.....Not Writing is a Habit Too

I know a lot of writers make writing a habit, or at least treat it as such as a way of completing a project.  Its a good way to work in most instances, especially if you have no expectations of getting paid.  If we can attune our minds into the pattern of making writing a daily thing like brushing our teeth or making the bed.

But not writing is a habit too.  When we neglect a habit, another behavior takes its place.  If you quit making your bed, you might not bother to pick up your clothes.  You leave your clothes on the floor, it probably won't be long before the newspapers start piling up.  Eventually you have to walk sideways through your halls trying to get to the front door only to find people from Hoarders waiting to burst in and help.  I'm not going into what happens if you quit brushing your teeth.

The point is the more habitually we don't do something, the further we get away from the benefits the habit creates.  When I make my bed I'm more inclined to pick up my room or throw a load of laundry in the wash.  Good habits create more good habits.   With writing maybe a 3 page a day habit will lead to a 5 page a day habit or a commitment to a bigger project.

I've taken a couple of years off of writing.  I've played around with it from time to time but I've given it no commitment.  Part of the reason is that it seems so daunting.  Right now, 5 pages seems such a huge commitment.  Even 500 words looks like Mt. Everest.  At my peak I was putting out 85K words in 8 weeks.  But I built up to those numbers and I'm going to have to again.  For today, I'm going to count myself lucky to get this  blog post published.  Its writing and its the beginning of a habit.