100 Days To Radically Change Your Writing Life
We know the value of developing a writing habit and the power of momentum in working towards our goals, but how long does it really take to make regular writing a habit? How easy is it to radically change your writing life?
Well, you might have heard of the old adage, ‘It takes 21 days to make a habit and 21 days to break a habit’, right? But the truth is, 21 days isn’t enough. It’s a great start, but it’s not a lifelong habit. Read on to find out how long it really takes…
How To Develop A Killer Writing Habit In 100 Days?
Research shows it can take a lot longer than 21 days. James Clear, wrote about this extensively in his book Atomic Habits and noted, on average, it takes more than 2 months before a new behaviour becomes automatic — 66 days to be exact. And how long it takes a new habit to form can vary widely depending on the behaviour, the person, and the circumstances. This research was based on studies from a University College London psychologist - Phillippa Lally, who found behaviour becomes unchangingly automatic after 66 days.
This sounds pretty exciting to us.
66 Days to Develop a Habit
You can do 66 days; we know you can. And the rewards of the work? A lifelong writing habit that will result in hundreds of thousands of words. And words turn into books.
Think about how long it took you to learn to drive. Think about how long it took you to excel in the work you do. Or how many days it took to learn to cook?
66 days to develop a writing habit is achievable.
But there is more good news. You don’t need to hit 66 days in a row, if you hit 66 days out of 100, you’d be well on your way to creating a solid writing habit that will last.
We like making writing as easy as possible. We like to learn how to break down big goals and make them achievable. This is why we are excited to share our new project with you.
Your Invitation to Start the First 100 Days of 2021 with Writing
To support you on your writing habit journey, we have developed a brand-new project.
Introducing: The First 100 Days – Prompt Project.
For the first 100 days of 2021, you’ll be inspired and challenged by daily writing prompts, questions and mini worksheets. These will all be shared via an exclusive Facebook group filled with like-minded creatives. It’s easy to take part in and will develop inspiration, creativity and your writing craft with just 10 minutes of writing a day!
How does The First 100 Days – Prompt Project work?
The prompt project forces you to develop a writing routine and a writing habit by asking you to respond to a writing prompt for 100 days. The prompts can be completed in a maximum of ten minutes a day (with some only taking 90 seconds!), so you can slot this project into a busy life!
However, you can spend more time on the prompts and see what stories they inspire, if you wish. The writing prompts will help you write fiction and non-fiction, or you can use them to write poetry or allow them to inspire life writing.
Please note the prompts are delivered via the exclusive Facebook group, you’ll need a Facebook account to join the group.
What you’ll get:
100 Writing Prompts. These could be questions, story starters, sentences you need to finish, lists to write or even mini worksheets to complete. The creativity comes from the unknown. You won’t know what tasks will pop up each day.
Access to an exclusive Facebook Group where the prompts will be shared each day.
You’ll get support and encouragement from the Facebook group and an opportunity to share your work if you want to.
Topics Include: Journaling prompts for life writing. Fiction prompts for character development and story ideas. Questions and tasks to develop your writing mindset. Sentence starters, list building and lots of freewriting!
When does the project start?
The First 100 Days Prompt Project starts on Friday the 1st of January 2021, and runs for 100 days, finishing on Saturday the 10th April 2021.
Your 66 Days Challenge
Whether you take part in our prompt project or not, we want you to succeed. We learn to write by writing and the best way to write more is to develop a habit. A routine and set pattern that keeps you accountable to your writing goals and targets.
So, why not challenge yourself to write for 66 days and see how far you get? Analyse if it’s helped you, but most importantly, analyse if you’ve enjoyed it. Writing has to be about the process, not just the results, and building a writing habit is the same. Although some days may be harder than others, it shouldn’t always be a chore, there should be joy and happiness in the process.
We love talking about developing writing habits and we had a lively discussion about this on our podcast episode 4 - How Do I Develop A Writing Habit?. we even questioned if you do always need a writing habit? We’d love to know what you think. Please get in touch and share your habit building ideas or your thoughts on writing habits.
