Writing Tip #4 (of 9): Write Small, Write Every Day

Educators as Writers Series

“Your writing practice is a changeable, fluid creature. It ebbs and flows, squeezes down to the size of a pea, and then expands to fill multiple universes. A writing practice is ongoing as long as you always keep a part of yourself invested in it, give it just enough water to stay alive during the difficult times, and tend it into hearty fruition at the best of times.”

- Jordan Rosenfeld, A Writer’s Guide to Persistence: How to Create a Lasting and Productive Writing Practice (p. 47)

Two recommendations to develop a writing habit: keep it brief and write daily.

English teacher Kelly Gallagher, in his foreword for his excellent book Readicide, shared that he was feeling overwhelmed during the process of writing that book. His colleague and fellow writer Debbie Miller offered a simple suggestion: Write for 15 minutes every day.

I have followed this advice myself. Every morning, I wake up before the rest of the family and find my way to my writing space. I’ll sometimes journal first in a ph…