GYWD #24: Aligning Your Writer Rhythms with Writing Reality

Did you ever have a writing project where everything just clicked? I mean, from the beginning when you had the idea to the finished product, everything just went great, and quickly? And on the other hand, did you ever have a writing project that did nothing but give you trouble, from the day you started it until the day you finished it, or just dropped it? I've had my share of both. And lately I've been reflecting on some of the things that determine how things go with my writing projects, and what's sticking out to me today is the importance of being in sync with your writer rhythms. That's a technical term I just made up, by the way: writer rhythms. According to the Oxford Languages Dictionary, rhythm is "a strong, regular, repeated pattern of movement or sound." I submit that a writer rhythm is a strong, regular, repeated pattern of writing. Boom, new term created. The argument I want to make in today's podcast is that when you are in sync with your writer rhythms, when you honor them, in a sense, your writing will flow much more easily. When you are out of sync, however, even the easy things will eventually start to become difficult. Today I'm going to explore the concept of writer rhythms and offer a few observations that might help if you're looking to get in better sync with them.

The Weekly Writing Routine Workbook is now available at getyourwritingdone.com as well as Amazon and other major online retailers. The workbook is a companion to The 12 Week Year for Writers. It will help you develop a powerful, custom writing routine that fits the way you work.