low energy habits that improved my writing practice

11 tips that may help you, including a monster named Frank

low energy habits that improved my writing practice

A while ago, this post about low energy mental health habits by

milk and cookies

went absolutely bonkers viral. I thought these were some really great ideas, but it also got me thinking—aren’t there low-energy habits that have helped me in my writing practice? (I’m not lazy, I’m efficient.)

And what better time to talk about low energy writing habits then summer!

I’m not perfect at all of these, and writing practices are always evolving. You may already be doing most of these and I’m preaching to the choir. But maybe one or two of these tips will help you grease the wheels a bit on your writing habits.

So here we go:

1. writing by hand.

This is the biggie for me. And I know it might not seem like this is an energy-saving writing habit, but I swear it is. At least it has been for me. I save so much energy by writing by hand because 1) I can write from the couch or bed, and 2) I’m not fighting that constant pressure and temptation that comes from sitting in front of a wifi connected device. My thoughts stop whirring and the slower pace helps me see those thoughts. Nothing has helped me feel more connected to the world and to myself than when I write by hand.

For all of these, your mileage may very, obviously, but if you’re feeling stuck and tired in your writing, try out good old fashioned pen and paper.

2. the power of fifteen minutes

We’ve all heard of writing sprints, and fitting the words into the five, ten, fifteen minute cracks in our day. Yes to all of that, particularly because most of us aren’t writing full time. We have to squeeze in the time or it won’t happen.

But I’m talking about the retroactive power of fifteen minutes. I’m talking about the end of the day, where all you managed was two, maybe three of those fifteen minute chunks, and it doesn’t feel like enough. It never feels like enough.

It was enough. Every word you got down is one more word than you had before. This is how books are written.

3. B+ first drafts

Coming from the girl who was frustrated by the A- she got in her A.P. biology class, this is huge. This rule is akin to the 80% effort rule. Your first drafts don’t have to be perfect, or even that good. In fact, if you’ve written an A+ first draft you haven’t followed the rule. Also because A+ first drafts don’t exist, and trying to pretend they do is using up valuable energy. (She has to remind herself constantly…)

4. the drawer of black and grey tshirts

I have a specific drawer stuffed full of unfolded black and grey tshirts. I like black and grey. The tshirts are comfy. And when you’re a perpetual insomniac who wakes up exhausted most mornings, there just ain’t no energy to try and pick through clothes. But grabbing a tshirt from the drawer still provides the ritual of changing clothes out of pajamas in the morning, so you can get to werk.

This is my rack of black shirts (I like black clothes, okay?) as opposed to my drawer of specifically cozy stay-at-home black tshirts. When I can’t find my shy black kitty Morticia, she’s usually here camouflaging.

4b. the closet rack of sun dresses

In addition to my drawer of staying-at-home-in-black-and-gray-tshirts drawer, I also have a section of my closet rack apportioned for sun dresses. When I can’t stand the sight of my apartment walls any longer and have to get OUT, I don’t have to use thought-energy as I change out of my black staying-home shirt into a brighter going-out dress. The dresses are cheap, usually from Ross, and comfortable, and because they’re sun dresses, they take thirty seconds to put on but I still feel put together when I head out the door.

5. the mental list of Gotta Go Write Now places

Related to the rack of sun dresses, I have a mental list of three, maybe four places I can go to to write, when I can’t stand my desk or even couch any longer. My places include the cafe at my local Barnes and Noble, the Land area at EPCOT when it’s hot, and the bench by the fountain in the Italy pavilion at EPCOT for the five minutes when its cool.

Make your own mental list of nearby writing places, like parks or cafes. And the other major place on my list that pretty much everyone can (and should!) use is the most magical place of all—the library. Please, please, please go to and use and support your local public library.

6. marketing after but sometimes before

Theoretically, I much prefer to get the actual writing done first, before I move to the platform buildy authory businessy stuff. That’s how I try to do things most days. But some days there’s just something hanging over my head—an email I need to respond to, an idea for a post, or *ahem* a newsletter to write—and it won’t stop making my brain itch until I just take care of it. I’ve learned that fighting that itch takes way more effort than just doing the thing and then going back to writing.

7. prime the pump reading

The most energy consuming part of the writing process is just getting started. Getting out of my own head. I’ve sometimes found that reading someone else’s words aloud to myself for a few minutes first helps expedite that process. It reminds me that, oh yeah, this is how words can sound. This works particularly well with extremely voicey and unique writers that totally jar you, like Cormac McCarthy or Dostoevsky or Roald Dahl or Beverly Cleary or Lemony Snicket.

