Which is your writing routine?
By paxxul
@paxxul (26)
Argentina
January 4, 2007 11:14am CST
I have heard that people has a writing routine. I can't set up one for me, do you have one? which do you think that improve your writing?
11 responses
@misskatonic (3723)
• United States
4 Jan 07
Writing routines really are the best way to get writing done, at least if you're talking professional. My routine is every day after lunch I turn off the TV or the radio, I unhook the internet and I write for an hour. Then I take a half hour break, then write for another hour. I do this until dinner time and I can usually make my daily wordcount.
Too many people don't understand that writing is a job. It's hard work. It's not fun. And in order for anything to come of it, it needs structure and a timetable like any other job.
1 person likes this
@cajundharma (641)
• United States
6 Jan 07
I have two kids, and if I try to wait until the evening to write, I'm too drained and have too much other junk in my head to concentrate. So even though I'm not a morning person, it works better for me to get up an hour before they do to get ready for school and use that time to write. So I would say try to schedule time to write when you know your energy is highest and your mind is clearest.
@funygirl38 (19)
• United States
6 Jan 07
I have to wait until my children go to bed because this is the best part of the day for me to relax and concentrate because i'm typically a night person. It's best to remove distractions though and it depends on what you're writing about, whether it's for work or pleasure. I write fiction myself and so I have some techniques that help. I put on my headphones and pop in an instrumental cd. I choose music according to what mood i'm trying to convey. I have quite an array of soundtracks which I primarily use. If no music is desired, i've resorted to earplugs in the past to drown out the sounds of the house.
I use my computer's word program and i sit in a comfortable chair with reference materials I need handy. I think it should be a labor of love if you're writing say, fiction, or a journal or a column for a newspaper. Be passionate about your work as best you can.
@Desertbird (323)
• United States
5 Jan 07
I have a book called "Barron's Pocket Guide to Vocabulary". I read through some clever words and that usually sparks a need to write.
@SageMother (2277)
• United States
7 Jan 07
Usually I will look through this site, and a couple of others while I am listening to CNN on the tv. I will jot down ideas and slowly work my way back to them as the week wears on. I do tarot and numerology readings online and so I have those pages minimized while I am doing mylot or helium...that way I can stop and do a reading fairly easily without having to lose a complex train of thought.
When doing articles that are longer and on other sites, that will remain nameless, I log out of the places that I have in the minimized window so that I can concentrate on writing the article.
@aquariancore (608)
• United States
6 Jan 07
Writing is like the old Nike slogan, "Just Do it." It doesn't matter where or when. It could be on a scrap of paper on a napkin in a resaurant. Start with writing down an idea a day in a little notebook. Then do a paragraph when you get an idea that sticks. Then a page and so on and so on. After a while you stick the bar of either time or writing output.
@Desertbird (323)
• United States
6 Jan 07
That's very true. You have to think of writing as work, not a hobby, or else you'll never finish.
@peavey (16936)
• United States
4 Jan 07
Your routine should be during the part of the day when you feel the most creative, alert, etc. The only two things you really need to do be stubborn about that certain time until it becomes habit, and refuse to be distracted during that time.
You might try setting the stage by getting something to drink or sitting in the same chair every time - anything to lead you into the writing mood. It's all about creating a habit
@re08dz (1941)
• Australia
4 Jan 07
As others have said - you need to make the time - make sure you set aside a certain period each day to get your writing done and don't get sidetracked by it.
If you find you get ideas to write about at all times of the day - make sure you carry a notebook or recorder around with you so you have your starting point for that time you have set aside.
@Bartolin1980 (98)
• Ireland
5 Jan 07
Another good idea is to always separate the times when you edit and when you write material, that way you can edit when you are not feeling really creative and vice versa. Its probably a good idea to choose a time when you tend to be very alert for editing because it can be heavy work and it also should be a regular thing either in bulk or piecemeal so that you are producing a relatively regular amount of finished work, it makes you feel better- there's nothing more dispiriting than having bundles and bundles of unedited work that needs to be gotten through, having said that, everyone works differently, it's about finding a system that works for you- so experiment
