Creating a Story 1
How I made writing into a habit
I want to write a story!
That’s great, but when are you going to do it?
Whenever I have the time.
So almost never then.
Maybe not never. The time I chose to write was inconsistent. I would be doing something else or I wouldn’t feel like writing at all. Between family, house tasks, or working a part-time job. I did not have time for writing, but I wanted to write a book. So I made it into a habit.
With help from the Atomic Habits audiobook. I applied these rules to it.
Time and place
The best time for me was early morning while everyone was still asleep. I was also more active in the morning than in the afternoon. I would have time for myself even if something came up. The place was my bedroom.
Make it Obvious
I made it obvious by having my notebook on the table at the side of my bed. I can get to it easily; it reminds me of what I must do.
Make it Attractive
It took me a while to realize that what made it attractive was writing my thoughts by hand. Not fixing my grammar and misspellings. It got a lot of pressure from writing off me. No one’s going to see it. I’m not being graded on it or anything.
make it easy
I write a line in my notebook. That’s it. Action is important, but so is motivation. Limiting how much I could write made me want to write more. There’s even writing advice about stopping halfway when the ideas are still in your head. So you’ll always have something to write.
Make it satisfying
After I was done, I would read on my tablet. That became my reward.
Goal
The last thing was setting a goal for myself. I would write an outline before Kingdom Hearts 3 came out. I knew I would get it regardless, but I wanted a sense that I had earned it. It also gave me a reason to write that was within reach.
Outcome
I’m of course, not going to show what I wrote in my notebook. I will show how I was back then and how I am now with my writing.
The Web forms — 2020
Within a cave hidden by a sea of dense trees, the spider’s nest. Her prey wrapped in white steel, still alive. The tiptap of her steps counted the seconds he had to live.
He prayed to see a beauty one last time.
A sharp finger dug into the web, slicing downward. The light escaped revealed a maiden with long black hair, slender body, and lower half of a spider.
The Web Forms One 2024
Hidden behind a curtain of leaves a cave, within its small chamber. The pool of water vibrated, the dirt shifted, and a hand shot up from the ground.
Another hand rose, tossing the earth aside for a woman to emerge. Her long brown hair covered the top of her body and she dragged herself to the water. She brushed her hair aside to stare at her reflection.
Her black eye shined back at her. She touched her fair skin. “I’m human.”
Both are the first parts of a short story about a spider demon. Can you tell the difference?
Conclusion
While doing this, I was honing my skills by writing a bit each day. I am a better writer than I am now, but there are still things I need to get better at.
If you want to read these short stories, check out my website.
