Kate’s Notes

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Writer's Mind

Lessons learned in creating a writing habit

Kate Cook
May 17
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Writer's Mind
katecook.substack.com
Photo of typewriter in the shape of a head.
Hansen Writing Ball typewriter

In the sixth week of the writing course I attended a family event, and I felt guilty about not writing every day on this trip, but torn because it is only a few times a year my family is together and spending time with them seemed a natural priority. I did take one day off from my commitment to myself. But I had an intentionally different way of thinking during interactions and events, even if I was not meeting my daily writing goal. I had been in the habit and routine of writing, and I kept my mind engaged in thinking philosophically and critically examining the interactions around me. The next day, after sleeping on the thoughts that my mind conceived naturally, in the shower the ideas formed as texts that were begging to be put into words. Three new topics for my writing projects took shape and I held onto them until I could sit down and type them out. They flowed easily, as if already written, and typing them was merely a formality.

I see this shift from obligation to existential expression as a direct result of creating a habit of writing. The more I write routinely, the easier it gets. The more I write, the less it is a duty to myself, the more it is a need to express my ideas, more a part of my existence. Habit becomes essence.

See more reflections from my writing course here:

Kate’s Notes
Writing Every Day: Reflection Notes
This spring I worked on a daily writing habit in a ten week course from the Institut de Pratiques Philosophiques. Here are some reflection notes from the process. Psychological Reward In week one I started to use an app that is designed to help with forming habits. I have noticed that my meditation a…
Read more
a month ago · Kate Cook
Kate’s Notes
Perfectionism is the Enemy to Writers
My perfectionism tells me that I don’t want to finalize and send a text the same day I write it. I have long figured out a system where I am good at proofreading my own texts, I just have to set aside my writing for a few days and then I can come back to it with some distance to edit with fresh eyes. I wrote a text that I …
Read more
2 months ago · Kate Cook
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