You want to write more short stories, right? You probably dream of having a whole collection of them, but actually writing consistently can feel impossible. The truth is, it’s not about waiting for a sudden burst of genius. It’s about setting up a daily writing routine that works for you. This isn’t about being perfectly rigid; it’s about building a system that helps you create steadily, turning those “someday” efforts into a lot of finished stories. I’m going to break down how to get your routine started, keep it going, and deal with all the common bumps along the way so your short story output really takes off.
First Things First: Get to Know Your Writing Habits
Before you can build anything, you need to understand what you’re working with. Your personal writing “ecosystem” includes when you have the most energy, what you’ve already committed to, how you like to work, and even when your brain is just buzzing with ideas. If you ignore these basic elements, your routine will just crumble, no matter how good it sounds on paper.
1. Figure Out When You’re at Your Best
- When are you sharpest? Are you a morning person, practically bursting with ideas before the sun’s even up, or do you find peace and focus when everyone else is asleep? Don’t try to force yourself into some “ideal” schedule. If you do your best writing at 10 PM, trying to write at 6 AM every day is just going to burn you out and make you frustrated.
- Try this: For one week, just casually notice your energy levels and how clear-headed you feel every hour. When do you feel truly “on”? When do ideas just flow? When is editing easiest? Jane, a stay-at-home parent, realized her best creative hours were actually between 9:00 PM and 11:00 PM once her kids were asleep, even though she initially thought she “should” be writing first thing in the morning.
- How long can you really focus? Most people can go deep for about 45 to 90 minutes before they need a break. Trying to push past that without a quick breather usually means you’re getting less and less out of your time.
- Try this: Set a timer for 25 minutes to start (that’s the Pomodoro Technique). Then try 45 minutes, then 60. Write intensely during that time. When do you feel your focus really drift? For Tom, an accountant, 40-minute writing sprints followed by 10-minute breaks worked perfectly. It let him cycle through focused writing bursts without getting tired.
- What are your non-negotiable commitments? Life happens, right? Family, work, errands – they all take time. Trying to cram writing into an already packed schedule is a recipe for disaster. A realistic routine has to account for these things.
- Try this: Mark out all your fixed appointments, work hours, and essential family time on a calendar. What empty spots are left? Those are your potential writing windows. If you work nine to five, thinking you can write for two hours immediately after work every day might not be realistic if you also have to commute, cook dinner, and spend time with family. Maybe 30 minutes before work and an hour on weekends is a more sustainable plan.
2. Decide What “Productivity” Means to YOU
Forget about those big boasts of 5,000 words a day. What does a successful writing session actually look like for your short story goals?
- Word Count: Is it 500 words, 1,000, or just finishing a specific scene? Be realistic.
- Try this: Instead of just “write,” define it precisely: “write 750 words of a new draft” or “edit 3 pages of the current story.” Someone just starting who aims for 300 words a day is much more likely to succeed and build momentum than someone aiming for 2,000 and constantly falling short.
- Task Completion: Sometimes being productive isn’t about new words. It’s about outlining, editing, doing research, or brainstorming.
- Try this: Think about it like this: “Complete outline for ‘The Whispering Mill’ story (2 hours)” or “Revise the opening paragraph of ‘Lost Mariner’ (30 minutes).” Maria, who loves plotting, considered a productive day one where she mapped out the entire emotional arc of a new character, even if she didn’t write a single new word.
Building Your Routine: Designing Your Daily Flow
With that self-awareness as your blueprint, it’s time to actually build the routine. This means smart scheduling, developing habits, and managing your tasks intelligently.
1. Block Out Time: Make It Sacred
This isn’t about finding time; it’s about making time. Treat your writing slots like important appointments, just like a doctor’s visit or a work meeting.
- Find Your Main Writing Slot: This is your core, dedicated time. It should line up with those peak productivity hours you found during your self-assessment. Even 30 to 60 minutes consistently can produce amazing results.
- Try this: If you realized your peak time is 6 AM, block 6:00 AM – 7:00 AM as “Writing – Deep Work” in your digital or physical calendar. Commit to this like it’s a paid job. For Sarah, a full-time freelancer, her “Sacred Hour” was 7 PM-8 PM, right after her son was in bed, when her house was quiet.
- Use Those Tiny Windows: Don’t underestimate the power of 10-15 minute pockets of time. These are perfect for quick edits, brainstorming, or even outlining on your phone.
