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Stop Trying to Change Your Habits. Just Find Better Hobbies Instead
Choose your hobbies = Change your life
Most worthwhile writing advice can be distilled down to two simple points:
- Write often
- Read often
The first point has never been a problem for me. I’ve written consistently from a very young age. As a child, I penned many short stories and filled dozens of notebooks with fiction and poetry. Some of my fondest childhood memories were formed hovering over pen and paper.
By the time I was fourteen, I’d already written a full-length fantasy book… twice. (I lost the first version in a computer crash, so I rewrote the entire story from memory.) It goes without saying that the hobby of writing came naturally to me.
But reading, if you’ll excuse the pun, was a different story. I was less interested in reading books than I was in writing them. I seldom finished books or read anything remotely longform. This was a problem, and I knew it.
A regular reading habit is one of the greatest tools for mastering the craft of writing. But I couldn’t muster the interest or willpower to read consistently.
By my late teens, I decided it was time to change. I wanted to build a career as a writer. But first, I had…
