Most of these tips might seem backward or exactly what you “aren’t” supposed to do if you want to be a successful writer. I hope this is proof that not all advice works for everyone in the same way.

1. Working no more than 10 hours a day.

2. Avoiding work for the first 3 hours of my morning.

3. Checking my blog stats throughout the day.

4. Doing other creative things instead of writing when the words just aren’t coming to me.

5. Checking social media often.

6. Making time to read every day when I could be writing.

7. Making time for rest, even if it feels like I’ve had “too much” lately.

8. Stopping when my brain feels “tired” and coming back refreshed the next day.

9. Believing there’s a chance that what I’m writing won’t do well/get published/earn me a job.

10. Writing things that might not “matter” anyway, just in case.

All these things either motivate or inspire me to come up with new ideas and keep writing even when the process feels difficult or pointless. But if you’re into more “practical” tips, I have some of those, too.

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Meg is the creator of Novelty Revisions, dedicated to helping writers put their ideas into words. She is a staff writer with The Cheat Sheet, a freelance editor and writer, and a 10-time NaNoWriMo winner. Follow Meg on Twitter for tweets about writing, food and nerdy things.

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