You must write every day; the amount doesn't matter, as long as you write daily. It's best to create a writing training system that suits you.

Many people get stuck in the wrong approach to writing, such as memorizing dictionaries and grammar, waiting for the right financial and time conditions, or even planning to major in Chinese literature... Only to discover that they still can't write well.

Writing isn't scientific research; it depends on practical experience and gaining experience points. Therefore, you need to write frequently to keep overcoming challenges and achieving insights. Consequently, setting up a writing training system that suits you is much more important than memorizing things you don't know how to apply.

Any writing training system involves the three stages of input, processing, and output. I use five micro habits to link these stages effectively.

  Record your life, manage your time

  I,随手记: Life takes our youth, but we capture stories

Let me share a short story. Ten years ago, I bought my first home with a tight budget and many demands, which intimidated many real estate agents. However, there was one young agent who stood out. He called me the most often and had an exceptional memory, always remembering every detail of our meetings.

Later, the house was purchased. I told the young man he had a brain like an octa-core processor. He showed me his work notes. When I turned to the page about "Mr. Ye," I was amazed — every time we met, whether I was in a good mood, how many times I smiled, it was all documented, enough to make my date jealous.

When I look through other customers' information, it gets even more interesting. Details about who went abroad, who wants to upgrade, who got married, and who had a second child... It covers all the bases, like a comprehensive gossip book.

I've always kept this in mind and learned a valuable lesson — memory and inspiration can be unreliable; it's the gradual accumulation of experiences that is truly dependable.

Similarly, writing requires recording. Life is worth documenting because it is a treasure trove, the source of all writing material. Remember this: to write well, you must first learn to record, and recording is a form of writing.

A classic example is Somerset Maugham, who carried paper and pen with him from the age of 18, amassing 15 volumes of notes over 50 years. Molière, no matter what he wore, kept a small notebook in his sleeve to secretly jot down the conversations of passersby. Henrik Ibsen loved visiting cafes, where he would pretend to read newspapers while covertly observing people. Jack London would write down ideas on small slips of paper and cover his room with them. Nikolai Gogol took it to the extreme, even copying down the menu when dining with friends.

In essence, recording is the simplest form of writing. Anytime, anywhere, a good idea, an interesting scene, a touching phrase, or a great reading summary is worth jotting down, and then regularly organizing and storing in your personal database.

  Two, Diary: 15-Minute Pulse Time Management

A diary is also a form of documentation. However, the purpose of writing a diary isn't to complain but to solve problems. The main issue that writing addresses is time management. I spend 15 minutes each day writing a diary, and it's a continuous record of my day.

When writing, a 流水账 doesn't seem like a good thing, but it is quite suitable for a diary. It can reveal efficiency pitfalls.

For the format, I recommend listing "time period + significant events", for example:

10:30-12:30 Write the May journal column on the topic of building a writing database

15:00-16:30 Prepare the lecture notes and PPT for the weekend live class. Topic: Practicing Writing and Setting Style: Good Language Has Its Own Distinctive Mark;
  16:45-18:00 Reviewing and grading last week's student assignments;
  Refined translation

We'll notice that from noon to 3 PM, there's a large gap often filled with trivial tasks or checking the phone. This is a flaw in time management that needs to be addressed and continuously improved.

We should treat time as a miserly shopkeeper, never being generous with it.

  Processing: Transforming information into knowledge, ensuring nothing is lost

  Three, hearing, seeing, knowing, and doing: using traditional methods to create a personal database

However, the record is just the start; it also needs to be summarized and transformed, which requires an effective cognitive model. In my opinion, a sustainable and actionable model must be simple.

I greatly appreciate Xunzi's concept of "Wen Jian Zhi Xing," which posits that learning must progress through four stages: hearing, seeing, knowing, and doing

  1. hear

  It's second-hand information and knowledge, heard from other sources.

  2, to see

Personally witnessing and experiencing something provides firsthand information and knowledge. Together, seeing and hearing form the foundation of learning.

