How Do You Create Consistently?
What's the secret to keep coming back?
“I strive for nothing if not consistency” - Brandon Sanderson
Ah yes, Sanderson. While the rest of us writers are being hounded by our beta readers for the next chapter, the man’s written his next bestseller. So of course, (spoiler alert) he’s going to be one of the creatives I cover in this week’s RoundUp.
On that note, good afternoon and welcome to the RoundUp! A series where I scour the internet for answers to common questions that tend to plague creatives and present my findings here.
There comes a certain point that the words optimisation, monetisation and productivity becomes the siren call that enchants the finance bros from their mutli-level marketing meetings.
Yes, consistency and dedication are very good skills to have, but not at the expense of curiosity, boredom and discomfort. And creativity lives in the middle of that trifecta. Just because you do not have a grind mindset, does not mean you are any less creative than the person next to you.
Case and point, when was the last time Rihanna put out an album? And would you slander Rihanna?
No. Exactly.
Before, this introduction gets away from me, today’s question is:
How do you create consistently?
Answer: Just keep going
Best known for his fantasy series Mistborn and The Stormlight Archive, Sanderson has dominated the writing industry since he first made his debut with Elantris back in 2001. He has become synonymous with the ability to write consistently, working on multiple projects simultaneously and still outwriting others around him by treating his writing as a 8 hour work shift, clocking in and out each day.
The Final Empire, Mistborn Book 1 - Brandon Sanderson
Recently, the Cosmere universe - the world where most of his novels reside in, has been picked up by Apple TV and he retains a huge amount of creative rights.
A progress bar can be seen on his website, outlining his current projects, including the Mistborn screenplay as well as Ghostbloods Book 1, Songrise 3.0 and Riftwake Book 3.
In addition to his fantasy novels, he’s written young adult novels - The Reckoners and Skyward, has two graphic novels (White Sand and Dark One) and has finished Robert Jordan’s series The Wheel of Time.
His podcast, Intentionally Blank, co-hosted by Don Wells, and his youtube channel @BrandonSanderson (871k subscribers) has incredible advice to young creatives and interesting reviews about all things music, movies and storytelling.
In a video entitled “How to write 100k words a year” and ‘How do I Motivate Myself to Write’ Sanderson states that his first book took him 3-4 years to write. Since then he’s honed his practice to 100K a year - that’s a draft per year. He articulates that it’s important to know what type of writer and/or worker you are. Is it easier for you to block out a few hours on the weekend to get to your word count? Or is multiple 30 minute sprints throughout the week more your style? Both are the right answers, “Learning how to make yourself do the things you want to have done” is how you get words on the page. It’s also how you go through adult life as well, funnily enough. For Sanderson, a progress bar and the steady upping of percentages each day is what motivates him, for others it could be something else, like writing groups, a writing partner, external motivation or some form of the carrot and the stick.
Writing is hard. Even before you take the leap and try to publish, there’s a thousand re-writes before you get critiques. The trick is to just keep going, to keep writing and more often than not, if you like writing, it won’t take that much to get back to your desk. Your love for writing was never in question, your talent has no choice but to compound over time. Consistency is a muscle that you can train and the worst thing you could do is write a bad book. And that’s not the end of the world.
“There’s an exception to every rule of thumb in writing where somebody really successful has done the opposite thing and it has been the right thing for them. So keep that in mind” - Brandon Sanderson
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Sam Yang, aka SamDoesArts, is another creator that’s developed his art through arts of consistency. Having an aptitude for drawing and painting growing up, Sam started to take his art more seriously than a hobby around 2020 and has since then created a youtube channel with 2.04m subscribers (@samdoesarts), as well as a patron, instagram and online shop. He is also featured in 3dtotalshop with his art book entitled The Art of Same Yang, featuring his anime/manga style digital illustrations. With his friendly and funny narration, his youtube videos debunk drawing myths, offers tutorials on art techniques and reviews his subscribers’ art. In his video entitled “You’re a better artist than you think (here’s why)”, he drops multiple insights on the realities of pursuing art.
“You see your own worst work while you see everyone else’s best”
Comparison is the thief of joy, that’s well documented, but this supposedly inevitable rabbit hole can be avoided by realising that you’ve been trying your best for years; which is why you’re blind to how much you’ve improved.
The Art of Sam Yang - Sam Yang
And imposter syndrome stems from insecurity, yes, but also humility. You understand that you are not the best artist in the world and you have the ambition to realise that there are things you still need to learn. That positions you to become a better artist, a better writer, a better dancer. The ability to accurately establish where you are and what you have to do to get better is a useful mechanism to keep going.
One of the most common excuses for a late draft, or an unpolished script is that ‘life got in the way’ and I always thought that was such a strange phrase. I understand the need to show up consistently to be creative if that’s your job, if you’re relying on that income but, for the creatives out there that do not rely on their creativity for income, or are just looking to start monetising their craft and are stressing about being unable to focus completely - there’s no need to put pressure on yourself.
Life doesn’t get in the way. You’re just living.
You didn’t write because you were tired from work. You didn’t paint because you were out dancing with your friends. You didn’t go through that song because you started chatting with the drummer.
…okay? That’s good!
Focus can be tamed, the outreach and marketing and research for your small business can be scheduled and mapped out, but true creativity flourishes untethered.
Before you take that step into diversifying your income stream (that sentence was painful to write), just relax and let the ideas flow, for not every moment sitting at your desk needs to be productive (brought it back, phew).
And anyways, comparing yourself to others never has the desired outcome.
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Thanks for reading! It’s nice to meet you! Let us know if you like this type of content or if there’s anything else you’d like to hear from us.
You can find the creatives that were mentioned in this article down below, if there’s any topics or people you’d like to see me cover, let me know in the comments. (And if you’d like to be featured, let us know too!).
Thanks again for reading and remember - be kind to yourself!
Catch you later,
Kaye
Make sure to check out the artists mentioned!
Brandon Sanderson
Website:
https://www.brandonsanderson.com/
YouTube:
Spotify: Intentionally Blank, Brandon Sanderson and Dan Wells
Instagram: @brandonsanderson
SamDoesArts
Instagram: @samdoesarts
Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/cw/samdoesarts
Website: https://samdoesarts.com/password
Book: https://store.3dtotal.com/products/the-art-of-sam-yang
YouTube: @SamDoesArts
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Create because you’ve found something worth fighting for — no matter how it lands. I liked your opening. Less optimization. Zero tech bros. And I’ll add no prosperity peddlers. If you feel forced to create, like it’s an obligation, then what you create will have that vibe. So, instead, treat the creative process for what it is — a vehicle to say what deeply matters to you. Always love your posts and perspectives. 🤓🙏😬