Routines?

Ok - just promise us, you're not OCD (cuz I'm a licensed social worker and wouldn't want to contribute to the worsening of a clinical condition!)

Phew! I was being a bit tongue in cheek, of course! You know, folks who say they NEED routines - could be a little scary if you need it too much! But I hear what you're saying re: lazy, busy, rushing. I know I have articles on this somewhere - I think there's a site called the organized writer - have you googled that?

Bingo.

http://organizedwriter.com/issue23.htm

Just took a minute to google and found this - look where it came from, surprise, surprise. Good luck - please share if you find some good tips!

It looks like mommie4a's got you covered, but I'm happy to share my writing "routine" with you. I love lists and schedules and structure -- it's weird, I know -- but it's the only way I get things done. (Full disclosure: I see this is in the Writing Novels forum. I don't write novels, I'm a magazine writer...)

Okay, my routine starts at the end of the day. (1) I enter everything I need to do the next day into my Day Planner.
(2) The first thing I do the next morning is write my morning pages, three of them. Then I make a latte and a piece of toast, surf the Absolute Write boards, and check my e-mail.
(3) At 8:00 a.m., it's go time! I light a scented candle, then prioritize my to-do list.
(4) I work diligently...unless I let myself get distracted (this happens more than I'd care to admit). The candle's fragrance is supposed to remind me I'm working, and usually it gets me back on track. I check off each task upon completion, and I do it with a flourish.

That's my routine. I'd love to hear from others, too.

I have a fairly fixed routine (in fact, 'set in stone' might be a better way of describing it).

I get up at 5.30, which allows me to get into work and get the air-con on by 6.15, After that:

6.15-6.30: check email, drink first cup of coffee
6.30-7.30 first block of writing
7.30 second cup of coffee
7.30-8.30 second block of writing

Same every day (except Sat and Sun). I've found that making it into a habit (obsessively so, according to my wife) has made it much easier to produce consistently. I still haven't sold anything though, but there y'go...

Routine

Inspired said:

So, I'm just curious if there are any unique routines you'd like to share. Normal routines are welcome, as well.

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Same time, same place, day in and day out. It doesn't take long for this to become a habit. Or didn't for me.

Making writing a routine was easy. What still comes hard is finding time to do the research, mailing, phone calls, etc.

What television programs do you always find time to watch? You could do it then (TV on or off depending on your method).

Time

Inspired said:

That's part of the issue. I have to squeeze in time when I can. Between my full-time job, volunteering and kids, I DO have time. It's just not always going to be the same time or even the same place every day. That's why I need some kind of trigger to get me writing. I like the candle idea, though I don't think that's going to work on my messy desk. One thing I have found so far, is to reread just one paragraph (or page, if necessary) from the last time I wrote. I can do some tweaking of it, then move on. Once I get going, I do a pretty good job. Even with distractions, I can make progress.

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That's a tough setup. I've had periods where it couldn't be the same time, smae place everyday. It doesn't actually have to be the same place, I can write anywhere, but for me, it has to be the same time. I never could make it work when this wasn't the case.

Finally, I had no choice but to block off certain hours and declare myself unavailable for anything else during that time period.

I don't light a candle, but I do use a timer. Electronic when at the computer, a portable oven timer when away from the computer. When the timer starts, so does the writing. When the timer buzzes (Or with the one on the computer, when it plays the theme from The Waltons) the writing stops.

The timer adds a "Have to get it done" factor.

I have to squeeze in time when I can. Between my full-time job, volunteering and kids, I DO have time.

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I'm so there with you, Inspired. Three kids at two different schools (and different start and end of school times) in opposite directions, the volunteer stuff (not to mention the general house/family/marital stuff/health and so on that we all have stuff) and then writing.

My triggers: honest, it's just my urge to write and be writing and do more about writing and be able to write. That urge is that strong for me and it gets me out of bed and infront of the computer. There's always so much I want to be writing about, I never run out of ideas and thank goodness, I haven't run out of projects that fill my time, and then some. (I've only been doing this for 2-3 years). As for physical triggers - showering, dressing, making a cup of coffee, opening the blinds so the sun shines on my space, reviewing my email and then boom - doing my writing tasks. Sometimes I make lists (like today) but sometimes I don't. I also keep a couple of inspirational things around like a list of how you get to be a Pulitzer-level journalist (a columnist here just won one and I know her very casually - heard her speak and a friend posted her advice, which I printed out and taped to my desk).

