Consistency Can Help You Become The Writer Of Your Dreams.

Becoming A Writer

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Consistency Can Help You Become The Writer Of Your Dreams.

Episode 11 of Becoming A Writer podcast.

Rubina G Gomes

Apr 19, 2024

Transcript

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Hello, my writer friends! Rubina here. For our eleventh conversation, we are going to talk about how consistency can help you become the writer of your dreams.

When I was being bombarded with the advice of being consistent with my writing – whether writing daily or publishing on a regular schedule – it didn’t sit right with me.

I understood the benefits my readers would get if I stayed consistent with writing, but these benefits are all outward-focused. They don't say what, on a deeper personal level, is in it for the writer to stay consistent.

If I wanted to write my essays and stories consistently, I needed some strong personal reason to do so, which weren’t dependent on the expectations of the readers or the results of my work.

The first reason I found was practice. Plain and simple. Practice doesn't make one perfect. No one and nothing in life is perfect. What practice can do is improve your skills.

It was also a vote in my favour. Earlier, when I said I am a writer, I didn't feel it warm my heart; I cringed instead. Now, when I call myself a writer, I feel proud. Why? Because I have been writing and posting content online since 2021, published a non-fiction book, and have some more in production, including my novel.

We don't realise this, but when we say something to ourselves or promise ourselves something, we let our subconscious trust us. We let that child in us believe us. We break that trust when we don't live up to that promise. And then, it makes it challenging for our subconscious and our inner child to trust us again. My subconscious knows I am telling the truth when I say I am a writer, and my inner child is happy to be living her dream.

Consistency also makes you trust the process. When you consistently work on a project, a part of you must surrender. You must believe that something good will come out of this work, even if you don't see it immediately.

Also, the more consistent you are, the more ideas you get. By staying consistent, I have noticed that I have sharpened my skill of grabbing ideas when they present themselves. I am never out of material to write. Sometimes, I feel I need to clone myself to write all that I want and simultaneously live a human life.

Consistency also helped me discover my Artist Self. Are you a plotter or a pantser? Are you a word-count person or a time-block person? Are you a keyboard writer or a pen-and-paper writer? Can you post daily, or can you post weekly? Monthly? Yearly? Do you need solitude, or does the busy cafe atmosphere work for you? Do you create first thing in the morning or later in the day? Are you reward-motivated or process-motivated? Do you need an outline? Do you need coffee? Do you need music? I discovered all this and more because I am consistent with my writing. I didn’t need to purposefully look for these answers. They came up on their own when I was deep in the flow of my art.

Finally, being consistent with my writing helped me believe in myself as a writer. This is the biggest breakthrough I had. When I consistently create, I start to believe that I have what it takes to make it as an artist. This has nothing, and this should have nothing, to do with how the audience is reacting to my work. The only proof I need to believe in myself is the fact that I wouldn't have had this dream to become a writer if it wasn't already in me. I am simply now acting on that dream.

But being consistent with my writing isn’t an easy task. Life, responsibilities, health, and sudden real-life plot twists throw me off occasionally. But over the years, I have figured out how to consistently write while taking care of the muggle stuff.

I first found my writing process and rhythm.

Every writer will have a different way of going about their writing, so finding your own recipe for it is important.

I researched different writers' different processes. I learnt from writing teachers through books, videos and online courses. I experimented with what I found and figured out what worked for me. I didn’t blindly copy someone else's routine and then stress myself when I failed to maintain it. I found my own routine - based on my lifestyle, requirements, personality, and philosophy.

I also make sure I don't overbook myself.

I am an Indian, female, Capricorn, Empath, INFJ, recovering people-pleaser and an over-thinker. So, saying that I am a workaholic would be an understatement.

In the name of productivity, we forget reality. We can't be at the top of our game all day, every day, for as long as we want. I often remind myself that I am a human being, not a human doing. It's okay to relax. It's okay to write 2 hours a day and then be done. Doing more does not equal better results, more fun, or more money and recognition.

I want to stay in this game for a long time. If I overbook myself, I'll surely hurt myself and my writing.

I now don’t fear taking breaks.

I used to get anxious thinking about taking a break. “What if my readers leave me if I don't publish regularly?” I thought.

Then it hit me.

One of my favourite novelists, Amor Towles, publishes a book about every 3 to 4 years. And the moment I know his book is out, my wallet also comes out. Amor Towles doesn't need to publish his stories daily, monthly or yearly to keep me hooked. I love his writing so much that no matter when it gets published, I get a copy immediately.

I have to believe that the readers who love my work will stick around. Even if I stop posting online regularly, they'll remember me and google to see what I’m up to and whether some new book of mine is out – just like I google my favourite authors.

But my ego wasn't satisfied with that answer. So, I did a little experiment.

After posting online content consistently five days a week for the first six months of my online writing journey, I took a month off.

During that month, I checked my stats on Medium every day. Do you know what I found? None of the readers following me left me because I wasn't posting anymore. Instead, I increased my follower count by 3 to 5 new readers every day. Plus, two of my articles even went viral.

Now, I don't fear taking breaks. Taking breaks lets me recharge my writing batteries and make sure I stay a writer lifelong. And I know the ones who love my work will always have me on their radar.

Well, that's it for today. Next time we meet, we'll talk about how persistence helps you inch closer to your dream writer life.

Until then, keep writing, my friend.