks. It is the reward you are crowned with for going the extra mile and putting in all the efforts to grow your craft as a budding author.
It Fast Tracks Improvement
Developing the attitude of writing consistently, no matter how little help fast track your improvement. The results you’ll get from showing up when it’s time to write will far surpass anything you’ve ever imagined because you are on a fast track to mastering your craft as a writer.
It Builds Self-Confidence
Showing up consistently helps you become adept at writing, which builds your self-confidence even as an unpublished author. It gives you an edge that is immediately recognizable in your craft.
It Increases Momentum
Writing consistently encourages you to trust in your skill set and pick up the momentum with your craft. It takes away your doubts and replaces them with a growth mindset.
It Encourages Discipline:
To write consistently, you’ll need a suit up in the heavy armor of discipline because without it, your drive will fizzle out quickly, and just like that, you’re back to square one.
Discipline is the driving force upon which consistency is built. Without it, you won’t make much headway in anything, creative or personal life.
6 Creative Ways To Write Consistently As A Budding Author
These methods aim to help you show up locked and loaded every time, with less worry about what to write and more passion for smashing your writing goals.
You can set your writing goals daily, weekly, or monthly, or basically have it molded into your book publishing plans for a given timeframe.
However, you choose to set your writing goals, these creative writing tips will always come in handy for creative and hazy days.
Use Writing Prompts
This is basically a list of done-for-you story ideas that you can flip any which way you like and develop into any story format you like.
Using writing prompts is a great way to get your creative juices flowing in the right direction. The beauty of using prompts is that they can be molded to fit any genre you wish to in and twisted however you see fit for your characters.
The fact that it is written in a particular format doesn’t make it a static prompt. Feel free to do whatever you like with it.
As an added bonus, feel free to download my 130 creative writing prompts for fiction and non-fiction authors.
Write About Anything
This is my all-time favorite because it helps me take a break from genre writing. Writing about anything gives you room to freestyle and write about anything besides a story plot.
Smashing your writing goals doesn’t have to rely solely upon writing fictional or non-fictional stories. It can be achieved by writing about mundane things to help you unclog your mind or free your thoughts.
You might ask, isn’t that the work of a journal? Not exactly, it isn’t. Writing about anything is technically called free writing which is widely used to free pent-up creative energies swirling around in your head.
As mundane as it may sound, it could produce beautiful results that you might decide to publish as a random piece, or you can keep it locked away in your draft.
You can free write on google docs, notepad on your phone, or go old school with a notebook & pen.
It’s your choice.
Use a Story Planner
A planner is known for two things, organization, and execution of tasks in the simplest way.
Using a story planner is perfect for your writing goals. It shows a roadmap of where your story began and where it is headed. It’s more than an outline because it not only helps you write and maintain consistency; it also tracks your progress throughout your story.
Writing consistently is easier when you have broken your story into smaller chunks using your story planner. This simplifies your work and makes your writing journey less scary.
Looking to get started with a story planner? Get the Inspired Creatives Writing Planner for Your Next Book Project.
Personal Journaling
Writing in a journal is different from free writing, although you can have a separate journal called the idea book to write whatever you want.
Personal Journaling is the conscious practice of writing down your thoughts and feelings for the purpose of self-reflection. It is a habit of analyzing your thought process to gain insights into various aspects of your life. It is also a great self-help tool for personal care.
You can have a mood journal, a daily diary, a wellness journal, a self-care journal, a mental health journal, etc.
The difference between journaling and free writing is in their pattern and goals.
When you free write, there is no pattern to your train of thoughts; you get to write whatever you feel at a particular point in time. You’re basically churning out words as it comes to you at a given time. The goal of free writing is to simply write.
With journaling, there’s always a pattern. Using a mood journal means you are working on controlling your emotions, and how they affect your life. The goal of this journal may be to become less angry at the world and more appreciative of the beauty in it.
Journaling focuses on an aspect of your life, not the entire parts of it except you are using a daily journal which is more like a personal diary. Either way, it helps you write daily because a journal aims to build consistency.
Although it doesn’t relate to your story in any way, it can serve as a way to meet up with your daily, weekly, or monthly writing goals.
Do you wish to give journaling a try? Browse my categories of personal journals on amazon.
Write Micro Fiction/Flash Fiction/Short Stories
A micro-fiction piece is a story written in 300 words or less. Flash fiction is a story written in 1000 words, while a short story ranges between 1500 – 5000 words.
There are other branches like novelettes, Novella, Novels, and Books over 120 thousand words, but we’ll stick to the ones above for now.
Underestimating the power of micro-fiction is a big mistake because you can write an entire book with pieces of micro-fiction, flash fiction, and short stories strung together.
It may seem unbelievable, but it is true. It kicks even better when all the stories are written to nail down a point, a message, a theme, or for a particular cause.
That 300-word or 1000-word story you think is thrash, might light the path for your self-publishing or traditional publishing journey.
Writing any branch of these stories can help you deal with writer’s block, break patterns of monotony, give room for refreshing ideas, and help you go wild with your ideas.
Write Articles/Personal Essays
This is one of my favorite creative methods to write consistently. Dabbling into writing articles and personal essays gave birth to my Medium blog.
Writing personal essays and articles is a great way to break out of your comfort zone and write something constructive that isn’t genre based. It’s an interesting way to challenge yourself and do something out of the ordinary but still a part of you.
Being a romance author doesn’t give me much room to write about my personal feelings, but as a heavy thinker with a lot of pressure to let out, I need an escape route where I can say the things, I want without considering the rules of my genre.
That’s how I found myself on Medium, writing unique articles and essays about my life, and sharing my profound thoughts on mental and emotional wellness.
You too can cultivate the habit of breaking away every once in a while, to flex your muscles on something different, but still a huge part of you. Sincerely, you’ll marvel at the ease with which you switch between personalities when you give it a try.
Endnotes
Cultivating the habit of writing consistently is a huge part of your growth process as a budding author. These 6 creative ways to write consistently guarantee you smashing results with little stress work required.
However, this doesn’t insinuate that your story should be shoved aside because you’re smashing your writing goals with the simple tricks listed above.
You should try finding a balance between writing consistently and working on your book project.
Did you find these consistency tips helpful? Use the comment section below to share your thoughts.