Refining the Routine - Writing Update by Greg Luti

Greg Luti
Jun 8
5 min read

A writing update often reveals how an author adjusts their process to match new goals. In “Refining the Routine,” Greg Luti shares how he is evolving his daily writing habits to support a twice-weekly newsletter, learning to balance patience with urgency and embracing the simple but powerful idea: “Take your time, but hurry up.”

Refining the Routine

I have been all about refining the routine of writing at this point. As I mentioned last time I wrote one of these updates, I am trying to write up enough on this blog to have a twice-a-week newsletter. I have grown with this blog a lot in half a year. I had to transfer the posts from my Patreon page, then I made a post per week, then I went to two posts a week, and then I even added more types of posts. I think I have hit a good area with the twice-a-week newsletter, one that I am comfortable with as a writer. I think that some would view this as a bit much, but I don’t really view it that way.

My Current Writing Routine

I like where I am with it all, honestly. I open up my laptop and then see what I have to actually write up for the blog posts. Depending on what needs to be done, that's what I write for the day. I say that direction in the books is always important, and I am starting to think that it can apply to everything. If you have a plan, then the course will be much easier to navigate. I am trying to put those words into action when I work.

Transitioning to Twice-a-Week Newsletters

I am still in the transition of putting up two newsletters a week, so I will see how that goes. See, I only started writing up enough of these posts so that I can then justify the newsletter being twice a week, so, as of this writing, I have not sent out a newsletter twice a week yet.

Working on New Subscriber Emails

Talking about the newsletter, I am working on getting something for new subscribers to receive when they subscribe, rather than only the editing workbook. I think a few emails that explain how things are around here may help the readers. I have not really thought about this too much, honestly. I wanted to do it, but then I decided that twice a week for the newsletter would be better, so I went with that as the focus instead of the welcome email.

Expanding Book Updates and Short Stories

I am definitely working on getting more book updates, which are about what books I am working on, and short stories, which are longer pieces I write, on this blog. I have learned that the short stories are tougher for me than the other pieces, like the poems or the flash fiction, because they require a little bit more out of me. I just can’t sit down and knock out an entire short story, unlike when I write a flash fiction or a poem. I have adjusted so that I can then write more short stories on this blog. The book updates are natural since they are just whatever it is I am working on with my books, and since there is always something there, it is not difficult for me to find something for you guys to read.

Goodreads and Author Profile Challenges

What is funny is how I recently attached this blog to my Goodreads page, but then I thought about something I heard recently; I think that Goodreads is all but dead. I mean, I am sure there are many who are interested in getting their book recommendations from Goodreads, but I remember at one point, Goodreads was a part of the conversation people were having. Somewhere along the line, Goodreads got lost in the public discourse. We know of it, but nobody seems all that interested in it. Heck, I am only on it because I am an author. Where did the readers go? I am not sure. I hear author newsletters, TikTok, and Instagram, but I would be lying if I told you I know where those that are no longer on Goodreads went.

It took me a long time to even get Goodreads to update my author profile, since, for a while after school, I wrote under a pen name. I asked them if I could somehow transfer the reviews of the books to copies that have my actual name on them. They said no. Yeah, I didn’t think that would be a problem for me when I started writing under my actual name. I wrote books, and got reviews for those books, but those don’t go to me, actually. You really can’t make that up.

Learning Amazon and Book Promotion

I am trying to learn a little more about Amazon and how to get my books featured more on it, similar to how I learned about SEO. I am looking into book review services for my books, since I know that is the easiest way to get noticed. I plan on looking into Amazon and getting book reviews in the near future.

Turning Pieces into Workbook Lessons

When I am writing up my poems, or my flash fiction, or other pieces for the blog, I am trying to keep note of a lesson that can be taught from the piece to later use in a workbook for people. Sometimes the pieces have obvious lessons, sometimes they don’t have anything. I wouldn’t say I am really pushing for lessons to be taught in every piece, but if something jumps out at me as something I can teach, then I will use that later on. An example of this is when I used a story I knew in a story I wrote. I wrote a character mentioning a story. I saw after I wrote the piece that the idea is great for a lesson for readers and writers, on how to basically write a story when the characters refer to another story.

Showing Instead of Telling

As much as I like writing advice and creating my notebooks, I must say there is no substitute for convincing the reader that I know what I am doing than actually doing it. I am not really a fan of those who talk a good game but don’t have anything to show for it. I talk about writing stories, and then I have a few I can point to as proof that I am knowledgeable in that area. This feels like a post for one of my writing and editing advice pieces, so I will stop here before I go on a rant.

Final Lesson: Take Your Time, But Hurry Up

I will end this with a lesson or something you can take with you. Little steps over a long time amount to a great distance. I think that is what I am learning. Improve every day, and you will see whatever you are working on grow with you.

I love to quote Nirvana with the line: Take your time, but hurry up. That is about right. You are not in a rush to get whatever you are doing done right away. The world will still be spinning if you don’t do everything now. But also, in the same vein, don’t just mess around and do nothing. You don’t have all day, and time is limited. Know when to take your time. Know when to hurry up. That seems to be the key to it all.