Thread: Writing routine

With a life full of work, family, chores and recreation, I have found a writing routine that works for me. I write a thousand words a night on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, then two thousand on Saturday. I'm happier than a clam at finding some normalcy in my writing after years of hit and miss, feast and famine. But my lack of writer friends has made me wonder if my routine is an average one. Now, I know that full time writers bang out two thousands words a day, every day, and while that would be a dream come true, some of us have full time jobs that get in the way. What is your writing routine is or do you even have one?

I think you are doing well if you are writing 5000 a week with a full time job. I am not working so am doing about 2000 a day. My routine is to just write, then relax and when I think of ideas jot down some notes. I am onto the final 1/4 of a new story and am just relaxing and thinking about the climax etc.

For the past 2 years I been hammering out many words a day. So have been full time at it for a while. I think all the practice has improved my writing.

Yeah, I got a routine. A good one, too: write as much as I can whenever I can without burning myself out.

5,000 a week is pretty damn good, squidtender. Unless it's all crap. Then it's not so good.

I write a minimum of five days per week, sometimes six. I'm at work for nine to ten hours each day, so my weekday writing is confined to just an hour, or two in the evenings. Sometimes the words crawl out like cold slugs and I only end up with 300 to 400 words. But even at that I'm 92,000 words into my next book with a goal of seeing the first draft done by May.

on 2 nights a week, 1 hit over a thousand words per night. (those are my drinking nights)
the rest of the week, i try to kick out at least 100 per night. i'm getting to where i'm writing
more and more at each setting, though. i'd like to be able to bring myself to a point where
it's at least 5000 a week, even if some of it's crappy. i can always just delete the crappy or
revise it in a 2nd draft.

I go by time spent, and not word count.

I try to spend at least an hour every day of uninterrupted writing. The wordcount is unimportant to me, only the quality matters.

In the meantime I write out scene summaries and plot outlines, and do research for settings and character bios.. but I don't count that as part of the actual time spent writing.. it's more like an additional necessity.

I think anything over 1,000 words a day is pretty darn impressive. Some days I tear my hair out writing and only manage a few hundred words. My backspace key is so worn the letters have become transparent.

I never count....

I take care of my mom full time, so I don't really worry about word count, as long as my mom has a good day and I at least wrote something it's a good and successful day for me too. I also find that I tend to write more when I'm listening to appropriate music, I write double than what I write without music.

Thanks for the feedback, guys. I used to write by time alone, but since I've switched to word count, I find that it gives me more motivation to push forward if I have a certain number to reach. Sure, there has been nights that I've only done 500, but there has also been nights of well over 2000. As for the crappy writing, well, I know I'm guilty of it. But, I know a lot of it is good as well. As long as I keep pounding out the words, and keep moving forward, I'm a happy guy. Besides, it's not like we have a choice, right? Even if I never get published again, I'll still keep writing

My routine is to log in here and waste time, or to stare out the window and study cloud formations, or to go and play with the cat, or just about anything that avoids having to work at writing. Sometimes I read a book.

I'm with Ox on this one. Lately my writing routine is to think about what I'm going to write and then not write it at all. I did manage to squeeze out just shy of 500 words for the LM, but I'm not yet certain that they're 500 words worth posting in the thread.

Originally Posted by The Backward OX

My routine is to log in here and waste time, or to stare out the window and study cloud formations, or to go and play with the cat, or just about anything that avoids having to work at writing. Sometimes I read a book.

I hear this. Although usually it's having to deal with the children or the dogs, or actually talk to my husband (fancy that!). When we're up at 5.30am and out the door by 7, then back in around 6pm and organising kids and dinner and baths, tidying, washing clothes, trying to keep the household running etc I find it incredibly difficult to actually sit down and say "Write. Now." One thing that is helping (me feel less guilty) is I am trying to write during lunch at work. It doesn't happen every day (the lunch or the writing!) but at least it's something.

Originally Posted by The Backward OX

My routine is to log in here and waste time, or to stare out the window and study cloud formations, or to go and play with the cat, or just about anything that avoids having to work at writing. Sometimes I read a book.

As an Idle Foundation and Cloud Appreciation Society member, I'd say that's time well-spent. As a composer (of music) and occasional writer with a half-baked psychology education, I'd say that can be great preparation for creative work.

I'm really lucky in that I work night shift... on my own! Last month I wrote 30k words during my night shifts. I literally get paid to write!

I found that jury duty is an excellent means of finding the time to write. So, the next time you're called, don't try to get out of it.