The Writing Habit That Changed Everything for Me
…and might change everything for you, too? Keep reading and leave a comment to join this dialogue. Then check out the (New!) Community Notes section at the bottom of today’s post.
I would not say Ernest Hemingway is one of my favorite authors. I’ve enjoyed some of his novels, sure. But unlike Hemingway, I’m a fan of winding literary sentences with tons of commas and clauses and complicated, experimental structures and literary devices with layered meaning. And I don’t particularly care for fetishizing the tragedy of war or romance itself in what I write, or in the way I live my life either.
However, I will say that I wouldn’t be upset if I had a writing paradise like the one Hemingway had set up in Key West (see the image for today’s post). Seriously, the carriage house he worked in there is a dream writing spot for many authors, including myself.
I will also say that Hemingway has some of the best writing advice for those who are interested in keeping a daily writing routine, which, believe it or not, I didn’t used to be interested in at all… until I read about a simple writing habit of his that changed everything for me, and my writing.
Hemingway is often credited with saying something like the following: “Always stop [writing] while you are going good and when you know what will happen next.” That’s it. That’s the writing tip. Leave it to Hemingway to offer some writing advice that is short and sweet and easy to understand, which I mean in the best possible way.
Following this piece of writing advice, however, is not so easy to do at first, because the absolute last thing you want to do when you’re on a roll, when the ideas and words are coming to you effortlessly, when you’re feeling like the literary god you always wanted to be, is stop writing. In fact, it’s completely counterintuitive to how most writers believe they should write or do actually write.
Imagine stopping mid-sentence when you’re in the middle of crafting an exciting action scene you’re having fun writing. Or leaving a heavy, plot-altering dialogue between two of your main characters incomplete when you’re already deeply tuned into what they must be feeling and sensing as you write. Or stopping your work for the day when you can visualize the next two scenes and how they unfold perfectly in your mind. Or putting your manuscript away for the day when you’ve finally figured out how you’re going to incorporate your research into the next section or chapter of your book.
Now imagine how doing those things when your hands are flying across the keyboard and you’re in the thick of the writing zone, when your words are on fire, would make you feel. Maybe a little anxious, confused, or like you’re working against yourself, your creative impulses, and the muse’s madness? Or maybe you think it’s not as hard to do as it sounds, which it isn’t, not really… once you get the hang of doing it anyway, along with maintaining a daily writing routine, which this habit of stopping when you’re on fire will easily help you accomplish.
If you stop your writing sessions with an incomplete sentence, you’ll know exactly where to begin writing the next day. If you stop your writing sessions knowing exactly what comes next, you’ll never encounter writer’s block when you sit down to write. You’ll also be eager to sit down and write the next day because knowing what you’re going to write when you aren’t writing will marinate inside you when you’re not writing, then practically pour out of you the next day, and every other day you sit down to write after that. Trust me. This is not hyperbole. This writing habit works!
This writing habit ensures your creative well never runs dry and that you never lose your writing momentum, which makes it especially useful for larger writing projects like novels, book manuscripts, and short stories. When maintaining this writing habit, you’ll never encounter writer’s block because you’ll know exactly where you’re going to start when you sit down to write, each and every time you sit down to write. And your brain will both consciously and subconsciously chew on what you left unfinished for the day, making it much easier to hash out and mull over what you’re going to write or want to write next when you’re not even writing— it gives you the creative space you’ll need to think about what you’re writing that doesn’t actually involve writing.
This writing habit will also help you build a daily writing routine that you’ll be eager to keep, even if you’re only able to write a few paragraphs a day. Whatever the length of your daily writing sessions, whether they’re thirty minutes or three hours, you’ll still be able to use this writing habit to stay creative and motivated to write each and every day.
Whether you stop each writing session with an incomplete sentence or paragraph or scene or stop each writing session as soon as you reach your daily word count, regardless of where you are in your draft, you can find a rhythm that works for you and keeps you writing every day.
Here are three concrete examples of when and how to stop your writing sessions, and why. Tell us which one you want to try or have already tried in the comments so we can discuss what works and why!
1. The Mid-Action Cliffhanger
When to use it: You have 30 minutes left in your daily writing session and just introduced a thrilling plot twist or confrontation of some kind.
When to stop: Right as the conflict begins. For example, stop typing the exact moment the villain draws their weapon, or right after a character opens a mysterious letter or says something controversial to another character, etc.
Why it works: You won’t have to guess how to start your next session, as you’ll just have to finish writing the action that is already playing out in your head.
2. The Half-Written Sentence
When to use it: You hit your daily word count goal but are still in a creative flow.
When to stop: Cut yourself off mid-thought. For example, finish a paragraph with an incomplete sentence like this: “She reached for the doorknob and realized it was locked from the...”
Why it works: Your brain will naturally want to complete the thought you left incomplete when you sit down to write the next day, so you’ll start your next writing session completing the sentence, then be able to effortlessly transition into the next paragraph.
3. The Known Trajectory
When to use it: You reach a transition scene or ‘bridge’ scene and know exactly where the characters need to go next.
When to stop: When you are reaching a major transition, write a short 1-2 sentence outline or a few bullet points for the upcoming scene instead of actually writing the next scene. For example, you could write something like: “For tomorrow: they drive to the diner, argue about the map, and find the clue under the saltshaker.”
Why it works: You’ll be able to hold onto all your ideas for what to write next while they’re still fresh but will be able to save what you want to write next for the next day, to maintain your writing momentum. You’ll have a clear roadmap to follow for your next writing session with some creative flexibility built into whatever you outline. Doing this also ensures you don’t burn yourself out or deplete your creative well.
What are your thoughts on this topic? Do you have any useful writing habits you’d like to share with us? Leave a comment to join this dialogue, and don’t forget to share this post with others so they can join this dialogue too.
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© This work is not available for artificial intelligence (AI) training. All Rights Reserved by K.E. Creighton; Creighton’s Compositions LLC.
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