Writing Routines: What does a writing day look like for authors? I asked them!
People often ask, Where do authors get their ideas from? Well, I’ve asked a bunch of them, and here’s what they said…
Morgan Greene
‘I try and get my admin and editing done in the morning, then have some lunch, get out and walk the dog in the afternoon, centre myself and think about the next chapter or scene, then come back with a clear head and just get some words down. No secret formula, unfortunately! Just routine.’
Adrian Tchaikovsky
‘As for a daily routine I generally write in the mornings these days – used to be evenings but then I had to get my son up for school – and in the afternoons it’s usually admin and other writing-adjacent tasks like edits, or indeed interviews.’
Alesha Dykema
‘I’m a full-time mom, so it often looks like fitting it in where I can. Early mornings before the kids wake up, nap times, late nights. Sometimes my husband gets done with work early so I can go to a coffee shop to work.’
Philip Fracassi
‘My writing day varies slightly depending on where I’m at with projects. A typical day when I’m not writing a new novel, for example, is that I’m at my desk at 9am. I usually take a break for a late lunch or a trip to the gym twice a week. Then I work a few hours in the late afternoon, take a break for dinner and a tv show with my wife, then work some more. I try to call it a day by nine or ten p.m., and then I spend a few hours reading.
When I’m working on a novel, it’s much more intensive and I’ll often be at my desk past midnight and working 12-hour days.’
Melanie Bokstad Horev
‘I wake up, get the kids to school and kindergarten, drive to work, and work until lunch. During my break, I eat and write. Then it’s school pickups, activities, dinner-making, bedtime routines. After all that—if my brain is still awake—I sit down with my husband for a show, then write into the night until midnight or later. Rinse and repeat!’