How To Develop a Daily Habit of Writing

Allison Fallon, author and writing coach, believes a daily practice of writing is beneficial for everyone, whether or not they consider themselves a writer.

“Writing is not an elite activity. Writing is communication and self-discovery, writing is spirituality, writing is curiosity, writing is exploration. Writing is a human instinct.” — Allison Fallon

Based on her experience working with writers, Allison offers a tried-and-true method for developing a daily writing habit. It applies to those of us in the early stages of exploration as well as seasoned writers who struggle with creating and clarifying content. 

Allison sat down with hope*writers to share her thoughts on writing, plus her favorite prompt to help writers get writing on a regular basis. 

Who Should Write Daily

Research shows that all of us can benefit from a daily writing practice, whether or not we call ourselves writers. Writing regularly for twenty minutes a day has been proven to measurably improve mood and strengthen mental health by helping us organize our thoughts, express our emotions in a safe space, and give meaning to our experiences. 

We all possess the tools we need to write daily — a pen, a piece of paper, and a short period of time. Writing is free and portable, making it accessible to everyone, and this type of writing doesn’t require any special skills. It’s for your eyes only.

Why Write Daily

In addition to its mental health benefits, writing keeps us in touch with our inner selves. It helps us stay in tune with our souls, the place inside each of us where creative work begins quietly and without fanfare. When we take the time to connect to this part of ourselves, we notice all the thoughts, feelings, and ideas that might otherwise be lost to us.

Sometimes we think there needs to be a specific purpose for our writing, one with defined outcomes, like a book or a blog post. This daily twenty-minute habit may initially feel like a waste of time because it doesn’t produce the kind of work that we plan to publish. However, it makes space for the publishable work that will come later by leaving room for new ideas to germinate and eventually bloom into something worth publishing.

How To Write Daily

Even though we’ve established who should be writing daily (all of us!), and why we should be writing daily, we may still feel stumped when the blank page greets us every morning. Allison’s Infinity Writing Prompt will help you generate material from emotionally charged experiences in your life. Regardless of how often you use the prompt, if you’re alive and in relationships with other people, you’ll never run out of material. 

The Infinity Writing Prompt invites you to choose a circumstance from your life, past or present, that feels charged and has some emotion attached to it. 

For twenty minutes, write without censoring any answers in response to the following statements: 

• Write the facts of what happened.
• Write what you thought about what happened.
• Write what you felt about what happened.

This kind of writing may not promise a return on your time investment in terms of creating publishable work, but it will prime your creative pump and help you discover and explore your inner life with greater curiosity. What writer can’t use more of that?

Want to learn more about moving from idea to decisive action? Our conversation with Allison Fallon will satisfy your inner creative regardless of your stage as a writer. Click here for free access to our entire conversation and take one step towards balancing the art of writing with the business of publishing.