(feel free to delete this, i looked through your writing advice tag but im not sure if i missed this or not!!)
How do you keep yourself accountable in writing and posting? How do you stay consistent? I STRUGGLE with consistency in writing and posting. I have so many ideas but it never feels like I can just sit and write, it takes me so long to finish and then post. (I half blame my attention span, but also, i can never maintain a self imposed schedule). I don't know if this something answerable or not for you but im strugglin lol
I can only speak for me and my process here as there are tons of different approaches -- pomodoro, scheduled times, dedicated spaces, whatever -- that work for all different kinds of people, but this is how i do it. This is probably gonna be a bit incoherent as I don't think about it too much but there is actually a process if I analyze it.
I think the key is that I don't consider writing something I sit down and do the way I do with other hobbies. I don't schedule it. I see writing as something I'm carrying around with me all the time, always thinking about and marinating on. I don't often sit down at my computer with the intention of writing, open the doc, and write a thousand words from 1-3pm and then do that daily.
I wake up with an idea, jot down a few sentences (I use google docs on my phone or even my phone notes). Eat breakfast, find a few more. I run errands while thinking about writing and then once I'm home I have a few paragraphs to get out. Of course, I often do sit down and write and that's all I'm doing, but it's more an extension of a mindset. And whenever I'm on my computer, if I'm playing video games or paying bills or watching a show, I always have whatever my active WIP tabs are open so I can switch to them. Rereading them a lot, poking around in different areas, adding sentences where it doesn't feel full. So writing becomes as integrated in my day as thinking. I don't get bored, I write.
When I try to put all my "writing time" into one block like I do with a drawing or a DIY project or practicing my ukulele, it just doesn't work for me. Because so much of writing for me is actually visualizing the story and all the background work that my brain cooks on when I'm not actively writing. I try to work on my stories holistically, seeing as much of it as possible at once, instead of writing in a rigid linear fashion.
Here's a real actual concrete tip that does work for me: Finish your writing sessions in the middle of an idea. Close the doc or step away before you've reached what feels like a "good stopping place." In an incomplete dialogue exchange, in a paragraph where you're still world building, even stop a sentence halfway through if you think you nailed that first half. That keeps the momentum in your mind, like giving yourself a cliffhanger so you feel a sense of urgency to get back to your writing. In the meantime, your brain marinates, and you'll have more to give when you do reapproach it.
Also, be in the habit of constantly rereading your work. Going back and refamiliarizing myself with certain moments will generally keep my memory jogged and keep the story feeling more alive instead of stagnant.
Also ALSO, I'm a short-attention-span writer as well. That's why I have so many unfinished series and WIPs. That's okay. Work with it, not against it. I usually have 2 or 3 or 4 writing tabs open at once. Remember that the idea of putting things "on the back burner" isn't abandoning them or putting them off or procrastinating the way the phrase has come to mean. It means you're letting it simmer, letting it stay warm, letting the flavors develop while you focus on something else. If it's a solid project, you'll come back to it when you finish your mise en place over here or your plating over there. It's okay to have a busy brain.
Note that the above advice is for hobby fiction. If you've got hard deadlines, I do recommend more of a "just force yourself to do it one word at a time" approach.
