Your cue leads to your craving, which leads to a response, that leads to your reward.These rewards can take any form, and as your habit gets more ingrained you develop a craving for the reward too, further developing the habit.

Rewards Are The End Goal Of Habits

Writers ought to have only one response to their cues and cravings: writing!Being a writer requires diverse activities, like promoting your list or pitching agents, but writing is still the most important of all.

Focus On Writing

Ask yourself what change of state are you seeking from writing. What you crave is not the habit itself but a change, which for a writer is often the sense of accomplishment from being a writer working toward a long-sought-after goal.

Cravings Drive Every Habit

Many writers use the act of getting out of bed as a cue but yours could be anything. As time passes you will feel less resistance to writing as your brain automatically prepares for writing once the cue is detected.

Use Cues To Trigger Your Writing

<div>
<img src="https://thewritelife.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/green-chameleon-21532-unsplash.jpg">As I'd done for decades, I silenced that voice of hope with a quick and definitive, "Yeah, right. Nobody's even going to read this thing." 
However, I'd just read Steven Pressfield's <a href="https://amzn.to/2Tlld86">The War of Art </a> Spurred to fight Resistance, I wrote my 50,000-word book in six months by waking at 5 a.m. every weekday and writing for an hour - whether or not I felt like I had anything worthwhile to say. 
I accomplished that by changing my mind-set. What I had once approached as a pastime turned into an obligation. Where once I'd wait (far too long) for inspiration to strike, I found W. Somerset Maugham's words to be true: "I write only when inspiration strikes. Fortunately it strikes every morning at nine o'clock sharp." 
When I experienced the truth that a writing life is built upon writing-a novel concept, I know - everything changed. When my hobby became my habit, my identity changed to match my expectations. 
I no longer said, "I want to write." I said, with confidence, "I am a writer." 
It wouldn't be until years later - after I'd become a full-time freelance editor, author, and ghostwriter - that I'd learn the four-step habit-building process I'd unintentionally worked through. 
And that education, ironically enough, would come through a book project I had the glad opportunity to assist with early on in its development. 
The subtitle for James Clear's <a href="https://amzn.to/2TjOfVJ">Atomic Habits </a>, a New York Times bestseller, is An Easy &amp; Proven Way to Build Good Habits &amp; Break Bad Ones . Its tagline is "Tiny Changes, Remarkable Results." Through many well-researched examples, Clear presents reason after reason why a <a href="https://jamesclear.com/marginal-gains"> 1 percent change </a> for the better every day is more beneficial than striving for one defining moment, or, worse, stagnating. 
<h2>How to create and maintain a writing habit </h2>
To transpose his ideas to the writing world, let's consider how each step could look in your writing life. Each quote below is from " <a href="https://jamesclear.com/three-steps-habit-change">How To Start New Habits That Actually Stick </a>," an excerpt of Atomic Habits . 
<h3>1. "The cue triggers your brain to initiate a behavior." </h3>
Your cue could be the place you write, the music you listen to, or the tools you use. 
My cue was just getting myself from my bed to my office chair in less than ten minutes every morning. If I could get myself in front of a keyboard before conscious thought (a.k.a. Resistance) entered my brain, I could convince myself, Well, I'm already here. Might as well write. 
Author and podcaster Sean McCabe automates lights in his office to change to a certain color when he's scheduled time for himself to write. 
Now, pause here to consider what your cue could be. 
<h3>2. "Cravings...are the motivational force behind every habit." </h3>
Clear notes, "What you crave is not the habit itself but the change in state it delivers." 
Your craving may be the same, but it could also be to make money or a living through your words, or to earn respect for your opinions or skill. 
Now, ask yourself, "What change of state am I seeking as a result of my writing?" 
<h3>3. "The response is the actual habit you perform." </h3>
Writers ought to have only one response to their cues and cravings: writing! 
Of course, being a writer today requires far too many extracurricular activities, like <a href="https://thewritelife.com/start-an-email-newsletter/">promoting your list </a> or <a href="https://thewritelife.com/before-you-pitch-literary-agents/">pitching agents </a>, but the habit you must perform without fail to become a writer and stay a writer is . 
Yet, I'm willing to bet, most of us struggle to do that consistently for a host of reasons. 
That's why following Clear's four stages of habit-making - which loop back upon themselves - is so helpful. 
<h3>4. "Rewards are the end goal of every habit." </h3>
Once your cue has led to your craving, your craving has led to your response, your response leads to your reward. You finally get to enjoy the fruits of your labors. 
These rewards can take a few forms. 
Maybe it's the endorphin kick when you finally figure out your plot or when one of your characters surprises you on the page. 
Maybe it's the realization that you're doing what you've always said you'd do. 
For me, my reward was Pavlovian. I used Scrivener's word count goal feature to meet my daily word count goals. Every time I'd cross that number, Scrivener would give me a pleasant ding and a pop-up of congratulations. 
Eventually, I craved hearing that noise. 
For all of those early mornings, my habit loop wasn't about writing a book and whatever rewards could come from publication. Rather, my habit loop was much simpler: I just wanted to hear that chime, signifying that I'd met my goal. 
And, by just getting 1 percent better every day, I eventually wrote a book, published it, and then turned that work into a career in writing. 
This post contains affiliate links. That means if you purchase through our links, you're supporting The Write Life - and we thank you for that! If you're ready to transform your writing hobby into a writing habit, I hope you'll experience the same kind of identity shift. 
You're not going to write. 
<img src="https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/9f49c5957a619e42e515cffd23f5f122?s=150&amp;d=mm&amp;r=g">
</div>

