Articles by Ratika Deshpande

It’s Time to Stop Reading and Start Writing

By Ratika Deshpande Let me ask you a question: in the last week or month, how much time have you spent reading about writing? How many articles on how to open your novel? How many articles on the routines of famous writers? How many articles describing the success stories of those who’ve come before you?…
Issue Five Hundred Thirty Two

Imitating John Steinbeck: A Guide to Keeping a Writing Log

By Ratika Deshpande Every time John Steinbeck sat down to write the next words of his masterpiece The Grapes of Wrath, he first wrote in his journal. This notebook, which was later published as Working Days: The Journals of The Grapes of Wrath gives us a look inside Steinbeck’s mind—his struggles, his inspiration, his self-doubt,…
Issue Five Hundred Twenty Six

How to Set Concrete Goals for Your Writing

By Ratika Deshpande One of the most helpful things I’ve done for my writing is setting concrete goals. Writers struggle to establish a daily writing habit because, well, building habits is difficult, and we have other responsibilities that need our attention–jobs, families, health. In all that mess and uncertainty and lack of time, a concrete…
Issue Five Hundred Twenty Two Special Feature

Lessons from a 3-Year-5-Month Writing Streak

By Ratika Deshpande I started writing every day when I was 16. Because I was young, I’d developed certain ideas about how writing works by learning about other writers’ processes. I took these notions with me to my writing desk every day for over three years. And I watched as each was built upon or…
Issue Five Hundred Fourteen

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