Published authors say you’ve got to write regularly, that you need a practice that puts your butt in the chair more often than not. So you’ve tried writing in the morning, then at night. You’ve given yourself deadlines, and you’ve had friends give you deadlines. You’ve written at home, at the coffee shop, standing up, to music, and still, you’re not writing as often as you should be. Your practice is more sputtering spigot than rushing river.

Productivity experts say the trick to cementing any new habit is going public with your intentions, and the most public announcement you can make is on a little thing called the Internet, with its six billion potential writing buddies ready to hold you to your word(s).

For about a year I’ve been posting to my blog (www.lifeonthehighwire.com), where I’ve shared my experiences as a new New Yorker and MFA student. It’s forced me to focus on craft and content – story, writ tiny – in a way that random deadlines and made-up assignments never have.

With a blog there’s no waiting for overworked editors to decide your fate; you just hit post and voila! You’re published. Plus, it’s obvious when your writing is working (or not), because readers let you know. Murky message or sagging language? Radio silence, my friend.

But if the post is laugh-out-loud funny, heartbreakingly honest, wildly informative, or simply beautiful, you get comments and kudos – instant gratification for a job well done – and whether you have six or six thousand readers, that kind of feedback is invaluable (and addictive). Blogging keeps you writing, and that’s the point.