J. L. Willow

Camp Nanowrimo is halfway over and I can hardly believe it! The month has been flying by, but so far, I’ve been able to stay on track. I’m hoping to do a title reveal for my newest project soon, so stay on the lookout for that!

One of the biggest problems I’ve encountered over the course of my writing career (and Camp Nanowrimo is no different) has been finding inspiration. Some days, I wake up in the morning and am driven to write for hours. Other times, it’s a struggle just to jot a few hundred words down. Inspiration is fleeting, testy, and not reliable. So, how do people finish books when they don’t always have the desire to write them? The answer is simple: habit.

The power of habit is something I think we sometimes overlook, not just for writing, but for our lives in general. Whether it’s the time we wake up or what we eat for breakfast, if we do something daily, it becomes a part of our natural schedule. If we don’t follow something that we normally do, we feel strange and unfulfilled. And that’s the key to unlocking the drive to finish your project, whether it be a book or anything else.

If you spend a few minutes on the project you’re writing or working on every day, it will become a part of your daily routine. The first few days will be difficult, but if you bull through, you’ll be much better off in the long run. It’s a test of perseverance and drive. If you can push yourself in the beginning and really work on making writing a daily part of your routine, it won’t matter if you have inspiration or not. You’ll feel strange if you don’t write, even if you don’t want to.

Sometimes the power of habit can be a curse. But if you use it to your advantage, it can be a blessing! And that’s one of the best parts of Camp Nanowrimo. It forces writers around the world to make writing a part of our routine. And in the end, all those minutes add up and we end the month with a draft.

Are you doing Camp Nanowrimo this July? Comment how you’re doing below!

Just keep writing, just keep writing . . .

— Julia