  3. Knowledge

In other words, understanding. The Feynman Technique has gained significant popularity over the past couple of years, with its core principle being "teach to learn" — if you can explain a concept to a beginner in your own words, then you have truly grasped it. If the beginner doesn't understand or becomes confused, you should revisit the material, relearn, and reteach until the beginner comprehends it.

  4, go on foot

In other words, practice. Action is the ultimate goal and endpoint of organizing knowledge, and it represents the highest stage. Through the process of action, new insights and experiences are gained, thus initiating a new cycle.

This model is highly self-consistent and has been passed down for millennia. I organize and refine the information I record daily through these four steps, and store it in my personal database. For example, see the table below (please rotate your phone 90 degrees):

As an example, consider the second experience in the table: meeting a friend for breakfast at a fast food restaurant and noticing a waitress who brought her child to work.

She works hard, but she has to secretly criticize the children who don't do their homework, behind her supervisor's back. She whispers, "Are you studying for me? No, you're studying for yourself. If you develop good habits, you'll naturally come to love learning." The child clearly doesn't appreciate her efforts and responds with various forms of resistance.

My heart skipped a beat: This sentence sounds so familiar, passed down from one generation to the next. Does this mother really believe it?

Later, I went to the nearby coffee shop to wait for a friend, and there was a child not far away. His mother was chatting with a close friend, while he was engrossed in reading a book. The challenges of a humble background, the meaning of low-level effort, the subtle influence of nurturing, and the true advantage of resources... I have never understood them so vividly and clearly.

The contrast I observed between these two mother-child pairs is what I "see", the emotions and insights it inspires are what I "know", and my efforts to more effectively support the child's development are what I "do" (refer to the summary in the table for details).

These records and reflections are not only valuable for writing but also enrich one's life.

  Output: Quick and steady progress; one fish, many dishes

  Four, micro-practice: the compounding effect of writing 100 words daily

The fourth step, micro-practice, is the core of this training system and marks the beginning of the output phase.

After leading story writing workshops for many years, I've noticed a common pattern: most beginners are often overwhelmed by their own enthusiasm. They start writing with high confidence and energy, eager to complete a major work in one night. However, they eventually realize they can't finish it, leading to anxiety, helplessness, and a loss of confidence.

I know for sure that relying on motivational talks and pep talks won't help. Instead, you should scale down your goals until they are achievable.

I have a morning routine that I've been following for many years — posting a short piece of text to warm up my brain and also to encourage input. I call this “micro-practice”. The idea is to develop a habit with a small, manageable goal, taking quick, small steps, and eventually turning small changes into significant ones.

I introduced this method to those who struggle with persistence, leading them to do daily micro-practices in the course's community. As expected, many people managed to stick with it. I chose three categories to demonstrate:

  First category: Dry goods sharing

I've always recommended starting with the area you're most proficient in. This is the best way to strengthen your competitive advantage.

I once read Wang Zengqi, and found his insights on writing style and literary atmosphere to be incredibly profound, which inspired me to do a small writing exercise:

Wang Zengqi stated that the beauty of writing lies in being "light yet flavorful." In other words, use common language to express ideas that are rarely written about. Here is the original quote:

Good language isn't strange or peculiar; it's not filled with obscure adjectives that, as Lu Xun said, 'no one understands.' Instead, it's ordinary language infused with new ideas, expressing what everyone feels but hasn't articulated.

In Wang's "Receiving the Precepts," there is a line — "They are of age, and it's not that they lack feelings. It's just like a thin cloud that drifts by, unable to bring rain."

We've spoken each character, but together they convey something different. Composure, artistic conception, and aftertaste are all found between the lines.

  Second category: Book Excerpts and Reviews

Sharing your daily reading and reflections is also a great source of "micro-practice." It not only motivates you to keep reading but also enhances your practical knowledge.

