Developing Effective Writing Habits

Andrew Price of Blender talking about the seven habits of highly effective artists.

​Andrew Price’s video listing the seven habits of highly effective artists has great insights you should start using immediately.  He’s talking about practice, not craft, so any artist will find his tips useful.  

​Since it’s also thirty minutes, I’ll summarize.  

1.  Do art every day.
2. ​Produce more work, not perfect work.  
3. Steal.  But instead of stealing from one, take inspiration from many.  
4.  Don’t just practice.  Practice conscious learning.  
5. Know when to take a break from work to return with a fresh perspective.  
6. Ask for feedback.
7. Create what you love.  To keep motivated, choose subjects you are interested in.

But making lists is easy-- I’m a compulsive list-maker so I should know.  It’s making these habits work for you that gets hard.  

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For example, it’s especially tricky to balance #2 and #4: produce more work while practicing conscious learning.  You can’t be a perfectionist and be an artist, because art can’t be perfect.  Perfectionism is the creative kiss of death.  Meanwhile, you don’t want to indulge in the skills you're already proficient in and avoid the areas you need improvement and tell yourself “it’s not perfect, but it’s good enough.  Let’s move on to the next piece.”  
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How do you know if you’re stuck in a masochistic spiral or if you are consciously practicing skills you need to develop?  If you are uncertain if a work is ready to go out into the world, the answer is #6.  Ask for feedback.

For once, I’m not saying go to your critique partners for help.  Chances are, they’ve already told you the areas where you struggle.  Write down a brief list of skills you suck at.  You know what they are, don’t pretend.  I have a note that just says “SIGNPOSTS” with me while I write, because my fiction and nonfiction writing often doesn’t have pauses that orient the reader.  So my first drafts feel like “Hey, now we’re here!  Now we’ve teleported here!  Now I’m behind you!  KEEP UP!” I also HATE writing signposts because it’s BORING and TIME CONSUMING to write.  The thing is, I already know this is a huge problem, so passing it off to my critique partners is lazy.  I need to fix it before they read.  

If you’re still not sure the work is done, go to the pros.  Read authors you respect, combing their work for lessons on craft.   With that writing fresh in your mind, take a look at your own work and consider the gaps.  I’m not saying compare your work to others, I’m saying other art can remind you what the fundamentals of craft look like in action.

In the end, you are the only one who can say if a work is done, because it is your heart and integrity at risk.  Knowing when to double down or let go is a practiced skill like any other.  The only way to get better is to keep at it.

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