Writing Routines: Do We Need Them?
Let's talk it out.
I love hearing about other people’s routines. When they exercise, when they cook (all at once on a Sunday or a little bit every day?) or their favorite time to go outside. I like hearing how people relax on a 15-minute break, or if they enjoy taking baths at 2 a.m.
I mostly love reading about writers’ routines because serious writers tend to have tried-and-true rhythms for devoting a portion of their day to their creative work … a habit I’m interested in.
Just like cooking, there are a million ways creativity can fit into 24 hours. I always thought If I could gather enough ideas, maybe I can blend parts of them together and find something that works for me.
Here’s the information I’ve collected so far … my thoughts on the “when,” “what” and “how” of a writing routine.
The “When”
Many (if not most) writers insist upon using the earliest, freshest hours of the day to write. (Why do I remain vigorously jealous of these writers, just as I do toward those who exercise at 5 a.m.?)
Others are nocturnal—their writing takes place around 9 p.m. to midnight. Or, more rarely, in the intriguing space between midnight and 4 a.m.
And many land somewhere in-between. Famously, Maya Angelou wrote in hotels from around 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. daily. Joan Didion wrote during the day and reviewed her work later while sipping a cocktail.
I’m a “somewhere in-between” person. I generally prefer spending the first few hours of the day easing in, and the last few hours of the day easing out. I slot creative tasks like writing somewhere in the middle.
I resonate with author Ursula K. Le Guinn, who said in an interview describing her writing routine, “After 8 p.m. I tend to be very stupid and we won’t talk about this.”
No doubt, I write on the weekends more. But on a weekday, anything can happen. Sometimes I write around 8 a.m.—this typically only happens when my brain is really chewing on something. Other days I squeeze writing into a midday break. And more often than not I write between 5 and 7 p.m.
My flexibility is a blessing … but it has also been a curse! Before my book, I was very good at starting projects and flitting around with new ideas, but I couldn’t finish a thing. Sometimes I still fall into this pattern, which is why I’ll probably never stop searching for a routine I can stick to with a 90% success rate.
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But I wonder … Is a routine like that even possible?
I also wonder … Does a routine like that even matter?
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I keep coming back to this part: My flexibility is a blessing.
We can only work with what we’ve got, right?
The “What”
My experience has taught me that the “what” far outweighs the “when.” Because the “what” is the part that actually begets results. The “when” is more of a slippery technicality.
On a daily basis, nothing changes drastically about my habits. I’m basically trying to do some combination of sleeping, working, cooking, reading, eating, moving, learning, errands, writing, and leisure. These are my “what’s.”
The “when’s,” however, are always up for grabs, and (for me!) nothing feels better. It makes my day fresh and exciting. I have leeway to behave spontaneously based on weather, schedule, how my body feels, and whatever I have going on that day.
Be sure about it: The “what” is what matters most.
How About the “How?”
How do you write? I’m talking speed, pace and output.
Similar to the “when,” I’ve found the “how” isn’t as important as the “what.”
Your pace is your pace. If you believe “good” or “natural” or “meant-to-be” writers are always fast, prolific writers, you’re wrong.
I am a slow writer. I am also a fast writer. That’s because it depends.
I’ve been working on an essay for a month now. It’s requiring me to really think, not only about my own feelings but how they fit into the structure of what I’m writing. I wanted to publish it earlier this month, so I tried to rush it. My writing sessions became long and frustrating until I realized I needed a break from it so space could give way to clarity. I keep several irons in the fire, so I pivoted to a different essay.
Comprehension can be challenging, and thinking takes time. A piece that doesn’t want to be rushed can never be maneuvered into going faster.
To illustrate my point, I’d like to share quotes from two wonderful writers I mentioned earlier—Maya Angelou and Joan Didion.
In 2005, Didion told an interviewer that she typically spends “most of the day working on a piece not actually putting anything on paper.” She allocated most of her time to the work of forming a coherent idea. (Keep in mind, this is coming from someone who had the luxury of her entire day to write.) Didion said the slowness of the writing process stems from the sheer difficulty of thinking clearly. She shared:
“...Nothing comes to us out of the blue, very easily, you know. So if you want to understand what you’re thinking, you kind of have to work it through and write it. And the only way to work it through, for me, is to write it.”
Same!
Maya Angelou shared with The Paris Review:
“Of course, there are those critics—New York critics as a rule—who say, Well, Maya Angelou has a new book out and of course it’s good but then she’s a natural writer. Those are the ones I want to grab by the throat and wrestle to the floor because it takes me forever to get it to sing. I work at the language.
Word.
In Conclusion
Yes, you need a writing routine. If you want your muscles to stay strong, you need to exercise frequently. But the word “routine” never meant doing the exact same thing every day. If a routine is a “sequence of actions regularly followed,” then I’ve got writing covered …
at 2 p.m. on Sunday …
at 5:30 p.m. on Tuesday …
at lunchtime on Wednesday …
at a café on Thursday …
and over coffee at 9 a.m. on Saturday.