- Try this: Commuting on a train? That’s 20 minutes for outlining. Waiting for an appointment? 10 minutes to jot down dialogue ideas. During his lunch break, Mark would pull out his notebook and spend 15 minutes fleshing out a character’s backstory, turning dead time into productive creative time.
2. Create Rituals: Signal Your Brain to Write
Routines thrive on rituals. They’re like triggers that get your mind and body ready for the task, making it easier to start and harder to procrastinate.
- Before You Write Rituals: These tell your brain, “It’s writing time.”
- Try this: Make a specific cup of tea, put on a particular instrumental playlist, open a dedicated writing file, dim the lights. For Alex, his ritual was making a strong coffee, putting on his noise-canceling headphones, and opening Scrivener. This sequence, done consistently, told his brain, “It’s time to create.”
- After You Write Rituals: These help you transition out of your writing mode and strengthen the habit.
- Try this: Close your writing program, stretch, review what you accomplished (even if it’s just a few paragraphs), record your word count, or jot down thoughts for your next session. Finishing a session by noting down “Next: Expand on Chapter 3, Sarah’s reaction,” helps your future self jump right back in without friction.
3. Optimize Your Environment: Build Your Creative Sanctuary
Your physical space hugely impacts your ability to focus and create.
- Dedicated Writing Spot: Even just a specific corner of a room, if it’s consistent, can become your creative hub.
- Try this: Clear a specific desk or table. Keep it free of clutter from other tasks (like bills or work documents). For Emily, her “writing nook” was a small armchair with a lap desk, strategically placed to face a window, giving her a specific, uncluttered view.
- Minimize Distractions: This is absolutely crucial.
- Try this: Turn off phone notifications, close unnecessary browser tabs, let your housemates or family know it’s your writing time. Use website blockers if you need to. John used the “Freedom” app to block distracting websites for his dedicated writing hour, physically removing the temptation to browse social media.
- Comfort and Ergonomics: Avoid physical discomfort that steals your focus.
- Try this: Make sure you have good lighting, a comfortable chair, and proper posture. Don’t let a crick in your neck or eye strain derail your session too early.
4. Project Management for Short Story Writers
Unlike novels, short stories need a slightly different approach to keep momentum going across multiple pieces.
- Story Idea Backlog: You never want to run out of things to write. Keep a continuously growing list of story concepts.
- Try this: Use a digital note-taking app (like Evernote or Notion) or a physical notebook just for story ideas. Whenever an idea sparks, capture it immediately with a quick sentence or two. When you finish one story, you’ll immediately have another one waiting. Ben had a “Story Seeds” document where he listed concepts like “a man who can hear plants’ thoughts” or “a town where shadows come alive at noon.”
- Prioritize Your Ideas: Not all ideas are equally good, or equally urgent.
- Try this: Have 2-3 short stories “in progress” at different stages (for example, one being drafted, one in revision, one being outlined). This lets you switch to a different stage if you hit a wall on a particular story. If you’re stuck drafting Story A, you can switch to outlining Story B, keeping your momentum. Clara kept a Trello board with columns for “Idea,” “Outline,” “Drafting,” “Revising,” “Polishing,” and “Submission Ready.”
- Batch Similar Tasks: When you can, group similar tasks together.
- Try this: Dedicate one session solely to brainstorming new ideas for multiple stories, another to editing, another to outlining. If you’re in an “editing mindset,” use that momentum to edit several pieces rather than switching back and forth.
Keeping It Going: Fueling Your Routine for the Long Haul
A routine is only useful if you can stick with it. This means being proactive about motivation, being flexible, and handling those inevitable setbacks.
1. Understand Your Motivation
Knowing what truly drives you is key to sticking with it for the long term.
- Intrinsic Motivation: This is the pure joy of creating, the satisfaction of telling a story, and your own personal growth.
- Try this: Focus on the process itself. Enjoy crafting a sentence, building a character, or unwrapping a plot twist. Remind yourself why you started writing. Keep a journal of your small victories: “Today, I finally solved that plot problem.”
- Extrinsic Rewards (Use Carefully): These are external motivators.
- Try this: Set small, non-food rewards for hitting milestones (for example, “If I finish this draft, I’ll buy that new book I’ve wanted,” or “After 7 consistent writing days, I’ll watch that movie”). Don’t make writing itself feel like a punishment or just a means to a reward.
2. Set Realistic and Progressive Goals
- SMART Goals: Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, Time-bound.
- Try this: Instead of “write more,” set “Write 500 words of a horror short story every weekday morning for the next month.”
- Process Goals vs. Outcome Goals: Focus on what you can control.
