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The Power of a Writing Routine: 9 Habits for Writing Success

March 10, 2023 | 4 min read
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ByΒ Jessica Majewski

Writing is a challenging task, especially when you're trying to do it consistently. However, establishing a writing routine can have a significant impact on your writing success.

In this article, we'll explore the power of a writing routine and how to establish habits for writing success.

1. Understanding the Power of a Writing Routine

A writing routine is a set of habits that you adopt to make writing a consistent part of your life. It can be as simple as setting aside a specific time each day to write, or it can be a more complex set of habits that includes research, planning, and editing.

The benefits of a writing routine are numerous, but the most significant is consistency. Consistency is key to making progress in anything you do, and writing is no exception. When you consistently write, you're able to create a body of work that you can be proud of.

2. Establishing a Writing Routine

Creating a writing routine is relatively simple, but sticking to it can be challenging. To establish a writing routine, start by setting aside a specific time each day to write.

It's important to make this time non-negotiable, meaning you don't let anything else get in the way of it.

Next, create a list of tasks that you need to complete before you start writing, such as research or planning. Finally, make sure to be flexible. Your writing routine should be adaptable to your life, not the other way around.

3. The Importance of Self-Care

Self-care is an essential part of being a writer. Writing can be a demanding task, both physically and mentally.

When you're not taking care of yourself, it can be difficult to focus on your writing. Taking care of yourself is not only important for your physical and mental well-being, but it also helps you to produce better writing.

Make sure to schedule time for yourself, whether it's going for a walk, practicing yoga or meditation, or just taking a few minutes to relax.

It's essential to take care of yourself so that you can take care of your writing.

4. The Importance of Learning

Learning is an ongoing process and is essential for writing success. As a writer, you should be constantly learning new things to improve your writing skills. This can be learning about the craft of writing, such as grammar, structure, and style, or learning about the world around you so that you can write about it.

There are many ways to continue learning and improving as a writer. Some good options include taking a class, joining a writing group, or reading books on the craft of writing.

Additionally, you should also be reading widely, whether it's fiction, non-fiction, or poetry. Reading is a great way to improve your vocabulary, understand structure, and learn about style.

5. Overcoming Common Challenges

Maintaining a writing routine can be challenging, but there are strategies to overcome common obstacles. Writer's block and procrastination are two of the most common challenges that writers face.

  • To overcome writer's block, try brainstorming or freewriting to generate new ideas.
  • To overcome procrastination, try breaking your writing task into smaller, more manageable chunks.

Writing tools like those from FreewriteΒ can help you get started and stay in the zone with distraction-free writing. No emails, Facebook, or Youtube, just the bliss of writing.

Staying motivated and focused is essential to maintaining your writing routine. Set goals, reward yourself for meeting them, and surround yourself with supportive people.

6. Measuring Writing Success

Measuring writing success can be difficult, but it's essential to know if you're making progress. There are many ways to measure writing success, such as word count, finished pieces, or even just the feeling of accomplishment.

A writing routine can lead to measurable progress, such as an increase in word count or the number of finished pieces. To set and achieve writing goals, break them down into smaller, more manageable tasks and reward yourself for meeting them.

7. Building a Support System

Establishing connections with other writers can be a great way to stay motivated and improve your writing.

Joining a writing group or workshop can be a great way to get feedback on your work, learn from other writers, and establish a sense of community.

8. Staying Organized

Writing can be overwhelming, especially when you're dealing with research, notes, and ideas. Staying organized is essential to making progress in writing.

Many tools and software, such as Evernote or Scrivener, can help you keep track of your research, notes, and ideas.

9. The Importance of Reading

Reading is an essential part of being a writer. Reading helps you improve your vocabulary, understand structure, and learn about style. It's also a great way to stay inspired and motivated.

When you're reading, you're exposed to new ideas, perspectives, and ways of telling stories.

Conclusion

In conclusion, a writing routine is a powerful tool for achieving writing success. It provides consistency, which is key to making progress in anything you do. By establishing a writing routine, overcoming common challenges, and measuring writing success, you'll be well on your way to achieving your writing goals.

Remember, writing is a challenging task, but with a little discipline and perseverance, you can make it a consistent part of your life and achieve success as a writer.

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Author Jessica Majewski

Jessica Majewski is the editor-in-chief at whenyouwrite.com. Her journey began as an avid book reader, but after reading one too many romance novels, she decided to jump to the other side and started writing her own stories.

With her passion for literature and storytelling, she quickly realized her true calling was in creating her own content.

JessicaΒ shares her experiences in hopes of inspiring more up-and-coming wordsmiths to take the leap and share their own stories with the world. As a writer, publisher, and editor, she is dedicated to providing a platform for new and established voices in the literary world.

August 26, 2026 5 min read

Freewriter Mike Somerby left a lucrative marketing career in e-commerce to start a print-only literary magazine by and for Montanans. Yes, you read that right.

We sat down with Mike to find out how ... andΒ why.

Mike Somerby identifies as a writer β€” with some reservation.

