Writing hygiene

Sleep hygiene- habits that are conducive to sleeping well on a regular basis. It is a powerful concept. When you consider changes to your sleep hygiene, you consider a variety of behavioral, environmental, emotional, and biological factors. The better your sleep hygiene, the more likely you are to sleep well over time.

I recently have been considering the notion of writing hygiene as a useful metaphor when considering helping scholars thinking about their writing processes. Good writing hygiene will include many of the factors that facilitate good sleep hygiene, including:

The use of schedules
Considering location
Relaxation methods
Controlling negative self-talk
Rituals
Turning off technology in advance
Attending to emotions
Planning and preparation

Think about this list, and reflect upon any areas you may wish to change. (We have explored a few in this blog 🐶🐶)

Writing hygiene- an idea I will develop more. 

Writing Challenge: What Does Not Work

For this challenge, I want you to consider a piece of writing advice that you have received, but that does not work for you. Unpack the principles or ideas that undergird the advice.  How useful are these ideas to your writing? Is there something you can take from them or should you reject them entirely ? Can you morph them to make them work for you?

Reflecting about the "inside the box" ideas about writing will help you developed tools that work for you.

Whisper Down the Lane: The Morphing of Writing Advice

You know whisper down the lane--it is the camp game that is also used in various kinds of training groups to illustrate how information changes as it is shared from person to person.

This phenomenon greatly impacts the quality of writing advice that young scholars receive. From suggestions about the benefits of and skills for facilitating daily writing, exploring how to choose a journal, or how to deal with "writers block"-- so much of what is passed from scholar to scholar now has been stripped of its initial intent, the actual message, and often the theory or research behind such advice.

I have frequently posted on why you need to  assess the advice you receive. Don't accept writing and publishing advice at face value. Try to understand the theory/logic behind it. Attempt to understand the implications of the advice, and if it really has worked for others, and why. Then, try it, over time, try to make it work for you.

Process Challenge: Entry Points

This morning, take a look at how you decide where to enter your writing sessions. Do you spend a good deal of time deliberating about where to start, what to write, what to do? Do you have a clear sense of your entry points? It is valuable to know exactly where you are starting your writing as soon as possible, so you don't waste time, become anxious, or demoralized.