8. leave books (poetry) within arms reach

I think most of us have lots of books in basically every room of our house. What I’m suggesting is to be intentional about it, and have books not just in every room, but specific books in specific places, like the back of the toilet or under the TV that we can reach for instead of our phones. I’m bad at this, but trying to get better. The books that work the best for me are poetry, and for the best grab-and-read poetry books I highly recommend Mary Oliver, Billy Collins, Shel Silverstein, ‘I’m Just No Good At Rhyming’ by Chris Harris, and ‘Good Poetry for Hard Times’¹ anthologized by Garrison Keiller. When I’m good at reaching for poetry instead of my phone, it keeps me in the word-play zone, and greatly reduces the effort it takes for me to get into the writing mindset.

9. prime the pump paragraph

Sometimes, frustratingly, the only way to get writing is to sit yer tuchus down and just…get writing. When I’m at that point, the minor mental trick I play is to tell myself I only have to write a paragraph. When done in conjunction with writing by hand, this works particularly well, because you can be sitting on the couch or be in line at the DMV, and you’re pulling out your notebook not because you Have To Sit Down Now and Be A Serious Literary Author (sorry

Daniel Piper

) but because you’re simply jotting down the next sentence or two.

And the trick is, once you’ve got those first two or three sentences down, the next two or three come even easier, and then the next two or three after that.

10. name the monster under the bed

This one is for my fellow insomniacs, and I think in the writing world we are legion. These energy saves are so helpful for us because we often struggle with a baseline energy in the first place. One of the reasons for that, for me, is that when I’m lying in bed at night, my brain still doesn’t feel like it has permission to shut off. Like it should still be doing the mental work until I drift off. Only, I don’t drift off.

So I’ve offloaded that mental work. Or at least, I try to. The monster who lives under my bed takes his shift. It’s him and my subconscious’ turn to work on our projects. That way, work is still being done, but hopefully I can maybe sleep a little too.

11. offload the brainstorming

You know that thing where you struggle for hours and hours to open a jar, and then someone else comes along and pops it right open? I feel like that with ideas and brainstorming all the time.

So when I’m stuck, instead of wasting energy trying to open an idea jar that isn’t opening, I’ll deliberately put it off and work on something else. I have a few writer friends I meet with regularly, and I basically put that brainstorm problem on our next meeting’s agenda and then call it good. And you know what, other people have been able to open my idea jars for me almost every single time.

And there we have it! Those are some low-energy habits I try to incorporate into my writing practice and writing life that help make things a little easier. Hopefully some of them will help you too.

What are your best energy-saving writing habits?

---

The Smorgasbord is a hand-kneaded, hand-shucked, reader supported publication. YOU make it possible! If you’d like to tip your waiter and keep the kitchen cooking, become a paid subscriber and help make this meal possible! Plus get access to special publishing resources, writing classes, the query letter that got me 4 agent offers, and more!

---

7 Side Dishes Worth Sharing

1. The wonderful

   K. Woodman-Maynard
   posted about the art tools she uses, and I thought this was definitely worth sharing. I’m always curious to see how art tools impact an artist’s practice.

2. “How I read poems, with aphantasia.” This post from

   Hollis Robbins (@Anecdotal)
   was fascinating. Via
   Andrew Campbell

3. I loved seeing the handwritten letters of writers like C. S. Lewis and Dorothy Sayers in this cool post.

4. This YouTuber is one of my favorites when it comes to building a platform and doing marketing as a creative.

5. I absolutely LOVED this essay from Ann Braden about the value of fun, rompy, escapy books, and letting kids read what they want to read. Highly recommend reading in conjunction with the essay from

   Sarah Miller
   about DogMan.

6. Don’t miss

   Alina Chau
   ’s awesome list of kidlit Substackers! I hope to spend some solid time going down the list and discovering more great kidlit folks!

7. I feel like I’m seeing more and more authors be so clever and creative in their book promo and marketing, and I’m learning so much from watching them. I can’t wait to incorporate and adapt this weeks thoughts from

   Anne-Sophie Jouhanneau
   on book events.

Share your own favorite sides in the comments!

---

Teacher’s Table

Some goodies especially for the teachers:

• This teacher video of the classic Peanut Butter Sandwich lesson went viral, and for very good and delightful reason.

• Everything needed to get your young writers started is here in Tools Not Rules: A Writing Guide for Young Creatives.

• Various and free activity sheets up on my Teachers Pay Teachers store! More added all the time, so check back regularly.

  

• I am so, so excited and honored to now be on the roster at the Macmillan Speakers Bureau! For school and other events, you can find my speaker page here!

You guys are rock stars!

Thanks for reading!

---

Thanks for coming along everyone! 1) Subscribe, 2) get a copy of the book bebes, and 3) keep glowing, you shining star you.

-Sarah

Links include Amazon Affiliate links where I may make a small commission.

1. This is my particular favorite one to keep on the back of the toilet hehehehe…