Seeing as we’re pretty late into the fall season now, chances are you’re pretty well-adjusted to a routine. It’s likely one slightly different than you’re used to, but it’s a routine, nonetheless.

Much like how school, jobs, and chores sink into monotony, your process of writing does too. There are lots of different ways to write a text and writers usually find themselves sticking to a specific method.

I thought I’d list some of the different writing approaches to help you identify your own writing routine because knowing your process an essential aspect of developing your skills.

How to Develop a Writing Routine

The Planner. Some writers think of their entire plot before actually writing it down in story format. It might be in the form of a storyboard, a sequential list, a messy word cloud, or maybe even just in their head, but there is always a plan. It’s easier for them to write when they know where the piece is headed.
The Free-Thinker. This type of writer is essentially the opposite of the planner. Instead of a detailed outline, they sit down at their computer with a vague idea of what they want to write about and just start typing. As they write, the ideas flow.
The Plan-Deviator. Like the Planner, this writer always has a specific idea of how the piece will be before actually writing it. As they write, however, they find themselves coming up with different ideas than they had before, and they explore those instead. By the end of the work, the piece is nothing like how it was planned, but it still works.
The Epiphany. For this writer, ideas come while writing, similar to the free-thinker. Instead of the ideas coming one by one though, they come all at once in the middle of the process. So, the writer is forced to pause and create a plan before continuing.
The Inspired. This kind of writer relies on others for their ideas. They are not a plagiarizer by any means. They just find their inspiration through conversations, pictures, videos, or any other outside source and they use that stimulant to find their story. When they have a particular fascination they thrive, but in periods of the mundane, they struggle.

Which type of writing routine do you usually follow? Maybe you’re a dead ringer for one of these types, maybe you fluctuate between two or more, or maybe there’s a type of writer that I’ve missed. I’d love to hear your thoughts, so please comment down below!