I thought I'd share a bit about what I'm up to. My 'writing routine,' so to speak.
So every day just about, I wake up fairly late. This sounds like part of a glamorous and leisurely lifestyle. I know a bunch of writers get up at 5 a.m. and write solidly for five hours. This doesn't work for me. Before I was a full-time writer/editor, I had an office job. I had to be there early. I got up at the last possible second before work, around 7:30, left home in a panic , went to a cafe and got a coffee to go and walked to my office. I had half an hour to get ready to go. It was stressful.
I'm not really a morning person. So now that I can, I sleep in, wake up when my body kicks me out of bed, stumble into my office in my pajamas. Then I read email and maybe half an hour later I make a pot of espresso. Then I heat some soy milk and make a latte. (This is very important to my routine.) Do you think I'm writing a New Sincerity novel here?
Soy latte in hand I sit down at my desk again, write out a to-do list, and get started.
These are the kinds of things on my list:
Finish editing project x
Write an email to RPBers
Research Paris lingerie shops
Send invoice to K for chapter 4
Write chapter 21
Donuts?
Okay, no. Donuts are never on my list. Sadly.
I edit, email, market, and then i get to write my own stuff. I do it in that order because my editing work pays for my life. If I start out with my own writing (and sometimes I do) I end up spending all day on it. Right now my own writing is my second job. My first job is editing and the work I do for Ghostwoods Books, finding books, reading books, and so on.
I stay up past midnight, sometimes 'til one or two in the morning writing. I couldn't do that if I got up early.
Where is the glamor? Well, I do live in London.
Do I love it? Yes. Oh, yes.
So every day just about, I wake up fairly late. This sounds like part of a glamorous and leisurely lifestyle. I know a bunch of writers get up at 5 a.m. and write solidly for five hours. This doesn't work for me. Before I was a full-time writer/editor, I had an office job. I had to be there early. I got up at the last possible second before work, around 7:30, left home in a panic , went to a cafe and got a coffee to go and walked to my office. I had half an hour to get ready to go. It was stressful.
I'm not really a morning person. So now that I can, I sleep in, wake up when my body kicks me out of bed, stumble into my office in my pajamas. Then I read email and maybe half an hour later I make a pot of espresso. Then I heat some soy milk and make a latte. (This is very important to my routine.) Do you think I'm writing a New Sincerity novel here?
Soy latte in hand I sit down at my desk again, write out a to-do list, and get started.
These are the kinds of things on my list:
Finish editing project x
Write an email to RPBers
Research Paris lingerie shops
Send invoice to K for chapter 4
Write chapter 21
Donuts?
Okay, no. Donuts are never on my list. Sadly.
I edit, email, market, and then i get to write my own stuff. I do it in that order because my editing work pays for my life. If I start out with my own writing (and sometimes I do) I end up spending all day on it. Right now my own writing is my second job. My first job is editing and the work I do for Ghostwoods Books, finding books, reading books, and so on.
I stay up past midnight, sometimes 'til one or two in the morning writing. I couldn't do that if I got up early.
Where is the glamor? Well, I do live in London.
Do I love it? Yes. Oh, yes.