Lifelong Writing Habit: The Secret to Writing Every Day

Write Faster, Write Smarter #2

by Chris Fox

Are you tired of writing intermittently? Would you like to install a lifelong writing habit, one that gets your butt in the chair every single day? Then this is the book for you. Lifelong Writing Habit draws on well tested neuroscience to help you install a daily writing habit that will endure for life.

It contains a simple to understand system, with actionable steps at the end of every chapter. You'll learn:

- How to install a permanent writing habit
- How to get organized
- How to set and achieve writing goals
- How to harness discipline and motivation

It’s time to make a permanent shift in your writing. Let’s get moving!

Genres: Writing, Nonfiction, Self Help, Audiobook, Productivity, Crafts, Personal Development

59 pages, Kindle Edition

First published October 15, 2015

About the author

By day I am an iPhone developer architecting the app used to scope Stephen Colbert’s ear. By night I am Batman. Ok maybe not. One can dream though, right?

I’ve been writing since I was six years old and started inflicting my work on others at age 18. By age 24 people stopped running away when I approached them with a new story and shortly thereafter I published my first one in the Rifter.

Wait you’re still reading?

Ok, the facts I’m supposed to list in a bio. As of this writing I’m 38 years old and live just north of the Golden Gate Bridge in the beautiful town of Mill Valley. If you’re unsure how to find it just follow the smell of self-entitlement. Once you see the teens driving Teslas you’ll know you’re in the right place.

I live in a tiny studio that I can cross in (literally) five steps and don’t own an oven. But you know what? It’s worth it. I love developing iPhone apps and if you want to work in San Francisco you accept that rent for a tiny place costs more than most people’s mortgage.

If you and about 2 million other people start buying my books I promise to move out of Marin to a house in the redwoods up in Guerneville. No pressure. Wait that’s a lie. Pressure.

Reviews

[Debbie Young · Rating 5 out of 5]

Every writer who is serious about their ambitions as an author should read this excellent, succinct and motivating book, which acts like a cheerleader as well as providing practical, actionable tasks to fulfil the promise of the title. It provides a clear structure for you to build a regular daily writing habit that fits into your life. If you don't get into a regular writing habit after reading this book, maybe you don't really want to be a writer. A must-read for all aspiring authors. Potentially life-changing. Thanks to fellow author Stella Wilkinson for the recommendation of Chris Fox's series for writers - I will be investigating his other books too.

[Freeda · Rating 4 out of 5]

The first work I’ve read by this author, and it’s… short. This doesn’t sound like a compliment, right? (More like: „Ha, so that’s how you write a whole book in 2 weeks!“) But I really appreciate that it’s this short. If you are reading advice on making art – one which you are already interested in – it might make you feel inspired as you read. Then you might want to get done with the book and go put your own ideas on the paper asap! And like this, you can do both in no time.

[Emily Wrayburn · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book definitely has a lot good tips that every writer could benefit from. However, my main issue with both this and 5000 Words Per Hour was the kind of "my way or the highway" approach to the method being set out, and the implications that you're not a serious writer unless you do all these things. Not to mention, the reasonably frequent mentions of the author's six-figure salary and ability to write four books a year, which I know was supposed to be motivating but had the opposite effect for me.

Also, while swearing in itself doesn't bother or offend me (god knows I have a potty mouth at times), when someone in the position of teacher or mentor, as Chris Fox essentially is in these books, starts swearing to get their point across, they lose some credibility with me. There isn't a lot of swearing in here (only four or five instances, maybe), but it was enough to put me off.

[Natalie · Rating 2 out of 5]

The guy isn't a great writer, and there was more than one error that should have been caught in a line edit. Nevertheless, I read it in about an hour (granted it's required for one of my classes, but still). I've gotta say there's some good stuff in here that's definitely motivating me to get on it, but that's kind of all the good I can say about the book.

[Matt · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not a lot of useful info here. The abstract is: Chose a habit, do it, then reward yourself afterwards for doing it. Do this for 21 straight days to make the habit stick.

[Nina Arce · Rating 4 out of 5]

As I used to have a working consistent writing habit - but slipped - this book didn't necessarily contain a ton of new information for me. That said, it was a nice, no-nonsense reminder of the things required to set up a consistent habit. It will likely also be useful to writers who haven't managed to establish a routine yet, but my guess is it will be most effective for those who already have a strong internal drive. This book gives you tools - you need to supply the motivation to actually use them.

[Kelsey · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is life-changing. Or at least it could be! I hope it is!!!

[Tonya Burrows · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some good tips here.

[Chris · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was looking for some motivation to help revive my anemic writing practice. This was a good start.

[Emma Sea · Rating 4 out of 5]

A solid book. A concise explanation of the best habit-forming advice, which is frankly better than wading through a 270-page book for 4 pages of content. Fox's writing style is engaging. The exercises are usefully specific, and collating them together at the end of the book is an excellent idea.

