I've been on a fairly consistent writing routine since 2002. Get up in the morning, bounce around the house while getting ready, get on bus, head downtown, sit in coffee shop, write.
It worked for me because I didn't have to worry about being late for anything (I'm right downtown!), and the most important part of my day was over by 8, 8:30. I tried evening writing for a while, but that really didn't work out. I was too tired to muster up the extra creative energy. Evenings, however, were awesome for editing, since at some point during the day I'd usually stumbled on my brain and stuck it back in my head. (Drafting doesn't require my brain, mostly because I'm a mean editor of my own words.)
Now, after more than a decade of being downtown, I will no longer be heading there in the mornings, which means that I'll be trying to find a new writing spot. There's one not far from where I'll be going, but it only opens at 7. That's a bit late for me. So I'm thinking I might try to switch it up. Maybe write at home in the mornings, in my awesome kitchen, sipping flavoured coffee brewed in my Roomy-gifted Keurig machine.
My main worry is that I'll get lazy. If I only have to head downstairs, will I start to get up later? Getting up, especially in the winter, is already hard enough with a bus schedule to stick to. Will I get distracted by life? A coffee shop is great because I'm not expected to do the dishes, clean the counters, wash the floors, fuzz the cats (no that they usually have those, but, you know...) Without a book under contract, will I see it as a chance to goof off? To regain some of my social life, cast aside in favour of putting word to paper or screen?
I'm honestly not sure. I'm trying to figure out ways to stop myself from losing that routine and letting the days slip by into weeks and months without new stories. The trick is to implement fail-safes. Maybe I'll start reporting word count on my blog. Maybe I'll give myself harsh deadlines - I work best under pressure. Maybe I'll get Roomy to take away the Keurig machine if I'm bad. No, wait, that would kill all productivity.
Lots to think about. Help a girl out. What are some of the fail-safes that work best for you?
It worked for me because I didn't have to worry about being late for anything (I'm right downtown!), and the most important part of my day was over by 8, 8:30. I tried evening writing for a while, but that really didn't work out. I was too tired to muster up the extra creative energy. Evenings, however, were awesome for editing, since at some point during the day I'd usually stumbled on my brain and stuck it back in my head. (Drafting doesn't require my brain, mostly because I'm a mean editor of my own words.)
Now, after more than a decade of being downtown, I will no longer be heading there in the mornings, which means that I'll be trying to find a new writing spot. There's one not far from where I'll be going, but it only opens at 7. That's a bit late for me. So I'm thinking I might try to switch it up. Maybe write at home in the mornings, in my awesome kitchen, sipping flavoured coffee brewed in my Roomy-gifted Keurig machine.
My main worry is that I'll get lazy. If I only have to head downstairs, will I start to get up later? Getting up, especially in the winter, is already hard enough with a bus schedule to stick to. Will I get distracted by life? A coffee shop is great because I'm not expected to do the dishes, clean the counters, wash the floors, fuzz the cats (no that they usually have those, but, you know...) Without a book under contract, will I see it as a chance to goof off? To regain some of my social life, cast aside in favour of putting word to paper or screen?
I'm honestly not sure. I'm trying to figure out ways to stop myself from losing that routine and letting the days slip by into weeks and months without new stories. The trick is to implement fail-safes. Maybe I'll start reporting word count on my blog. Maybe I'll give myself harsh deadlines - I work best under pressure. Maybe I'll get Roomy to take away the Keurig machine if I'm bad. No, wait, that would kill all productivity.
Lots to think about. Help a girl out. What are some of the fail-safes that work best for you?
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