Not everything you write has to — or should — be intended for someone else to eventually read it. It’s generally good practice to write with your intended audience in mind. And for many aspiring writers, picturing someone reading their work as they’re writing it is just the kind of motivation they need to keep scribbling or typing.
But there is just as much value in taking time out of your writing schedule to write things that are only meant for you. Stories you’re still unsure about. Letters you’ll never send. Journal entries you’ll one day forget about. One of the most sacred ways to practice writing is to devote specific prose only to yourself. Here’s how to make this a more consistent and valuable habit.
Keep a Private Journal
I’ve been journaling, fairly consistently, for over 20 years. I’m the only person who has ever seen what hides inside any of them. Because I keep them to myself, I’m free to write whatever I want, however I want — whenever I feel like it. There are no rules. I credit this practice for starting me on the path to become a writer of things I actually intend for other people to read.
Keeping a journal gives you a safe space to find and develop your own voice. It’s the one place you’re bound to learn to write exactly as your thoughts appear in your own head. There is almost no better way to become familiar with who you are as a person and who you want to strive to become as a writer.
Start Working on Your Worst Ideas
There’s a common writing myth always floating around that bad ideas aren’t worth pursuing. I disagree. If we continuously dismiss ideas before we ever give them a chance simply because they seem underdeveloped or poorly thought through, we’re never going to end up finding the stories we’re meant to pursue.
Start writing those unclear, underdeveloped story ideas. Not for anyone else; just for you. Even if you eventually do come to the conclusion that the idea isn’t going to work and you’re better off letting it go, it’s highly unlikely that you’ll walk away from the experience having learned nothing about writing, your relationship to it, and which direction you want to take next.
Put It On Your Calendar
If making time for writing for yourself is an asset you feel might be worth your time, you actually have to both make the time to do it and actually sit down to do it. Shocking, I know! My calendar over the past year has become my lifeline when it comes to fitting any kind of writing time into my schedule.
Put it in there like it’s any other meeting or appointment. Then show up to that appointment ready to write, sit down (or stand, depending on your preference) and make good use of the time you’ve been given. You’ve blocked this time off specifically as your space and time to write for no one else but you. Use it wisely. Make it count.
Meg Dowell Writes 