Habit of Mind: Responsibility by Bailey Lang
Let’s welcome back Bailey Lang as she shares with us “Habit of Mind: Responsibility.” Enjoy!
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Building a writing practice that works doesn’t start with your ability to sit down at the page — it starts in your mind.
Learning to think like a writer is one of the essential components of creative success.
In this article series, we’re talking about eight habits of mind for writers.
One of those habits is responsibility.
What is Responsibility?
When talking about creativity, the idea of responsibility can carry more than a whiff of obligation with it.
Combining the freewheeling, magical act of writing with fuddy-duddy responsibility?
Gross.
I get it.
Responsibility doesn’t necessarily have to feel like a chore though.
Research on writers and habits of mind defines responsibility as taking ownership of our choices and acknowledging that our decisions have consequences.
We get to be in charge of our creative practices — but we also have to be in charge of our creative practices.
When responsibility feels heavy, we can also think of it as a form of devotion to our creativity and our craft.
If you’re anything like the writers I know, you love writing (at least, most of the time!).
You have stories that matter to you, and you want to write to the absolute utmost of your capabilities.
That is where the internal habit of responsibility starts to look and feel a whole lot more like devotion.
When you are devoted to something — a houseplant, a relationship, a writing practice — you know that taking proper care of it is essential if you want it to thrive.
You become more likely to think about the impact of your decisions.
Far from killing the magic of your writing practice, adopting an internal habit of responsibility can be one of the most powerful shifts you make.
How Do Writers Practice Responsibility?
Turning responsibility into one of your internal habits doesn’t have to mean feeling like adding yet another chore to your to-do list.
It also doesn’t have to look like a hustle culture mindset, either — there are things outside our control that affect our ability to write.
Responsibility can help you identify what those things are and how you want to deal with them.
Being responsible is about being honest with yourself about the possible outcomes of the choices before you, and recognizing when your wisest self is giving you a nudge.
Devotion to your writing might look like getting up early to write, because it’s the only time that’s going to be available.
It might look like taking ownership of a creative struggle and signing up for a writing class or working with a book coach.
It might look like recognizing when it’s time to rest rather than keep pushing yourself, because burnout is the fastest path to not writing at all.
As researchers note, responsibility is also about community.
Whose voices do we cite and uplift?
What tools do we use?
How do we follow through on our connections and responsibilities to one another?
Here are some examples of how a writer might practice responsibility, starting with internal work and moving outward.
- Reflecting on choices that affected their creativity, both positive and negative. If a writer knows staying up late to watch one more episode on Netflix will prevent them from writing in the morning, they get to be in charge of what decision they make.
- Assessing their investment in learning and growing as a writer. A writer might join a writing challenge or class and journal about what they hope to achieve.
- Making an active decision about using generative AI. Generative AI makes it hard to trace creative influences; training materials are often stolen; the output cannot be copyrighted. Writers must decide whether using this technology for creative work is responsible.
- Externalizing their goals for support and accountability. A writer might share a goal with an accountability buddy/coach who can remind them of their commitment or create a progress tracker to visualize their progress.
Responsibility-Building Activities for Writers
Building responsibility can start small.
The goal is not to become an overbearing disciplinarian about your writing!
That’s the fastest way to kill the joy of creativity, in my experience.
Instead, aim for that feeling of devotion.
Ask yourself: “What would someone devoted to their writing practice do?” and proceed accordingly.
Turning responsibility into a habit of mind invites you to invest in your writing practice and take your creativity seriously.
Track Your Time
One of the most common complaints I hear from writers I coach is that they can’t find the time to write.
As writers, we can take responsibility for figuring out where our time is going and how we’re using it — and then decide what to do with that information.
Spending a week tracking your time can be surprisingly informative!
Here’s what I recommend.
- Build a time tracking spreadsheet (or find one online!) or create a dedicated note in your phone.
- Commit to tracking your time for at least one week — and don’t tell yourself you’ll wait for “a normal week,” because those are as mythical as unicorns.
- Track your time in whatever increments feel right to you: an hour, 30 minutes, or even 15 minutes. Be as detailed as you can! Consider including what activity was happening and how you felt about it.
At the end of the week, assess how you spent your time.
Where do you have non-negotiable activities (work, school, caregiving), and where do you find time that is more malleable (a weeknight Netflix binge, daily doomscrolling)?
Once you truly know where your time is going, you can make more responsible, devoted, and informed choices about how writing fits into your schedule.
Choose a Development Activity and Stick With It
Pick an area of your writing that you want to improve and set yourself a learning task.
Maybe that’s signing up for a class focused on short story writing, picking up a book about the publishing process, or designing a new writing schedule and testing it.
The practice of identifying an opportunity for growth, choosing the right tool to support your growth, and following through will help you exercise responsibility and feel a stronger sense of devotion for your creativity.
Plus, proving to yourself that you can follow through on a commitment will enhance your self-confidence and reinforce your pride in your work!
Reading Recommendations
- Daring Greatly (affiliate link)
- Set Boundaries, Find Peace (affiliate link)
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About the Author
Dr. Bailey Lang is a book coach, writer, and editor.
At The Writing Desk,
Bailey helps authors build sustainable, enjoyable writing practices that take their books from draft to done.
Bailey has a PhD in rhetoric and writing studies and loves geeking out about writing.
You can sign up for Bailey’s free newsletter, Word to the Wise, for more writing advice and author interviews.