My routine:

Wake at 6:15 - sometimes I workout for 30mins, sometimes I shower and then do a little writing before getting the kids up at 7am

Two kids out by 8am - I write for 10-30mins before I take 2nd one to school

On Mon/Tues/Weds: from time I get home from taking other kid (9:15 or so) until 12noon (unless I skip lunch, then it's til 12:45), I do writing stuff. This includes a couple of hours at least once a week being in a high school that I'm observing for a storytelling project on education reform.

On Thurs/Fri - My mornings are more spotty - I do the classroom vol. thing, have a game of tennis, do personal hygiene (i.e. get haircut, doctor - whatever)

Afternoons: On Tuesdays only, I have a couple of extra hours while my son stays longer at Pre-K. All other afternoons are very patchwork. If I'm on deadline, I take more time and try to get kids occupied (they're 5,8, 11). For example, on Tuesdays, two of three kids are at Hebrew school. I might try to get the little on a playdate. On Thursdays, two of three are also out in the mid-afternoon and again, I might make other arrangements for the little one.

During breaks, I get a local high school girl to sit - last week, I had a sitter for 12 hours, then did kid stuff during the other times (little one was on break).

Weekends - if on deadline, get time from hubby. Send kids to movie with him etc. He's moderately supportive - and gets very proud when others comment to him about my work. That's always good for a few hours!

I'm NOT a morning person. I don't sleep well or very much, but mornings have always been rough on me. I'm really good at making up excuses to not get any writing done. Something changed about 3 months ago. I decided to wake up everyday at 5:30, no matter what, even on weekends. Insanity, I know. So, now during the week I:

wake up at 5:30
coffee/shower
writing by 6
write till 7
Play on AW from 7-7:30
get ready for work and be there by 8-8:30.

Weekends are more relaxed, but I'm still writing by 7am.

You wont believe how much I've gotten done. An hour a day has made a world of difference. I also try to put in 2 or 3 nights a week, by talking the husband into going out with his friends. I come off as an understanding wife, he has fun, I get writing done. Win/Win!

Jamesaritchie said:

I don't light a candle, but I do use a timer. Electronic when at the computer, a portable oven timer when away from the computer. When the timer starts, so does the writing. When the timer buzzes (Or with the one on the computer, when it plays the theme from The Waltons) the writing stops..

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I like the point James makes about the timer. I don't use it in the mornings, god forbid I throw something at the microwave at 7am. But in the evenings when I write, I do it in hour intervals and the timer helps keep me on track. The days when I don't have any responsibilities or obligations and can spend the whole day writing, are the days I don't get any writing done. Strange.

~Sara

Inspired said:

I just did a search and didn't see this topic covered before, so I'm sorry if it was, but I REALLY NEED A WRITING ROUTINE!

Can you tell me what you do on a regular basis that gets you writing?

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I get up every morning and take my laptop to the restaurant (Bob Evans, actually). I usually only have coffee (except for "Country Biscuit Friday"), so it doesn't cost that much ($1.37 + $1 tip). I write for about an hour and write between 500-800 words in that time. After my hour, I leave for work.

I tried writing at home before leaving for work, and I tried getting to work early and writing, but neither approach worked. I've been doing the restaurant thing for more than four years and it works well for me.

The odd thing is that EVERY morning I think I have nothing to write and I hate writing. But by the time I leave, I love writing and I don't want to stop.

Time

Saritams8 said:

The days when I don't have any responsibilities or obligations and can spend the whole day writing, are the days I don't get any writing done. Strange.

~Sara

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Now that's the awful truth, ain't it? There's an old saying that goes something like, "Work expands to fill the time allotted to it."

When you have all day to do something, it takes all day to do it, and when you have only two hours to do something, you get it done in two hours.

It can be much harder to get enough writing done when you have all day to do it. It's so easy to procrastinate, to find reasons not to write, when you have all day with nothing else to do but write.

I really believe discipline is easier for me when other things are tugging at my time. I've known a few writers who had to take an outside job just so they could make themselves write everyday.

Who says writers aren't weird?

