Creative Habits For Authors and Writers

If there’s one question I get asked all the time, it’s some variation of,  “How do you stay inspired?”

And the honest answer is… I don’t.

Not all the time. Not magically. Not by waiting for a lightning bolt of motivation to strike while I sip tea in a perfectly clean office.

For me, inspiration isn’t a mood. It’s a habit.

It’s something I protect on purpose, especially when life is busy, kids are loud, errands pile up, and my brain would really rather scroll than create.

Over time, I’ve built a handful of creative rituals that help me stay connected to my stories, even when I’m not actively writing. None of them are fancy. All of them are repeatable. And together, they keep my creative spark alive in seasons where it would be very easy to let it fizzle out.

It took me a long time to master this routine. It wasn’t an overnight “Eureka!” moment that suddenly solved all of my motivation problems. I built the habits slowly, adding one at a time and testing to see if it was sustainable. And now, more than a year after starting the process, I finally feel like I have it down.

For now, anyway.

So today, I want to pull back the curtain and share the creative habits that keep me inspired. Let’s go!

Project Playlists: Living Inside the Story (Even at School Pick-Up)

One of the most powerful creative habits I have is also one of the easiest.

I make project-specific playlists.

For every book or series I’m working on (hello, Rainlands Duology 👀), I create a dedicated playlist using YouTube Music. Each playlist is built around the feeling of the story—not just epic fantasy tracks, but songs that capture the emotional core of the characters, the tension, the romance, and the ache.

Then (and this is the important part), I listen to that playlist while living my normal life.

Errands. School pickup. Grocery shopping. Driving aimlessly because I needed five minutes alone.

By the time I sit down to write, I’m already emotionally marinated in the story. The world feels close. The characters feel present. I’m not starting from zero. Instead, I’m stepping back into something that’s been quietly running in the background of my brain all day.

If inspiration feels slippery, this is my biggest tip:

Don’t only visit your story when you’re writing it.

Writing Sprints That Actually Work (Bless Them)

When it’s time to actually write, I don’t rely on vibes alone.

I use writing sprints. Specifically, immersive writing sessions from Abbie Emmons.

She creates 2-hour writing videos set inside specific landscapes or emotional moods—misty forests, candlelit libraries, stormy nights, etc. Before I start, I choose a session that matches the scene I’m working on and BOOM!

Suddenly, my phone stays face-down on my desk. My brain goes into hyper-focus mode, and writing feels less like wrestling a blank page.

There’s something powerful about writing alongside someone else, even asynchronously. It tricks my brain into staying focused and turns writing into a shared ritual instead of a lonely task.

Also, two hours is just long enough to make real progress… and just short enough that it doesn’t feel overwhelming. Even if I don’t have two hours, I’ll just do one 25-minute sprint and then pause the video and continue it later.

The Candle Rule (Yes, It’s Silly. Yes, It Works.)

Every time I start a writing session, I light a candle.

That’s it. That’s the rule.

It doesn’t matter what candle it is. Expensive. Cheap. Seasonal. Questionably old.

The candle isn’t about scent. It’s about signal.

It tells my brain, we’re writing now.

It’s a physical, sensory cue that separates writing time from the rest of my day. Over time, my brain has learned to associate that tiny flame with focus, creativity, and story.

And when I blow the candle out? Writing time is done.

It’s a boundary. A ritual. A transition.

Also, it makes me feel slightly witchy, which never hurts.

Visual Worldbuilding: Seeing the Story Matters

I am an extremely visual writer.

If I can see the atmosphere of a story, I can write it. If I can’t, I struggle.

That’s why I rely heavily on visual tools like Campfire, Pinterest, and yes… ChatGPT.

I use Campfire to organize worldbuilding notes, character profiles, magic systems, and inspiration images.

Pinterest helps me collect landscape vibes, architecture, fashion, and mood and color palettes.

And when I can’t find exactly what I’m looking for? I use ChatGPT to help generate or refine visual inspiration that matches the emotional tone of the story. (For personal use only, of course.)

All of those visuals live inside Campfire, right alongside my worldbuilding notes, so when I open the project, I’m immediately grounded in the atmosphere I’m trying to create.

When inspiration starts to lag, I don’t force words. Instead, I revisit visuals. I remind myself how the world feels, and that usually brings the words back.

Protecting the Spark Through Story Consumption

One of the fastest ways I know to kill inspiration is to stop consuming stories.

When life gets busy, it’s tempting to treat reading, watching movies, or listening to audiobooks as “optional.” But for me, story consumption is not indulgent. It’s essential.

I protect time for physical books, audiobooks during errands or chores, and movies and TV shows that spark my imagination.

Not everything I consume is in my genre. Sometimes it’s about tone, character, or just reminding my brain why stories matter in the first place.

When I feel creatively dry, it’s almost always because I’ve stopped filling the well.

Motivational Voices I Trust

In addition to consuming fiction, I also lean on a few trusted voices in the writing community when motivation dips.

My two favorites are Sarra Cannon from Heart Breathings and Abbie Emmons (again, because she’s everywhere in my process).

I listen to writing podcasts and YouTube videos while I’m folding laundry, cooking dinner, or driving.

Not to pressure myself, but to normalize the process. To remember that every writer struggles, that every draft feels messy, and (most importantly) that consistency matters more than perfection.

Sometimes inspiration isn’t about excitement. Sometimes it’s about reassurance.

Inspiration Is a Practice, Not a Personality Trait

Here’s the biggest mindset shift I’ve made:

I don’t wait to feel inspired.

I build habits that invite inspiration to show up.

My creativity doesn’t depend on having uninterrupted time, feeling magically motivated, or being in the perfect headspace. If it did, I would never get any writing done. I learned that the hard way!

Instead, it depends on small rituals, consistent exposure to story, and protecting the emotional connection to my work.

When life is busy (and it always is), these habits keep the spark alive without demanding huge chunks of time or energy.

Final Thoughts: Protect the Spark Like It Matters (Because It Does)

Inspiration isn’t fragile, but it is responsive.

It responds to care. To ritual. To attention.

The more I treat my creativity like something worth protecting, the more it shows up for me, even on days when everything else feels loud, rushed, or overwhelming.

So if you’re feeling stuck, uninspired, or disconnected from your work, don’t ask, What’s wrong with me?

Instead, consider:

What small habit could help me reconnect?

Light the candle. Put on the playlist. Open the mood board. Consume a story.

Your spark is still there.

Sometimes it just needs an invitation.