"I think all who write are 'writers,'" he says, "even if the writing itself amounts to a simple letter to a friend or a personal journal entry."

We couldn't agree more. And we're thrilled that this particular writer writes his essays on Freewrite. Maybe that's why we felt comfortable asking him:

What inspires a professional brand marketer to leave his 9-5 and jump feet-first into the literary world of Bozeman, Montana?

Luckily, he was happy to tell us.

AC: Before we get into the lit mag, it actually isn't your first foray into the literary community, right?

MS:Β For about ten years β€” the lion's share of my professional chapter β€” I worked, in some capacity, as a brand marketer. Last spring, while enduring a particularly grueling stint as CMO for a Montanan e-commerce brand (yes, those exist), I found myself revisited by the remarks of an old journalism school professor: from his perspective, journalism students who apply their storytelling talents toward PR and marketing have crossed over to "the dark side."

While I find this a touch heavy-handed, I get the point, and I believe his notion resurfaced to meet the moment: we live in a world sorely hurting for analog (human) creativity and high-quality longform.

So I quit, traveled west with my dog in a 1986 U-Haul I'd converted into a camper, and plotted.

Step one: I founded Pulphead, a lounge (named after John Jeremiah Sullivan’s seminal 2011 essay collection) where Bozeman writers commune and grind out their prose until 2 a.m. Entry is a flat $5, which comes with unlimited drip coffee and tea.

Step two: leverage the Pulphead regulars and its online following to secure contributors for my new literary magazine, ANEMONE. Thus far, everything is going to plan.

We live in a world sorely hurting for analog (human) creativity and high-quality longform.

AC: Why do you think it's so important to create and preserve these spaces for authentic writing?

MS:Β Writing is a solitary act. Nonetheless, younger generations, in particular, struggle to forge IRL community in the way older generations might understand as an ordinary facet of being human.

By building a space that is as homey as it is supportive of their literary interests, we’re not only helping these individuals find their birds of a feather, but also providing them with a dojo that mandates setting aside blocks of time away from phones, home lives, and the other distractions. Win-win?

Incidentally, Livingston boasts the highest per-capita concentration of professional writers anywhere in the country. Couple this with another statistic β€” that Montana has more bookstores per capita than any other state β€” and it becomes clear southwest Montana is as fertile a place as any to invest in literature and its related industries.


AC: That's so interesting. What have you learned from being in community with creatives in Bozeman?

MS:Β In terms of writing, I've learned plenty. What has excited me most, however, is what I’ve learned from a small group of Indigenous women who come to the shop to write poetry and make beaded clothing in the traditions of their respective tribes (most notably, Crow, Cheyenne, Shoshone).

This is a group I’d otherwise have limited opportunity to engage with outside of Pulphead, and learning about their traditions, beliefs, hopes β€” even a little vocabulary β€” through firsthand conversation has proved incredibly edifying.

AC: And you mentioned you've seen Freewrites pop up in Pulphead. You use one, right?

MS:Β Yes. About seven years ago, not long after moving to Montana from New York, I purchased an Olivetti Lettera 32 typewriter from eBay. It appeared that a romanticizing of my newfound remoteness had rekindled my interest in writing.

I loved the mechanical feel and distraction-free interface, but the inability to edit line by line proved a notable annoyance for a mind habituated to modern computers. A few years down the road, some digging for alternatives led me to a blog post about smart/electronic typewriters. VoilΓ .

I purchased a Freewrite Gen3 Smart Typewriter, and I've been hooked ever since.

AC: That's awesome. So tell us about ANEMONE. What is it?

MS:Β ANEMONE is a print-only magazine (printed in a traditional broadsheet newspaper format). As for for theme, broadly, the world as told by Montanans. Short fiction, creative nonfiction, poetry, reportage, photography, and visiual illustrations comprise the submission categories.

AC: Print-only!

MS:Β Print is only dying because we let it.

AC: Is there a story about the name?

MS:Β Most people know the word anemone to describe a family of flowers β€” a 200-plus-species family of buttercups, comprising varieties both wild and domesticated. Dubbed β€œwindflowers,” their delicate petals are said to blow open in the breeze; the ancient Greek word anemos means β€œwind.” I was drawn to the metaphorical value of beauty and how it can be revealed to us through an invisible force.

To add another layer, when I was a boy my father and I would spend weekends at the beaches north of San Francisco, where I was born and raised until I was seven. We would study the massive turqoise, kelly green, and purple sea anemones clinging to rocks left exposed by the receding Pacific tides (as to why, I can't say, outside of them looking funny, almost alien). A good memory.

Finally, β€œAnemone” is the name of an exquisite song by The Brian Jonestown Massacre, an irreverent and controversial rock band led by Anton Newcombe, an obsessive creative who rejects the surrender of culture and art to commercial interests. The track has a hold on me. It's like a portal to another era.

AC: Why do you think this sort of analog creativity is important?

MS:Β  I'm told the unending deluge of digital interface is leaving humans less and less capable of β€œdeep work.” Will we ever know the difference?

