How to Write and Keep Writing Without Losing Your Mind (Mostly)

Let’s be honest. Writing sounds like a romantic career until you’re three hours deep into “research” (Watching YouTube videos about squirrel obstacle courses) and your blinking cursor is mocking you harder than your high school gym teacher.

But fear not, fellow word wrangler, here’s how to not only start writing, but to keep writing, without spiralling into a pit of existential despair. Or at least, not a deep one.

Lower the Bar. No, Lower.

Waiting for the perfect sentence to appear is like waiting for a llama to make you a coffee, weird, and a little unrealistic. The key is to write badly on purpose. Give yourself permission to create absolute garbage. Because here’s the thing: garbage can be edited. A blank page? Not so much.

First drafts aren’t meant to be good. They’re meant to exist. Just get it down. You can come back later with your editor hat and red pen of doom.

Create a Ritual

Writers love rituals. Hemingway stood. Maya Angelou rented a hotel room. You? You might just need a decent cup of coffee and a playlist called “Moody Piano Vibes.”

The trick is to condition your brain. Sit in the same place. Light a candle. Threaten your cat with a stern look if they walk across your keyboard again. Do whatever it takes to signal to your brain: It’s writing time now.

Set Ridiculously Small Goals

“Write a novel” sounds noble until you end up doom-scrolling memes and crying into your tea. Instead, aim to write one sentence. Just one. Often, one leads to two. Then, a paragraph. Then, boom, you're on a roll.

Also, you can then reward yourself for meeting your goal. One sentence? Time for a snack. A paragraph? More snacks. A full chapter? I hope you're sitting on a throne made of biscuits.

Turn Off the WiFi. Seriously. Do It.

You’re not stronger than the internet. None of us are.

Block websites. Put your phone in another room. Whisper “I’ll miss you” to your notifications and get to work.

There are apps for this. Use them. Or go full gremlin and write in a notebook with an actual pen like it’s 1842.

Find Fellow Weirdos

Writing doesn’t have to be solitary. Find people who get it. Join a writing group, online or off. Share your struggles. Celebrate your tiny wins. Send memes about writing pain. Writers need other writers, mostly for accountability and occasionally for snacks.

Remember: No One Cares About Your Adverbs Yet

You don’t need to perfect your prose as you go. Editing while writing is like stopping every two feet to adjust your shoelaces during a marathon. You’ll get nowhere and eventually throw your metaphorical shoes into a river.

Write now. Polish later. Or never, if you’re feeling spicy.

In Conclusion 

Writing is hard. But so is running a marathon, raising a child, or assembling IKEA furniture without crying. The trick isn’t to wait for inspiration to strike, it’s showing up even when it doesn’t strike.

So, write. Write poorly. Write weirdly. Write like no one’s watching (because they aren’t, unless your cat is still sitting there).

And most importantly, keep going.

You’ve got stories to tell. Even if they start with, “So this squirrel had an idea…”