8 changes to my writing practice
that seem to be working well
Hello friends! This is Ursula Fan Club, where I write on a weekly-ish basis about what I’m writing, reading, and seeing in the world. If you’re interested in speculative fiction, climate, ancestral stuff, textiles, living in a human body, and balancing a creative practice with whatever this is *waves wildly around*, you’ll probably like it here.
In the year since I revved up my writing practice, I have tried many different things to try to create a sustainable, consistent practice. Some things worked for awhile, and some not at all. This is not a year of failures and a few successes; it’s a year of learning what has or may work for me, personally. With the mindset of starting the year fresh with new intention, here are eight things I’m doing differently that seem to be working well, five days into the year.
Write for 30 minutes each day. It’s not a goal; it’s a commitment, and just for January (to start). More than 30 minutes is welcome but not necessary. After I have written for 30 minutes, I mark a big X in a box on Austin Kleon’s 30-day challenge, which I have printed out and taped above my desk.
Write in the morning with a cup of coffee, the house quiet, and the sun coming up. Writing during the same time each day works for me, although with my work travel schedule this may not always be possible. But creating a sacred bubble of time that is just mine, that starts my day without distraction, has felt right. And with only a 30-minute commitment, I can squeeze in a short workout, too, which is important for me.
Cultivate a writing space that feels peaceful and creatively focused. Set and setting matters. I have written at my kitchen table all year, but I have decided to write at my work desk, in a comfortable chair draped with handmade shawl. My work computer monitor is covered with a woven cloth and my work notebook and keyboard have been put away for this writing time. A candle, soft light, my notebooks, pens, herbal tinctures, and water wait for me here every morning.
Write by hand, in a notebook. This is new to me, and felt like a barrier because all of my working documents are in a Scrivener file. But guess what—getting rid of screens a) feels really good when I spend all day looking at screens and b) kills internet distractions, which is good for writing.
Write in more than one notebook. I have a notebook for journaling, sketches, outlines, and ideas I want to think through. I use it for a morning “warm up” and writing prompts. A second crimson red notebook is for writing fiction.
Choose tools that are beautiful and functional, not just the beautiful tools I think I should use. For me, this means pens that flow well and are comfortable to hold for a long period of time. Notebooks that are large enough to write in, small enough to be portable, have a flexible spine for laying flat on the table, and thin enough that my hand can comfortably write to the bottom of the page without feeling awkwardly lifted off the surface by an inch. My favorite pens are currently the Pentel Arts Hybrid Technica 0.6 mm, which I bought a box of. The ink flows well and the rubber grip is comfortable. My journaling notebook is a college ruled, spiral notebook in recycled paper from Roaring Spring. My fiction notebook is the Stalogy 365 notebook in size A5 in the color Salvia. The red is sold out from Takara, where I originally bought it, but it looks available on Amazon, as well. I have a few beautiful notebooks with stiff spines, bound in leather, with marbled paper or fabric covers that I bought in Italy and South Africa over 20 (!) years ago. This is the year I stop being precious about notebooks, I write in what I have, and I only buy what I think will be useful.
Create a different focus setting on my phone for writing. Notifications are off, except for emergencies. I chose a beautiful photo of the woods covered in snow as my phone wallpaper. With no distractions, I really only use my phone as a time check and am less likely to pick it up.
Set short sprint goals with clear pay-off. Using Austin Kleon’s 30-day challenge as I guide, I had to reflect on what I get out of writing for 30 days straight. And then I did the math—if I write for 30 focused minutes each day, I write, on average, 250 words during that time. Add that up over 30 days, and that’s 7500 words. That’s a chapter of a book. So that’s what I get—my first draft of a chapter. And that’s what I’m working on, the first chapter of my story. The focus feels GOOD.
What I’m writing
The opening chapter of my book.
What I’m reading
The Dark is Rising by Susan Cooper. I’m reflecting on Shayne Terry’s intention in 2025 to read like a kid, and this book feels like just that. It’s joyful and addicting in the best way. I love how this story is lining up with the midwinter days we’re in and the coming snowstorm here in Baltimore.
A helpful thing
Do you live near Port Townsend, Washington? If you do, check out this world building class on offer from Winter Texts, which is also publishing a new collection of poems (and two stories) from Ursula K. Le Guin. Pre-orders are coming in March. Don’t live in Washington state? Let’s all get a copy of Wonderbook by Jeff Vandermeer and make our own worlds!
I love reading posts like these and picking up ideas for my own writing practice like berries off a bush!
The covering of the monitor! Genius! I think a lot about these little signs and rituals we use to create boundaries around writing time, to signal to our bodies that it is time to go into this other realm. That is such a good one!