First things first, you have everything you need right now to be an amazing writer.

You can live a good writing life alongside your commute and responsibilities. With limited time and without a room of your own. You’re a writer because of the pleasure you take in lovely pens, or perfect sentences or great books you want to read all afternoon.

Believe you have vital stories to share. Accept that true and courageous writing takes into account your experiences and ideas. Understand that others will be excited to read, hear and learn from your words.

All that said, if you need a creative boost, why not try the Write & Shine method for creativity? We run a programme of morning writing workshops in peaceful locations and online following five key principles to encourage morning creativity. Here they are:

• Rise early

When we wake, the creative element of our brains, the prefrontal cortex, is most active.

So, we’re incredibly sensitive to the sights and sounds of our environment. It’s the best time to think, dream and imagine.

Try to set your alarm 30 minutes earlier than usual, or sleep with your curtains open. As soon as you wake, go straight to your notebook. Stay in bed or sit in the morning light at a table, and fill a few pages with whatever is in your mind. This is Julia Cameron’s technique of starting the day with ‘morning pages’. It’s a way to capture the edge of dreams, tune into your subconscious and create spaciousness in your mind.

• Generate material

By writing, we learn to write and learn to have faith in our own voices. Try freewriting by hand. That is, writing rapidly and continuously, and forgetting grammar, punctuation and structure. It’s a great way to let go of doubts and self-criticism, and to capture new, unexpected ideas.

The chance for feedback from the tutor and other writers can help improve writing, but sharing the drafts too early can damage confidence or hinder creativity. In the morning, your main aim should be to put pen to paper (or fingers to keyboard!).  

Modern life is endlessly stimulating and busy, so it’s challenging to focus on the moments you’re living through. The physical act of holding the pen brings you into the present. Writing by hand is a simple, mindful practice that helps you develop the ability to listen to your words.

Use the first part of the day to generate new material you can hold in your mind during the day, and explore and shape when you return to the page later.

• Value the process

As writers, we’re often facing questions about the work we’ve produced and our publishing credentials. But writing without destination is one of the joys of creativity.

Delighting in the process of writing is much easier to do in the morning. I once heard Marlon James explain how he deals with the fear of writing. He said, ‘My inner critic doesn’t like getting up early so I get up before him.’ Writing early offers a clear space before the demands of the day emerge.