Consistency is the key to success in writing. If you want to write a novel, you must do it bit by bit, and you must do it every day.
Writing is like a muscle; the more you do it, the stronger it becomes.
The same way humans have difficulties to exercise regularly, they are struggling to write daily. A writer is in a constant battle with the Resistance; the force which is standing on a writer’s path to achieving her goals.
One of the easiest ways to beat the Resistance is by building time-blocks.
All you have to do is to set a certain amount of time for writing and nothing but the writing. That means, put your phone on DNB or airplane mode, disconnect from the internet, close the door of your room, sit on the chair and write while ignoring hunger, thirst, the urge to clean or to do anything else besides writing.
Once your time is up, you’re done. There won’t be any time blocks left for writing during the rest of the day. Failing to write anything will be your punishment. There is no need for further self-scolding.
The timeframe isn’t fixed. Your time-block can be 30 minutes, but it can also be several hours. It depends on your daily schedule and the time available during the day.
Don’t pay attention to a word count. It doesn’t mean anything. Sometimes, you will have difficulties producing a single true sentence, but on the other days, you’ll produce much more.
Celebrate each day during which you dedicated some time to writing. With time, you’ll be able to do it more easily and within a longer time frame. Build it up gradually. Don’t force yourself too much. Just try with a single sentence and build it up from there. Don’t worry much about the quality; you can always fix it later; that’s what editing is for.
Experiment with this for a couple of weeks, track your progress and you’ll be surprised how much you’ve accomplished just by dedicating an hour to writing.