As I'd done for decades, I silenced that voice of hope with a quick and definitive, "Yeah, right. Nobody's even going to read this thing." However, I'd just read Steven Pressfield's The War of Art Spurred to fight Resistance, I wrote my 50,000-word book in six months by waking at 5 a.m.

personaldevelopment

Personal Development

habits

Habits

writing

Reading & Writing

communication

Communication

As I'd done for decades, I silenced that voice of hope with a quick and definitive, "Yeah, right. Nobody's even going to read this thing." However, I'd just read Steven Pressfield's <a href="https://amzn.to/2Tlld86">The War of Art </a>Spurred to fight Resistance, I wrote my 50,000-word book in six months by waking at 5 a.m. every weekday and writing for an hour - whether or not I felt like I had anything worthwhile to say. I accomplished that by changing my mind-set. What I had once approached as a pastime turned into an obligation. Where once I'd wait (far too long) for inspiration to strike, I found W. Somerset Maugham's words to be true: "I write only when inspiration strikes. Fortunately it strikes every morning at nine o'clock sharp."

When I experienced the truth that a writing life is built upon writing -a novel concept, I know - everything changed. When my hobby became my habit, my identity changed to match my expectations. I no longer said, "I want to write." I said, with confidence, "I am a writer." It wouldn't be until years later - after I'd become a full-time freelance editor, author, and ghostwriter - that I'd learn the four-step habit-building process I'd unintentionally worked through. And that education, ironically enough, would come through a book project I had the glad opportunity to assist with early on in its development.

The subtitle for James Clear's <a href="https://amzn.to/2TjOfVJ">Atomic Habits </a>, a New York Times bestseller, is An Easy & Proven Way to Build Good Habits & Break Bad Ones . Its tagline is "Tiny Changes, Remarkable Results." Through many well-researched examples, Clear presents reason after reason why a <a href="https://jamesclear.com/marginal-gains">1 percent change </a>for the better every day is more beneficial than striving for one defining moment, or, worse, stagnating.

How to create and maintain a writing habit

1. "The cue triggers your brain to initiate a behavior."

To transpose his ideas to the writing world, let's consider how each step could look in your writing life. Each quote below is from " <a href="https://jamesclear.com/three-steps-habit-change">How To Start New Habits That Actually Stick </a>," an excerpt of Atomic Habits . Your cue could be the place you write, the music you listen to, or the tools you use. My cue was just getting myself from my bed to my office chair in less than ten minutes every morning. If I could get myself in front of a keyboard before conscious thought (a.k.a. Resistance) entered my brain, I could convince myself, Well, I'm already here. Might as well write.

2. "Cravings...are the motivational force behind every habit."

Author and podcaster Sean McCabe automates lights in his office to change to a certain color when he's scheduled time for himself to write. Now, pause here to consider what your cue could be. Clear notes, "What you crave is not the habit itself but the change in state it delivers." Your craving may be the same, but it could also be to make money or a living through your words, or to earn respect for your opinions or skill.

3. "The response is the actual habit you perform."

Now, ask yourself, "What change of state am I seeking as a result of my writing?" Writers ought to have only one response to their cues and cravings: writing! Of course, being a writer today requires far too many extracurricular activities, like <a href="https://thewritelife.com/start-an-email-newsletter/">promoting your list </a>or <a href="https://thewritelife.com/before-you-pitch-literary-agents/">pitching agents </a>, but the habit you must perform without fail to become a writer and stay a writer is . Yet, I'm willing to bet, most of us struggle to do that consistently for a host of reasons.

4. "Rewards are the end goal of every habit."

That's why following Clear's four stages of habit-making - which loop back upon themselves - is so helpful. Once your cue has led to your craving, your craving has led to your response, your response leads to your reward. You finally get to enjoy the fruits of your labors. These rewards can take a few forms. Maybe it's the endorphin kick when you finally figure out your plot or when one of your characters surprises you on the page.

Maybe it's the realization that you're doing what you've always said you'd do. For me, my reward was Pavlovian. I used Scrivener's word count goal feature to meet my daily word count goals. Every time I'd cross that number, Scrivener would give me a pleasant ding and a pop-up of congratulations. Eventually, I craved hearing that noise.

For all of those early mornings, my habit loop wasn't about writing a book and whatever rewards could come from publication. Rather, my habit loop was much simpler: I just wanted to hear that chime, signifying that I'd met my goal. And, by just getting 1 percent better every day, I eventually wrote a book, published it, and then turned that work into a career in writing. If you're ready to transform your writing hobby into a writing habit, I hope you'll experience the same kind of identity shift.

4 Ways to Create (And Maintain) a Writing Habit

Rewards Are The End Goal Of Habits

Focus On Writing

Cravings Drive Every Habit

Use Cues To Trigger Your Writing

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