- Try this: “I will show up at my desk every day at 7 AM and write for 45 minutes” (that’s a process goal) is much more controllable than “I will get published in X prestigious literary magazine this year” (an outcome goal). Achieving process goals builds the habit that eventually leads to bigger outcomes.
3. Track Your Progress: Seeing is Believing
Seeing how far you’ve come is incredibly motivating.
- Word Count Trackers: Simple and effective.
- Try this: Use a spreadsheet, a bullet journal, or an app like Pacemaker. Don’t just track words, track consistent days. A streak of 30 straight days of writing, even short sessions, is incredibly satisfying. Rachel had a large calendar on her wall and put a big ‘X’ through each day she completed her writing session. The growing chain of ‘X’s was a constant visual reminder of her dedication.
- Task Completion Checklists: Crossing things off gives you a sense of accomplishment.
- Try this: Every time you finish a phase of a story (outline, first draft, revision), mark it off on your project list.
4. Be Flexible: Life Happens
Being too rigid will break your routine. Being adaptable will make it strong.
- Embrace Imperfection: Some days you’ll write 100 words, not 500. Some days you’ll write zero. That’s totally fine. The goal is to get back on track the next day.
- Try this: If you miss a session, don’t beat yourself up or abandon the whole thing. Acknowledge it, and commit to showing up the next day. “I missed Tuesday, but Wednesday is a fresh start.”
- The “Minimum Viable Product” Session: What’s the absolute least you can do to keep the habit alive?
- Try this: If your goal is 500 words but you only have 15 minutes, aim for 100 words. If you can only write one sentence, write one sentence. The whole point is to just show up. Sarah’s rule was “one sentence is better than no sentences.”
- Schedule Breaks and Review: Prevent burnout. Your routine needs downtime.
- Try this: Plan for a full day off from writing each week, or a week off every few months to recharge your creativity. Use these breaks for reading, exploring new ideas, or just resting.
5. How to Handle Procrastination and Writer’s Block
These things are going to happen. Your routine needs ways to deal with them.
- Stop Procrastination Before It Starts:
- Try this: Start your writing session by reviewing your notes from the previous day. Immediately jump into the middle of a scene or dialogue to avoid that blank page intimidation. “Write something, anything, even if it’s bad.” Don’t edit while you’re drafting.
- Writer’s Block Is a Symptom, Not a Disease: Often, block means you’re stuck on a particular problem or you need to refill your creative well.
- Try this: If you’re truly stuck on a story, switch to a different story on your “in progress” list. Go for a walk. Read a book (not in your genre). Brainstorm ten terrible ideas. Free-write for 10 minutes on an unrelated topic. Tim, when blocked, simply opened a separate document and wrote “I don’t know what to write” repeatedly until a new idea surfaced, or he just decided to write about his dog.
Evolving Your Routine: Making It Better Over Time
Your first routine isn’t going to be perfect. You’ll need to tweak it and adjust it as you grow as a writer and as your life changes.
1. Review and Adjust Regularly:
- Weekly Check-in: At the end of each week, take 15 minutes to see how you did. Did you hit your goals? What worked well? What didn’t?
- Try this: “This week, my 6 AM slot was constantly interrupted. Maybe I should shift to 8 PM.” Or, “I loved the new music I tried; I’ll keep that.”
- Monthly Re-evaluation: Look at your broader output. Are you moving towards your larger short story goals? Is the routine still sustainable?
- Try this: “I’ve written three first drafts this month, but haven’t revised anything. I need to integrate more revision time into next month’s routine.”
2. Improve Incrementally:
- Small Changes: Don’t try to change everything at once. Make one or two adjustments, try them out for a week or two, then see how they work.
- Try this: If you’re struggling with morning commitment, try moving your writing slot by 30 minutes, rather than completely giving up on morning writing. Or, just add one pre-writing ritual to see its effect.
- Listen to Yourself: Pay attention to your energy, your mood, and what you’re actually producing. Your routine should help you, not be a burden. If you consistently dread your writing time, something needs to change.
Creating a daily writing routine for short stories isn’t about some magical inspiration; it’s about discipline, knowing yourself, and being consistently persistent. It’s about building a framework that protects your creative time, focuses your energy, and turns those occasional bursts of inspiration into a steady flow of engaging stories. By understanding your unique writing habits, carefully designing your schedule, keeping yourself motivated, and being flexible, you’ll build a routine that not only increases what you write but also deepens your connection to your craft, leading to a productive and satisfying journey as a short story writer.