Most people who want to write aren’t born with the ability to sit down and start writing. That’s a myth. Most people have to work at it. They have to practice and practice some more. That doesn’t mean that you’re not meant to be a writer, it just means that you have to set yourself up for success. It’s a process of learning and growing. There are things that you can do to speed up the process a bit that I’m going to share with you today. Let’s dive in.
1 Keep a journal
One great and easy way to get started writing and become a better writer is to write in your journal every day. Setting a daily writing time can help you get into the consistent habit of writing. It can also help you push through writer’s block. This type of freewriting can also turn into ideas that you use for blog posts or even books. The best way to confront the blank page is to keep writing consistently every day.
2 Create a writing space in your home
Creating a writing space will help you train your brain to write when you are in that space. Set aside a place in your room or in your home that you only use for writing. This can be as simple as a chair or a small desk for your computer. Set it up with your favorite inspiration, candles, treats, or whatever helps you get in the mood to write. Then make sure you only use that space for writing. Once you establish this place, your brain will associate it with your writing practice and will turn on writing mode when you sit down there.
3 Write every day
We talked about keeping a daily journal. Writing for fun every day is also important. It will help you build your creativity and help you keep writer’s block at bay. There’s a rason that you want to write, whether it’s a blog or a book or something else. Writing every day will help you accomplish these goals.
4 Set Realistic Goals
Speaking of goals, be sure to set realistic ones for yourself. Your dream may be to write the next Harry Potter or Twighlight or the next Super Attractor or Big magic, but as a goal, it’s not great. You need measurable and achievable goal that you can accomplish in short periods of time as well as bigger goals that keep you going for years. It’s much easier to build the habits that will lead to achieving your big dream if you have small goals as well. .
And hold yourself to that goal. When I first started my blog I wanted to write a blog post every single day. I quickly realized that was way too much for me to handle. So I committed to writting one blog post a week. 700 - 1,000 words every 7 days was achievable for me. I suggest that you do the same, whether you have a blog or not. Start by writing one blog post a week. Once you’ve held yourself to that goal for a while, move on to a bigger goal.
5 Invite Inspiration
I’ll bet you have go-to podcasts, blogs, websites, and experts for many of your interests. I know I have thousands of pins on Pinterest about INFJs, self improvement and other things that interest me. I have podcast I listen to every week and books that I read when I’m feeling a certain way.
I encourage you to curate the same resources list for your writing practice. Find authors you admire who host podcasts about the craft. Follow Instagram accounts that offer prompts and motivation. Sign up for newsletters that will provide writing tips and tactics (like mine!).
6 Write an outline without feeling the pressure to use it
There's a reason that you went to right, whether it's a book or a Blog. This reason is the perfect thing to keep you going. Write an outline for a blog post that you're thinking of writing. Or write an outline for a book that you're interested in writing or even at just a chapter of that book. For this exercise there's no pressure to use this outline. It's just going through the practice of writing the outline to get your creativity flowing. I'm sure you'll find it's a lot easier to write when there is no pressure to use what you're writing. When you're not worried about people seeing it you'll feel a lot more creative.
7 Edit something you’ve set aside for a while
When I'm struggling with writing I like to pull out something that I've written a while ago and reread it. This process helps me to remember things that I've written in the past but also reminds me that I have a message to share and my writing is generally better than what I assume that it is. editing old pieces gives me confidence in writing New pieces and it also gives me ideas to build off of in the future. I'm sure it will do the same for you too.
8 Read to Learn
Writing regularly is an important part of being a writer, but reading regularly is also equally important. Reading helps you learn new ideas and think about things differently. It helps you expand your mind your creativity. Having an established reading practice will help you write more consistently end to help you become a more rounded writer as a whole.
9 Find Accountability Buddies
As an INFJ I tend to think of myself as a loner. I don't have very many friends who are interested in the hobbies that I'm interested in, especially writing. Through my blog I have been fortunate enough to find a couple of INFJs who love writing as much as I do. One of them started a mastermind group this past summer and asked me to join. it turned out to be just the two of us oh, but that's worked out for a couple of reasons. She used to live in Boston but she moved to Nashville over the summer, so this group has helped us stay connected as friends. We have video calls once a week every week so it gives us a chance to talk and stay connected. It also gives me the motivation that I need to set weekly goals and stay accountable to those goals.
Hearing about her experience motivates me to do more and it helps me to solve some of the problems that I have with writing. My friend collected all of her stories together into a book and hired an editor all in the past 3 months! That motivated me to get my act together about writing the next book that I have wanted to write for two years now.
10 Join a writing workshop
Seeking out writing courses is a great way to meet fellow writers and fellow INFJs. Courses give you a step-by-step approach to the writing process from a teacher you know, like and trust. You’re able to join a group of your peers who will help motivate you and push you to keep working on your writing and improving it over time. Plus, you might meet your new best friend in the course! I’ve met some of my most valuable friends through these types of courses because the people who join them are motivated and determined, just like me.
There’s a lot of things that you can do to help get started writing and establish a regular practice. The most important thing is to keep trying until you find something that world for you. Don’t give up. Most people who give up are just about ot have a breakthrough that will change their lives. So don’t give up! Keep going and keep trying. You’ll find the thing that works for you before you know it!
Writing Essentials for INFJs
Writing is such an important part of our lives as INFJs. It’s truly life changing in so many ways from problem solving to communication to healing from your past and planning your future. I want to help you learn more about writing and dig deeper into how it can help you, so I’ve created 8 additional episodes of The Quiet Ones that you can access for free at https://infjwoman.com/seasonfiveextras/.
