How to Stay a Consistent Writer

(Cover image by Natalie Hernandez)

This one is for all my fellow young creatives out there, whether you have a strong footing in your imaginative expression or are still figuring out the kind of messages you want to present to the world. Regardless of where you are in your artistic journey, you may consider yourself a writer. Especially if you’ve found your way to this blog post.

You see, when it comes to writing, one needs to maintain consistency, much like how an athlete upholds a workout regimen. It is not a matter of being a good or bad writer, which is how a lot of people tend to see themselves. However, when a person starts to see themself as good or bad, two sides of a perceived binary, they can fall into complacency. Once you reach the status quo of your work, it is far too easy to accept it.

Which leads into why I wanted to make this post. I felt it was important not only to share tips on how to maintain consistency, but to also discover them by looking within myself. Thus, leading us into my first tip…

Find your goal

Many people like to write because it allows them to make certain points in a way that others can understand. A person can sit down and think, “I have something I want to share,” then work on a piece with the intent of expressing that idea. This allows a writer to be very explicit or subtle about their message. For example, with this very piece, I knew that I wanted to share advice with my audience. So, my goal is to present my advice in a clear way while keeping my audience engaged. I know where I want to take my writing, but I may not know what the creation process will be like. As I work with the piece, my desires to express my initial message may morph and transform as I go. Sometimes I start working on one project only for it to become something entirely different. But by having a goal and pushing myself towards it, I can have an understanding of what I am doing with my work.

Speaking about what you want to do with your work, you should…

Always be thinking

Now, I know you’re probably not going around with a carefree, empty head (though I indulge in that from time to time). There’s a lot to think about these days, whether it’s average day-to-day events in your life or magnificent, unprecedented historic moments happening around you. Your mind and the ideas you have are moments in time. What you experience and how you interpret it are unique to you. Real world events and abstract thoughts are often the greatest drivers of humanity’s literary history. However, you should not just take the first idea that you find and run with it. Be sure to ask questions about your ideas, be it by yourself or with a support system. Think about what your idea means, how others may see it, and how you can influence it. Don’t be afraid of looking at your ideas from other perspectives, or even challenging them. This exercise in critical thinking can be a solitary activity within the eye of your mind, but I also recommend reaching out to resources outside of yourself. Oftentimes when I write, I perform an impromptu research session to find out how others view my idea, how they expressed it, and think about where we may or may not conflict. If you want to consistently write and push yourself to do so, then you need to consistently think and push yourself.

If you followed these steps so far, you likely have some sense of what your writing skills are like. But you have to follow one more tip to ensure your claim as a consistent writer. That is to…

Recognize your achievements

We’re going to have to be a bit more personal with this tip, as it relates to your specific place on the writer’s journey. A place that I cannot perfectly account for. You see, I don’t know where you are as a writer, or even which type of writer you identify as, or how you view the quality of your work. It's even likely you don’t consider yourself a writer as your main title, a belief that many who write hold onto with high respect. No matter where you are, however, you have already taken steps to get to the position you are in. The desire to consider, preserve, and share your ideas can by itself be a challenge. That’s not even considering style or personal behaviors that you choose to use with your work. Even when you feel like you stumble, those troubling experiences become lessons for your future work. If you really want to be a consistent writer, you have to realize the natural progress you have undergone to get to the point you (yes, YOU) are at right now.

These three tips are only a stepping stone in a creative journey. For some they are a catalytic inspirer, while for others they are well-known and well-intentioned pieces of advice. By finding a strong goal to follow, practicing conscientious behavior, and appreciating all the achievements you have made so far, you’ll soon find yourself to be a more consistent and, more importantly, proud writer.