The 12 Most Frustrating and Difficult ‘Bad’ Writing Habits to Break

1. Not writing down an idea … because 90% of the time you are probably going to instantly, though often temporarily, forget it.

2. Saying “I’ll just write it tomorrow” when there’s absolutely no reason why you can’t just write it today.

3. Using Oxford Commas where Oxford Commas don’t belong (you might work for a company that forbids them, and well, their rules are final).

4. Not writing something because you’re afraid of accidentally stealing someone else’s idea.

5. Two words: Dialogue. Tags.

6. Leaving your writing until the end of the day when you know you are never going to feel like doing it at the end of the day.

7. Using your feelings of overwhelm, fear, and doubt as obstacles instead of resources.

8. Checking your phone basically after every paragraph (we create our own distractions even if we aren’t always willing to admit it).

9. Talking about what you’re going to write when you should just … write it.

10. Waiting for someone else to give you permission to write something or keep writing.

11. Stopping in the middle of writing something because you don’t think it’s “good enough.’

12. Not believing you have the skills or time or passion for writing, when these things are learned and grown into, and completely under your control.

Meg is the creator of Novelty Revisions, dedicated to helping writers put their ideas into words. She is an editor and writer, and a 12-time NaNoWriMo winner. Follow Meg on Twitter for tweets about writing, food, and Star Wars.