Will we recognize what a society incapable of deep work looks like compared with those that came before it? Or will the transition manifest as a gradual degradation of quality, much as Coca-Cola was slowly, but surely, divorced from real sugar, such that to taste what Coke used to be like, one must order a Mexican Coke, still made with real cane sugar?

For me, analog perspective (and any creativity wrung from it) is rooted in continuity, tangibility, lived experience, slowness, spatial relation, nuance, emphasis on process, and grace for imperfection β€” antithetical to one of replicability, speed, binary outcomes, predictability, and optimization.

I prefer the former, and I suspect those who prefer the latter don't read or write much β€” life is a beautiful, taxing mess, and good writers find merit in this duality.

For me, analog perspective (and any creativity wrung from it) is rooted in continuity, tangibility, lived experience, slowness, spatial relation, nuance, emphasis on process, and grace for imperfection β€” antithetical to one of replicability, speed, binary outcomes, predictability, and optimization.

AC: Who is invited to submit to ANEMONE?

MS:Β We do limit submissions to Montanans, past and present, though we will feature writers from other states should the content of their writing bear an obvious relation to Montana β€” a requirement not imposed on Montanan writers.

All information regarding submissions can be found at www.anemonereview.com, along with all other facets of the magazine.

August 26, 2026 1 min read

Love the Freewrite 500? Here are 3 more writing contests for competitive short fiction writers.

1) Writers' Hour Magazine Prompts

The London Writer's Salon (a global writing group β€” no London residence necessary!) regularly host a writing contest via theirΒ Writers' Hour Magazine. Want to know a secret? Their September theme is all about freewriting.

Join them for a free workshop, Introduction to Freewriting, on Thursday, September 3, and get all the details about the contest.

The winner of the contest will win something Freewrite-shaped. πŸ‘€

2) NYC Midnight Challenges

This organization (again, no affiliation with NYC necessary) regularly hosts short story contests. Their next challenge is all about writing a rhyming story.

Learn more and register here.

Note: NYC Midnight writing contests generally have a fee to enter.

3) Henshaw Press Short Story Competition

This short story competition is open to anyone over age 16. And the best part? There is a cash prize, and profits go to charity.

Learn more here.

July 30, 2026 2 min read

PRESENTED IN COLLABORATION WITH

Calling all micro-fiction storytellers! 🏁

For the second year in a row, Freewrite is teaming up with Grant Faulkner, co-founder of the Flash Fiction Institute and author of The Art of Brevity, to bring you the fastest, most adrenaline-pumping writing event of the year.

Whether you're a seasoned writer or a creative rookie, the Freewrite 500 is your chance to rev up your imagination, write a 500-word story, and win big.

You do not need to own a Freewrite to participate.

[REGISTRATION CLOSED]

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How It Works

🎟️ Fill out the form above to secure your spot. It's totally free. (You must register to participate.)

πŸ“– Watch the free mini flash fiction lesson by Grant Faulkner, which includes the announcement of the prompt for the contest. WATCH IT HERE.

πŸ“ You'll have the weekend to finish and submit your 500-word storybased on the prompt by end of day on Monday, August 17. Entries must be 500 wordsΒ or less. The entry form is plain text. Any necessary formatting should be noted in [brackets]. [SUBMISSIONS CLOSED]

✏️ Our judging panel, led by Faulkner and made up of writers from the Freewrite team and the Flash Fiction Institute, will judge each piece based on: length (500 words), relevance to the prompt, and creativity.

πŸ₯‡ NEW THIS YEAR: The panel will select three finalists, and then announce one grand prize winner.

All work must be submitted by 11:59 p.m. ET on Monday, August 17, 2026.

The Prize Pack

One winner will receive:

  • Publication on the Freewrite blog and Flash Fiction Institute blog
  • 1 Freewrite Traveler
  • 1 hour-long one-on-one coaching session with Grant Faulkner
  • 1 free Flash Gym session with the Flash Fiction Institute
  • 1 Words Are Hard prompt deck
  • A paperback copy of Set Your Story Free, the ultimate guide to freewriting
  • A digital copy of the opening chapter of Grant Faulkner's book, The Art of Brevity

Second and third place writers will each receive:

  • Publication on the Freewrite blog and Flash Fiction Institute blog
  • 1 Freewrite Alpha
  • 1 free Flash Gym session with the Flash Fiction Institute
  • 1Β Words Are Hard prompt deck
  • A paperback copy ofΒ Set Your Story Free, the ultimate guide to freewriting
  • A digital copy of the opening chapter of Grant Faulkner's book, The Art of Brevity

The Schedule

  • Thursday, Aug 13: Lesson & prompt announcement
  • Monday, Aug 17:Β Submissions deadline
  • Monday, Aug 31:Β Finalists announced
  • Monday, September 7: Grand prize winner announced

Questions? You can reach us at hello@getfreewrite.com.

Write on.

The Freewrite 500 Pit Crew 🏁 

Full contest terms and conditions