I'm the kind of person who thrives on routine. I'm more productive, anyway. I probably made the ideal toddler, but as an adult, one has to be able to shake it up every now and again.
Conditions must be perfect for me to write. Quiet house, full stomach, green genmaicha tea at the ready on my right hand side (in my favorite mug, the one that's not too big nor too small.) So one could imagine how much writing I've been doing since my kids have been out of school. Zippo!
I admire people who can make it all work, and often I feel like a spoiled princess when I hear about people writing with seven kids running around and a house to clean, or working 50 hours per week at a stressful job and coming home to write late into the night. Maybe I could do it if I had to, but it's more likely that they are just made from a hardier stock. So are you one of those people who make me look like a wimp? What's your writing routine?
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7 comments:
I had a routine when I wrote my memoir: my husband had night classes so I wrote then. This time around I'm all over the place. I think I prefer mid-day but then I get distracted and I miss that window. All excuses, but it's amazing how easy it is to let them take over.
In my mind, my routine is work 8 hours, come home and deal with the family for several hours, then after they retire, I write up a storm for a couple hours.
The reality is, I work 8 hours, have family time, then decompress with a beer and some late night television, and writing hardly ever gets done.
I'm a mid-day writer, which poses a problem in the summer. I need to get into a end-of-the-day routine, but it's likely I'll be like Ed and just watch bad TV instead.
I write any time I can cram some words in, usually right after I get out of a hot bath. Now, for some reason, when I take a bath, it unjams my thoughts and the writing could flow freely. Which means that if I could spend 24-7 in a bath with a water-proof computer, I could finish a novel in no time!
I have to steal moments throughout the day, so I can't say I have a set routine. In two falls, though, both my girls will be in school, so I'll have specific hours to myself. Wahoo!
I have to have absolute peace and quiet and no distractions - I am so easily distractable! I write best from 8am to 10am with my liquid - juice or an herbal tisane or water - at hand so I can take a drink when I get stuck. I write best using a timer and writing in 15 or 30 minute increments with a five or ten minute break in between.
Does this make me anal? :p
No routine really. I write on and off pretty much all day as the urge ebbs and flows...
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