3.5 stars

[A.M. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Having read a lot of books on writing, I can say that this one is a pretty good summary of the all strategies and ideas I have read in other works, and it is usually not priced highly, either. Under two bucks at the moment.
He includes 12 exercises and links to spreadsheets to track your word count.
It is of course, all about habits, motivation [your why!], use your morning time, get your one thing done first, set your goals, etc … you know the drill.
One thing he mentions that others do not is propinquity. How time affects behaviour. I’ll let Chris explain it.

The definition is ‘the study of how time and distance affect human behavior’, but that doesn’t really tell you squat, does it? Let me give you an example that will make it clear exactly what propinquity means. Let’s say you’re driving home from work, and you pass by a fast food restaurant. The instant you see the sign you start craving your favorite cheeseburger. You glance at the drive through and realize there’s not a single car in line. Before you’re even consciously aware of it you’re turning into the driveway and ordering your tasty dinner.
Now let’s modify the scenario above. You glance at the drive through and you see fifteen cars waiting. It’s going to take you 20 or 30 minutes to get your burger. What do you do? You keep driving. That’s propinquity at work. People are inherently lazy, meaning we’ll take the path of least resistance. You can see this just by looking at your own behavior in every day scenarios. (p. 43).

Use it.
Put blocks, like the queue between you and bad behaviour, and clear the queue between you and good habits/behaviour.
Get your habits set in stone and you’ll be making writing a lifelong endeavour.
4 stars

[Kate M. Colby · Rating 5 out of 5]

In Lifelong Writing Habit, Chris Fox explains how to use the neuroscience of habit formation to create a daily writing habit. If you've read The Power of Habit by Charles Duhigg or Atomic Habits by James Clear, none of this will be new information. (But if you haven't read in-depth books about habit formation, Fox's summary is clear, concise, and really all you need.) Fox also throws in a dash of what some might consider "woo-woo," such as visualization exercises, as well as practical advice, like finding a task organization app and tracking your daily writing progress.

Of course, all of this only works if you're willing to put in the work. But if you are, Lifelong Writing Habit is a great blueprint to start building a consistent writing habit that will last. The book is also a short read, and Fox has gathered all the exercises into an appendix, which is convenient for those of us who like to read a text all the way through before diving into exercises.

[Dennis · Rating 4 out of 5]

After having read plenty of scientific literature or books, where nearly every argument is supported by studies or experiments, a book that bases most of the authors expertise on personal experience was a rather welcome change. Now I'm not gonna boast here but I've implemented some of the advice in this book already, with others I'm on my way to doing so. Generally, this book provided nothing new really, nothing that I haven't read anywhere else. But that's not the point. The question that would warrant this book a good review is this: Is the advice of Chris Fox helpful? The answer is "yes,but not for me". Because this book certainly has some useful advice here it didn't answer the questions I had in mind when I started reading it.

[Jason · Rating 5 out of 5]

Short but surprisingly good and crammed with excellent content and information. Plan to read more in the series.

[Amy Tasukada · Rating 5 out of 5]

a good read for beginners

[Theresa · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5

[Joel · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great condensed version of Atomic habits (published, I think, before Atomic habits), pointed directly at wannabe writers. Solid material, as far as I can tell.

[Carrie Daws · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you've not read much on productivity or cementing new habits, then this is a great book to get you started. Otherwise, it's a good refresher.

[Martin Taylor · Rating 4 out of 5]

Just write

I have read a ton of self help books, and books on writing (and a few on drawing/sketching), so there isn’t really anything new here. However, after saying I would purchase no more (and re-read those I have), I caved in on this one (can’t recall why) and I found I enjoyed this concise little book. No fluff (not much anyway). Just set aside excuses (and hinderances ) and write.

[Miguel Ángel Alonso Pulido · Rating 4 out of 5]

En este libro vas a encontrar una serie de consejos y reglas para crear en ti el hábito diario de la escritura. El libro me ha gustado porque está lleno de verdades, de esas tan evidentes que muchas veces las pasamos por alto y me ha recordado por qué en otras épocas era más productivo que ahora: porque tenía hábitos que luego he dejado de lado. Con la ayuda de este libro y de los ejercicios prácticos que contiene (que aunque parezcan una tontería, pueden ayudarte), estoy volviendo a instaurar esos hábitos. Si quieres aprender cómo generar el hábito de escribir, te lo recomiendo.

[Suz Jay · Rating 5 out of 5]

Practical, straight-forward book with solid advice on establishing a writing habit.

This book contains no extraneous filler and instead lays out a 12 step plan to get you writing and keep you writing.

Bonus, all of the exercises are compiled at the back of the book for people who prefer to do the exercises after reading the entire book.

I look forward to reading the other books in the series.

[Karma · Rating 3 out of 5]

There are a lot of good ideas in the book but the writing lags. It seems that the author wrote this book in a bit of a hurry and without a lot of research. The famed Harvard study about written goals features here (the study which never happened) as is the four minute mile (which I think has become requisite mention in every book ever).

So the good is here but is marred by average writing and poor research.

[Mary Hiker · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good Info

This book is kind of like Tony Robbins meets authors.....and I love that.
Good tips and strategies that I will be implementing.

[Patricia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Breve, sencillo y con información útil para la construcción de hábitos en general, aplicable para quien quiera construir su hábito de escribir.

