A few years back I wrote a piece on this blog talking about my bad habit of starting stories and never finishing them. I’ve lost count of how many story ideas I’ve had in my life. There is always that initial honeymoon phase when the idea is new and exciting and I would crank out scenes and character descriptions and more. Then, inevitably, that glow would wear off and pretty soon a new idea would take over my imagination. That’s not to say I never continued working on the same story over time. But it’s hard to build up a significant word count when you keep getting sidetracked by other projects.

So I wrote about it, an article that was one part advice listicle and one part pep talk to myself. And guess what? My writing habits didn’t really change all that much. Then, about a year ago, I received a piece of information that changed everything. I was diagnosed with ADHD. And that…honestly explains a lot. Like why routines just never seem to stick to me.

Now that I’ve had some time to really dig in and understand what having ADHD means for me, I think it’s time to revisit this article. While some of what I wrote in the original is still useful advice, here is some additional information for building healthy writing habits that also accommodate ADHD. These are the tricks that have actually helped me improve my writing habits and stick with them over longer periods of time.

First, always allow for at least two main WIPs at a time…possibly three. Try to stick with those few projects and move between them as needed. This has helped me to prioritize finishing a longer piece of fiction, without trying to force myself to only work on one thing until I can’t stand it anymore. Because of my ADHD, I am constantly seeking novelty, and working on one project day in and day out just isn’t always feasible. Instead of choosing one project and sticking with that, I have a couple of main projects, and they are different enough from one another that I can sustain my interest in working on them both over a longer period. That being said, I still get new ideas all the time, so…

When inspiration strikes for a new idea, set aside the time to jot down all the relevant details. This can include plot, characters, even bits of dialogue, and short scenes. Whatever that first wave of inspiration brings with it. Once the initial excitement has been translated onto the page, try to return to your main projects and leave the new idea for a future project. This has helped me so much. Because I will always, inevitably, get new story ideas. When I’m taking a shower, trying to fall asleep, or in the middle of watching a movie. Usually when it’s the least convenient. And when the idea is fresh the excitement of it takes over to the point that it makes it hard to focus on other projects until I get it out of my system. But beating myself up and trying to force myself to work on a main WIP just backfires and makes me feel frustrated and stifled. Giving myself permission to put the new idea down on the page and then set it aside for a later date lets me work through the idea before returning to my priorities. Although this isn’t the only way to deal with having too many ideas.

Write short stories. Lots and lots of short stories. One way to handle having too many ideas is to try and turn some of them into short stories. I never used to write short stories because my ideas always seemed to spiral into something bigger, with character relationships and backstories and plot twists that would never fit in a short story. But I can attest to the fact that writing short stories does indeed make you a better writer. It taught me how to craft a complete story arc from start to finish. It taught me a lot about narrative flow and pacing, and which details are the most important to include. I like being able to say a lot with only a few words. And hey, it means that I can finally say I’ve finished something.

Finally, have a support system in place. One of the things that has helped me so, so much is finding those few people who are just as quirky and unconventional as I am. Particularly making friends who are also writers and also neurodivergent. But just having those people I can talk to about my writing. When my motivation is lagging, when I need someone I can bounce ideas off of, and when I need help staying accountable to my work. This has done a lot to help me build a consistent writing practice. Not to mention that having that sense of community just makes being a writer that much more fulfilling.

All of these things said, I am still not someone who writes every single day. I’m honestly not sure if I ever will be unless I can make enough money writing that I don’t need another job to keep me going. But I am at least someone who thinks about writing pretty much all the time. And now I do have a better relationship with my writing. I’ve developed some things that at least loosely resemble a routine. It helps that I have a community of like-minded and equally chaotic people to hang out with when I’m feeling stuck. But I’ve realized that being a writer—especially a neurodivergent writer—is always going to be a little bit of a moving target.