Like you, I know all about the benefits of keeping a “gratitude journal,” but I’ve never managed to keep one for very long. I also know that it takes about 20 days to form a new habit. Consistency is key…but life often gets in the way of our best intentions.
It’s much the same with many things we want to improve: writing skills, public speaking, that language we keep meaning to relearn or improve. Life gets in the way unless we manage to build better habits.
If you’re constantly saying that you need to work on your writing, start small by building a new habit of writing more often. It doesn’t have to be good writing. You don’t need to share it with anyone. You don’t even need to re-read what you wrote.
Practice writing every day
In her famous book The Artist’s Way, Julia Cameron suggests Morning Pages as a way for artists to get their creative juices flowing.
“Morning Pages are three pages of longhand, stream of consciousness writing, done first thing in the morning. There is no wrong way to do Morning Pages–they are not high art.
They are about anything and everything that crosses your mind, and they are for your eyes only.
Morning Pages provoke, clarify, comfort, cajole, prioritize and synchronize the day at hand. [Great vocab words! – S.]
Do not over-think Morning Pages: just put three pages of anything on the page…and then do three more pages tomorrow.”
Julia Cameron, The Artist’s Way
The idea behind the morning pages is that you sit down every day and write a full three pages. It doesn’t have to be pretty or perfect: just get used to writing more often instead of only when you need to.
If three pages seem like a lot, you could start small with a little gratitude journal or a quick summary of everything you did during the day. It doesn’t matter what you write, as long as you sit down and do it. (And it also doesn’t matter what time of day you write. 😉
Try a topic generator
If you can’t think of what to write, try using a random topic generator to get your ideas flowing. I’ve used these for both conversation and writing practice with my learners:
- https://learnhip.com/randomq/index.php (a nice interface and a good mix of questions)
- https://writingexercises.co.uk/subjectgenerator.php (more challenging prompts)
- https://www.conversationstarters.com/generator.php (simpler questions but an ugly page)
I’ve also had a few clients in the past who’ve told me that they hate writing about themselves. If that’s you, then check out this book.
Unjournaling: Daily Writing Exercises that aren’t personal or introspective
Some of the prompts are a bit silly, but a fun habit can often be easier to stick to.
Create a habit of writing something every day and see where it leads!