[Mark Abbott · Rating 5 out of 5]

Simple actionable advice. Motivating and an easy read

[Michele Amitrani · Rating 4 out of 5]

Motivational

Quick and easy read. It will get you started, but it’s your job to keep going. No excuses. Follow the horizon.

[Joy Pixley · Rating 5 out of 5]

This may be a small book but it packs a lot of good advice into those pages. I know that I'm a creature of habit, and that I've gotten into some bad habits over the years. So I could really relate to Chris Fox's message that the key to becoming a more productive writer is to form new, good habits. But first you have to figure out exactly what you want to accomplish, and take a good hard look at your current schedule and habits.

By the way, there isn't much that's specific to writing fiction in this advice: it would apply equally well to any other kind of writing (nonfiction, memoir, blog posts...). Or really, to any kind of endeavor where you're frustrated that you don't seem to be making progress.

I've read many writing craft books but, I will admit, I don't normally do the exercises. And that's stupid: how can I actually improve if I don't do what the book suggests? So this time I wrote down every single exercise (he helpfully groups them again at the end of the book to remind you to do them) and challenged myself to do at least most of them, writing down my answers after each task. So what did I learn? Duh: it makes a huge difference to actually do the exercises. I like that these start slow and work their way up to being more involved. I haven't finished all of them, but I already have a much better sense of where I've gone wrong and I've set up new habits of organizing and scheduling to improve my work flow and accomplish my goals (which -- again, duh -- I'm more likely to reach now that I've articulated them more clearly).

There isn't anything in this book that is shockingly new, which of course is also true for every other writing craft book out there (I know; I've read an awful lot of them). Fox doesn't offer a magic wand which will instantly make you a faster, more productive writer. However, he does offer advice and support and an interesting way of thinking about habits and patterns and willpower (or lack thereof) that helped me, even after reading all those other writing craft books and not really feeling motivated by them.

Maybe this will be the book that kicks your butt into a higher gear, too. Give it a try and see!

[Jonathan H. MONTES · Rating 3 out of 5]

This review was inspired by my annotations. To view all my detailed annotations you are welcome to join my Patreon page (John Lawchamp). For $0.99 you can read my favorite lines and excerpts from the book with additional personal thoughts. The annotations are released once the review of that book has been posted on Goodreads. Why spend $15.00 on a book you are not invested in when you can explore the main topics for a fraction of the price? Visit Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/Lawchamp

John Lawchamp’s Review:
This book was okay. At 88 pages, I wouldn't say that the price is worth it for the physical copy, but maybe the Kindle version would be better and cheaper. This book is granted 3 stars because everything mentioned is copy and pasted from messages in other popular self-help books. This book is not about the writing habit, but more on how to create a habit in general. There is also a lot of self-promotion to read his other book: 5,000 words per day. I would recommend that book over this one. If you've read motivational books before, this book holds nothing new that you don't already know.

This is one annotation of the many I have. In this excerpt you can take the over tone of the book. I enjoyed nonetheless, but not enough to grant it a 4 or 5:
"Writing is hard work. Our craft takes time and dedication. It takes work. Lots and lots of work. I can give you the tools, but if you’re not interested in working your ass off you should close this book and save yourself a few bucks." -Chris Fox

[Gil Miller · Rating 5 out of 5]

Motivation for those who are burned out

I'm a previously published author with five books put out by a small press. I even worked for that publisher, and what I saw and experienced behind the scenes both discouraged and jaded me on writing.

But as Chris Fox points out in this excellent book, writing is innate. It's part of me, part of who I am. So, of late, I've been reacquainting myself with the craft and with new ways to motivate and improve myself in it, not only the writing itself but also the WAY I go about doing it.

Having heard an interview with Chris Fox on a podcast, I decided to read his book 5,000 Words Per Hour, and it impressed me enough to move on to this one.

It was exactly what I needed. Backed by principles of neuroscience but trimmed of all the fluff, Lifelong Writing Habit gives you the tools you need to either start or re-start your writing career. It is concise and very much to the point, with useful exercises to help you realize your dream. In fact, I'd say the exercises could be adapted and applied to other areas in your life (such as associating more with positive people while minimizing contact with those who drag you down).

So if you're looking for ways to improve your writing life and make it a successful part of your everyday routine, get this book. Future you will be glad you did.

[Mark · Rating 4 out of 5]

I appreciated this quite a bit. It's about more contexts that just writing but certainly does apply specifically to writing. Chris leverages concepts from cognitive science and gives a good framework for how to guide your habits and accomplishments to achieve what you want. I appreciated his style and insights. I'll be using a lot of these concepts.

This is part of his writing series, which, so far, I find beneficial. Further, he doesn't seem to fall into the trap of too much overlap. The books stand well by themselves and are sufficiently focused on the chosen topic. Also, these were priced so that the collective price did not go far higher than a typical single volume on writing. Most of the audible versions are that way too, though not all. (That helped me get over my skepticism of tons of short books that could be one book.) He also helps by summarizing all recommended activities at the end of the book. That's a great way to easily help his readers.

In short, I do recommend this book, and so far, I recommend the entire series (which I did buy). Later, I'll provide reviews of those.