For instance, one day while reading The Paris Review, I came across Nabokov's card writing method, found it fascinating, and decided to make a book excerpt and share it as a mini writing exercise

If we were to choose the writer most enamored with cards in the 20th century, it would undoubtedly be Nabokov. He believed that cards were the ideal medium for writing. In 1967, a journalist from The Paris Review interviewed him and uncovered his distinctive "card writing method":

Mr. Nabokov's writing process involves initially drafting short stories and novels on index cards. Throughout the writing, he frequently shuffles the cards to avoid following a linear plot sequence. Each card undergoes numerous revisions, and once the writing is complete, the final order of the cards is set. (The Paris Review)

  Third category: Observation and Record Keeping

Writing demands insight, and to achieve this, one must first learn to observe. Literature is rooted in life but transcends it, so let's begin by documenting our experiences.

One winter, I met a foreign couple at a convenience store. They left their stroller outside and went in, leading to a series of interesting encounters that I decided to document

I was buying breakfast, and there was a couple of foreigners in front of me. They parked their stroller at the door before entering the convenience store, with the baby still inside! I went in to remind them that it was very unsafe, but they just smiled and said, "It will be fine soon."

My friend in Denmark told me that even during the coldest winter days, a line of strollers would be parked outside cafes, with the children freezing while their parents chatted inside, enjoying themselves. Initially, my friend was shocked, wondering, "Do they have such big hearts?"

The subjects for micro-writing practice are limitless, including personal reflections, memories, photos, inspiring quotes, poetry, movie and documentary reviews, children's adorable moments, class notes, and food critiques... all of these can be used. Most importantly, this habit will have a profound impact and add significant value to your writing journey:

Each character represents progress, as it is the result of thought and training. Taking 100 selfies won't improve your skills at all, but "micro-practice" can.

2. Fragmented writing, when accumulated, forms a book. As mentioned earlier, Nabokov's "card writing method" involves writing a little each day, which can eventually be compiled into a complete work.

3. Create a writing "parts library". Thanks to daily reading, thinking, recording, and writing, I can easily access these materials when preparing lessons or writing. For instance, if I search for "character", the exercises and insights on character writing appear, ready for use, making the process both precise and efficient.

4. Every character has a compounding effect. Anything that can accumulate also has compound interest. Writing 100 words each day is not only a visible sign of persistence, but also an invisible investment in life. If you persist long enough, you will surely receive a rich reward.

  Five, weekly answer: driven by questions, reverse-engineered into writing, multiple uses from a single resource

By developing the habit of writing daily, you can consistently produce articles. However, selecting a topic isn't always easy, and many people struggle at this stage.

We can think in reverse: let questions guide topic selection. Regularly visit Q&A platforms to find questions in your area of expertise; those with high engagement and views make for excellent topics.

After providing an answer, refine it further, modify the introduction and conclusion, add a title, and you have a complete article. This way, you can make the most of a single piece of content. With more articles, a book is just around the corner.

The five steps outlined above, ranging from daily to weekly activities, including recording, time management, knowledge management, writing practice, and compiling fragments into a complete article, form a comprehensive writing cycle.

  Finally, let's review and summarize the core logic of this training system together:

  1. Focus on deep cultivation and excel in one task;

  2. Observe and record, ensuring every grain is accounted for;

  3. First break it down into smaller parts, then reassemble those parts into a whole

  4. One operation, multiple outputs;

  5. Break down your goals, maintain a steady output, and become friends with time.

  Let's introduce the software and hardware used in this system

  Hardware: mobile phone and computer

  2. Software: Note-taking software + Fixed template

There are numerous note-taking software options available, including well-established ones like Evernote, Youdao Cloud Notes, and OneNote, as well as newer alternatives such as Notion and Obsidian. I recommend doing your research and trying them out to find the one that best suits your needs.

Additionally, utilize the template feature of note-taking software to keep diaries and organize observations and reflections. This makes it easy to use daily and serves as your process assistant.

This system isn't universally applicable; it's just better suited for me. Everyone can take what they need and develop a writing training system that works for them. Regardless of its final form, the core remains the three stages of input, processing, and output.

Once you have your own writing training system, your ideas and topics will flow endlessly, and writing will feel as natural and comfortable as sleeping and eating. Congratulations, this means that writing has become an integral part of your life, and you have become someone who can draw inspiration from everyday experiences.

  Yip Wai-Man

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