Since I gave myself a deadline to enter a contest with my novel, I have gotten more work done in two weeks than I had before in two months. I see now that when I finish and start freelancing, I need to follow the advice of that organized writer site, which I've saved, and set myself goals and make personal deadlines. I have gotten into the habit of writing late at night, about 8 or 9 I can't keep myself away from my WIP and I work till 2 or 3 am, (between trips to the site) I think I'll probably keep those hours, I like the quiet and working after dark, which is very weird, I used to be such a morning person. Funny how we develop habits so quickly. I figure, when I start freelancing, I can have coffee in the am and play around on the computer for an hour, bath and clean house, the spend the rest of the morning doing busy work, submitting, planning, organizing, writing greeting cards, poetry, fillers, just TCB. Rest in the afternoons, read, play on the computer, nap, whatever, and keep the same nightime slot open for the longer stories, articles, things I can get lost in for hours.

I push everything to the last minute. I strive on deadlines. I'm more efficient that way. Why spend 50 hours doing the same thing when I can do it in 2 if I'm under deadline pressure? LOL.

There is absolutely something to be said for what Ray posted: I got called to do a piece in a few days. It involved spending a few hours at a museum with my kids and then writing about it. I had VERY little time, a short word count and tons of information.

I compacted it into the time I had - which was maybe two-three hours total for writing, revising and submitting. That's way less than normal for me. But I noticed from this assignment and a few others that were similar in terms of limited time and word count, when I push it to the last minute, I'm often way more efficient.

Of course, this method has a lot to do with one's strengths/weaknesses and the type of work you're trying to turn out. I took great notes while at the museum, used a digital recorder to get my kids comments and record my own, and then when I went to write the piece, I had a lot of the draft already somewhere in some form and just grafted it into the article.

THEN...on the other hand - there's this hellacious situation I got myself into by deciding to write a Father's Day column for my June parenting column. About my dad. BIG MISTAKE because my relations with him are so complex. I've really struggled and spent probably 10x more time on the damn thing. It's 98% done now and will go in today, but boy - it was hard and painful and used up a lot of energy.

Lessons? You need to know yourself, your habits, what makes things easier for you and what's being asked of you. Does the work need to be great or just good enough - what are the expectations of the person who's asked for the work? When an editor calls me and gives me 600 words, five days and says write the treatment options for three different cancers - come on - I'm going to do my best, but it might not be THE best that I can do.

Ok - enough. GOOD LUCK always.

I'm pretty specific about how my writing routine goes, just thought I'd share it too. I generally can't really work unless multiple things are going on at once, so I usually have a movie, or music, on in the background. I never even notice them half the time, but I'll definitely notice if they're not there, naturally. Just so I don't get thrown, if I'm writing something set in the past, I won't be caught dead listening to anything remotely modern, and I'll limit the movies I watch to ones that are set in, or were made in, the time period the story takes place in.

Once I actually start writing, I get up around 9 pm, then start writing around 10. (I have sleep phase disorder, apparently, depending on which doctor you ask.) I just throw on either a CD or a movie which I'll always listen to when I start writing, and put the pedal to the metal. During the winter I closed the window in my room and burned some incense when it was time to start writing, that helped quite a bit. Once I start writing, I'm usually awake until 6-7 am, then I crash ASAP. Then, in the evening, once I've woken up, I do the same routine over again. I get quite a bit done, usually don't need more than around 2 months to finish each story.

mommie4a said:

There is absolutely something to be said for what Ray posted: .

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And I suppose absolutely nothing to be said for what i did.

"Since I gave myself a deadline to enter a contest with my novel, I have gotten more work done in two weeks than I had before in two months. I see now that when I finish and start freelancing, I need to follow the advice of that organized writer site, which I've saved, and set myself goals and make personal deadlines."

I also told you, Jill, how fantastic your story was about your dad, and you didn't even acknowledge it. Maybe I am on your ignore list?

Denise - I just PM'd you and am going to write you an email after this post.

I'm extremely embarassed and sorry. It's complete and total tunnel vision and oversight and taking shortcuts and trying too hard to be efficient and not seeing what I should be seeing and acknowledging. Now see there's the problem in fitting in too much. I lose sight of all the threads (figurative - not here) I've started to weave and don't pick them up again - and that's really very not nice, as well as just not professional.

I'm sorry. You're appropriate to say something and boy, I need to be more mindful about everything (I could write books on all the times my husband feels I've forgotten what he needs or wants because I was too focused on something else - yes, occasionally my writing. Again, shame on me, I know. It's obsessive at times. And thank you for helping me see it.)

Now I feel bad. Pay no attention to me, I am having a pity party this morning. I guess I need to get offline and go back to bed. Sorry, Jill, I didn't mean to upset you. I get my feelings hurt too easy these days, everything feels like it's directed at me.