Some days, I wake up feeling like the main character in a soft indie film. Tea in hand, rain outside, fingers dancing across my keyboard like I was born to do this writing thing.
Other days? Not so much.
Life gets loud. Mentally, emotionally, even physically.
There is laundry to do, groceries to fetch, work to show up for, and do not get me started on adulting in a foreign country where even buying toothpaste feels like a mission from M16. And in the middle of all that? I am still trying to be a writer.
Not just a writer, but a consistent one.
The truth is, I never had a magic moment where I suddenly knew I’d be writing forever. It was more like a slow realisation. I’d journal at night because I could not sleep without jotting down my thoughts. I’d freestyle short stories just to entertain my younger sister who was my greatest fan. I’d be the girl classmates came to when they wanted help with essays because my brain somehow saw stories in everything.
But I forgot about that girl for a while. Life took over. Until one random day I opened a blank page and started writing again. The words were not perfect but the feeling? Oh, the feeling was pure magic. Plot twists started forming, characters came alive, and I realised…this could actually be a book. (Spoiler: it is called Heart of a Dilemma and Elise – my main character – is a cardiothoracic surgeon whose life is turned upside down by the very man she trusted.)
But consistency did not come easy. It still doesn’t.
That is where my tiny habits come in. They are not glamorous or mind-blowing. But they have helped me keep writing even on the messiest, most unmotivated days.
Here is what has kept me grounded:
Writing Before the World Wakes Up
There is something sacred about early mornings. No distractions. No notifications. Just me, my thoughts, and my laptop. I do not aim for perfection. Sometmes it is just 100 words. But that small act reminds me I am a writer before I am anything else.
Digital Besties
I won’t lie, apps have saved me.
Notion is my digital writing room. I use it for outlining blog posts, dumping random dialogue ideas, and plotting Elise’s next move.
Hemingway Editor helps me tighten my writing when I start sounding too much like a grammar professor.
Grammarly – an obvious one, but a lifesaver. Especially when I am too tired to catch my own typos.
Romanticizing the Process
Candles lit. Lo-fi music playing. Maybe a snack. I have learned that the more I make writing feel like a vibe, the more I actually want to do it. Writing is not a chore, it is a date with my imagination.
Giving Myself Permisson to Be Messy
One tiny promise I made to myself this year? Write without judging the first draft. Let the mess be magic. There is something freeing about writing like nobody is watching, because truly, nobody is.
Finding Digital Safe Spaces
I joined a few Facebook communities for writers and bloggers. Total game changer. If you are looking for people who get it, try:
- The Write Life Community
- Medium Writers Support Group
- Creative Women Copywriters Network
Because sometimes, knowing someone out there is also struggling to finish a paragraph helps more than you think.
Keeping a Visual Tracker
Yes, I am that girl who makes writing trackers on Canva. Color-coded, aesthetic, and very motivating. Seeing those little streaks stack up remind me how far I have come, even if all I wrote was a Pinterest caption.
Allowing Quiet Seasons
There are weeks where I write every day. And there are weeks I write nothing at all. I have learned not to shame myself during the quiet. Rest is part of the process. It is in the stillness that stories brew.
So no, I don’t have it all figured out. But these tiny habits, they have held my hand through the chaos. Through self-doubt. Through the overwhelm of building a blog and birthing a book. Juggling them with building my career.
And the beautiful thing is, anyone can build them. You do not need fancy tools or ten free hours a day. You just need a little consistency, a little love, and the courage to start even if it is messy.
Because your story? It is waiting. And honestly, the world is a bit quieter without your voice in it.
Are you a writer trying to stay consistent too? I’d love to know your tiny habits – let’s grow together, one messy draft at a time.