A while back I wrote a blog about trying out daily routines from experts. Now I’m going to get more specific and discuss the writing habits from some of my favorite authors.
You open up your writing project and your journal, start a timer for an hour, and get to work. Write on your project until you can’t anymore, then move to the journal. Even if you just write “I don’t know what to write” over and over, that’s fine. Go back to your project when you’re ready. You succeed if you keep the appointment. If you fail, don’t try to make up the time tomorrow, but set your timer for a shorter amount of time. If you think you can do more, take a break, then try another hour.
Hydrate. Sit in the same spot every day, with everything on your desk in the same place. Put on some music and write 6 pages or 2,000 words. Don’t skip a day, even for holidays, unless there’s an emergency. When you’re done, you’re done. Relax.
Eat breakfast at 8
Write at desk at 9
10 minute coffee or tea break at 11
Eat lunch at 1
Take a solo walk out in nature at 2
Take another tea break at 4 (note that the walking was not a break)
Write at desk at 5
Eat dinner at 7
Read fun books and talk with friends
Be in bed by 11
Work in chunks, taking a break every two hours. Figure out when you are most productive and save that time for “deep work,” with the door closed to eliminate distractions. Also make time for “shallow work” to check email and have a flexible schedule for potential walk-ins. Have specific times when you can check your phone and then put it to bed so as not to overuse or get distracted.
Austen played piano before she sat down to write. She flexed other creative muscles to get the juices flowing, and then read her work to her family.
Hemingway wrote by hand while standing.
Vladimir Nabokov wrote in pencil on notecards so he could shuffle scenes around before finalizing.
E.B. White wrote in the middle of the chaos of his family.
Dickens, Twain, Kafka, Angelou, and many more had to write in absolute silence with no distractions. They would lock their doors, wait until their family was sleeping, or even escape to a hotel to get writing done. I even once read in a book that you should tell your friends and family you’re out of the country, turn off your phone, stock up on food, and hole up in your office until your writing project is done.
After trying several different routines, I have come to realize I am not a write-in-chaos type of person. I get distracted super easily, so the conditions have to be exactly right. I don’t go to the extremes of telling people I’m out of the country, but I do have to set aside some alone time, have no music playing (except maybe some Hans Zimmer), and have some sort of brewed beverage handy to be able to write. I tend to write on a computer, because that’s the only way my words can keep up with my brain. If I need to get writing done but there’s no motivation, I’ll try Lauren Graham’s method with a journal open as well. I’m not always as productive as Stephen King, and I definitely have off days, but I do tend to write in the same place with plenty of water nearby. My current routine (with working and/or writing) is kind of a blend between C.S. Lewis and Jordan Raynor. I work in chunks, taking breaks every 2 hours to either treat myself to a cup of coffee or take a walk outside.
Notice that each of these routines incorporates breaks, rest, or relaxation at some point during the process. It’s important to be persistent and disciplined, but it’s also important to still truly enjoy your craft. And the only way to do that is to not overwork yourself. Cultivate your passion by writing even when you’re not motivated, sure, but also give yourself some grace if you aren’t able to write every single day, or if you don’t always hit your word count goal. Today is the first day of NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month), so I’m really going to be putting my writing habits to the test. I’ve never fully completed the 50,000 word goal, but I’m hoping this year is the year. And if not, I am still a writer and I can still be successful.
How many of y’all are participating in NaNoWriMo this year? What are your writing routines? I’d love to know!
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Keela Dee Subcreations 
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