My Writing Routine goes as follows:

10:00am – Morning writing

Writing for me starts after the morning duties are complete. My mornings aren’t chaotic, but I have to make sure my daughter has been dropped off at school, and our dog gets a good long walk. I’d say the walk is for his health and wellness, but in truth, I just need to make sure he’s tired enough so I get a moment to write (it’s not always successful). After I take about 10 minutes to pet the family cat (seen rubbing his mouth on my face above), I pull out my laptop and snuggle on the couch to write. 

I’m a travelling writer. By travelling I mean moving from one room of the house to the next. Different environments give me a different feel (also sometimes I need the background noise of my favourite show).

If I’m lucky and my brain doesn’t run out of steam, I write for about 3 hours.

7:00pm – Evening Writing

Just like in the morning, I have to get all the evening tasks done. Primarily, family dinner (my fiancé and I switch cooking days), feeding our animal children, and cleanup. I do my evening writing in my sunroom. Being surrounded by my plants and the view of the bay is such an inspiring atmosphere.

now let’s get real…

Why I Haven’t Followed This Routine

I love the dedicated time I schedule for writing, but the truth is…I never really follow it. Writing my stories means becoming my characters. It means losing myself in the argument and feeling what they’re feeling. And sometimes, I can’t do that on a schedule. 

I write when I feel the authenticity of a moment. Sometimes I write at 3 o’clock in the morning when I jolt awake from a dream and know it has to be added. I want to be like the others who I assume write on a schedule that makes sense, but my body and mind just don’t play by those rules. 

So that’s where I am. I jot down chapter dialogue on post-its and type out paragraphs on the notes app on my phone after a vivid dream about a conversation my two main characters had. 

It’s not perfect, it’s not organized (to some), but it means that I get to become my characters when they decide to come to me. I get to play out a scene while I’m cooking my daughter mac and cheese, or I can imagine my character’s outfit while I’m folding laundry. 

I wish I could say in time I’ll be better with my writing schedule…

But truthfully, I don’t think I want it to.