How to Build a Writing Habit from Scratch (and Actually Keep It)

How small, steady steps grow into a lasting writing habit.

Photo by Filip Štefičar on Unsplash

The Chinese bamboo tree story goes like this: You plant a seed, water it daily, tend to it, and care for it… for an entire year and you see nothing.

Nothing sprouts, no sign of life. Just dirt.

The second year, you still see nothing, the third year, nothing, the fourth year you have probably given up.

But in the fifth year, it grows more than 80 feet in a matter of weeks.

The truth is the tree didn’t grow overnight, it had a process of growth underground the whole time.

The tree was developing roots underground that would support the larger plant. Writing habits happen the same way.

The Roots Come First

Many aspiring authors struggle not with the inspiration and the idea for a book, but with consistent practice. They plant the seed of a goal to “start writing routinely” and because results do not show up quickly, overwhelm often settles in.

In fact, a writing habit is more about growing “invisible growth” than it is about instant results. It is less about inspiration, and more about quiet steady nurturance. Now let’s get…