I read advice from authors all the time about setting a writing routine. Most suggest getting your writing done first thing in the morning. They say this is a great way to make sure you are actually writing every day, which is a tried-and-true rule for anything you want to master.
I’ve been wanting to try this piece of writing advice since I started the Writing Rules Project. It was one of my first post ideas. I was going to get up at the crack of dawn for a week just to write. The problem is, I’m not a morning person, by any stretch of the imagination. I would much rather stay up past midnight working on a novel than wake up and try to get my brain in writing mode before I’ve even brushed my teeth.
This week, I decided I was going to do it. Guess how many days I managed to write before eating breakfast?
One.
Because of quarantine, I’ve gone for weeks without having much of a routine. So, maybe it was a little much to ask of myself. But that one day did feel really good. Especially since I’ve been having some writer’s block with The Book, it was great to set a goal for myself and get the words on the page. And I’m going to try again. I want to really make this a habit.
Then again, do I have to schedule my writing in the morning just because a lot of other writers do? I’ve gone through periods where I wrote a thousand words a day, week after week—lying in bed just before I went to sleep. I found it really easy to write every day during those times. I managed to fit writing into my schedule, and it didn’t feel like a job. I guess there’s a part of me that’s afraid that if I associate writing with the unpleasantness of waking up early, I’ll stop loving what I do.
This is a short post because I don’t really have a conclusive answer on this rule. I’ll have to try the morning routine thing again sometime in the near future. Maybe it will make a difference in the quality of my writing. I don’t know.
I want to hear from you. When is the best time to write? Do you have a routine that works well for you? Leave a comment below!
Need some creative writing activities for kids, students, or yourself this summer? Check out the Writing Rules Mini Project I put together a few weeks back!
I’ve got stickers, notebooks, and more on Redbubble! Here’s my latest Writing Rules Project logo sticker.