Thursday, February 2, 2012

Using a Routine

I've talked a lot in the past about how having a routine (writing every day, blogging on specific days, etc.) seems to be a major factor in my ability to keep progressing towards my writing goals. Within those routines, though, I don't have smaller routines. For example, I don't always write in the same place, or at the same time of day, or for the same amount of time, etc. Probably the closest thing to another "routine" that I have is that I always do first drafts in Google Docs and then revise in Word. That, plus if I have trouble focusing, I'll put some instrumental music through headphones to help me avoid distractions.

Generally speaking, those things which I might call "micro-routines" haven't seemed like something I've really needed so far. But, as I've mentioned in the past, every writer works differently. So, I found it interesting to read Eric J. Krause's post on his own writing routine. This post focuses on the routine of an individual writing session -- how he breaks it up in half with a little break time in the middle, etc. He, too, points out that the specifics which work for him won't necessarily work for everyone and suggests some alternative ways of arranging your sessions.

Like I said, I haven't found a need to add that type of routine to my other writing routines so far. But if I reach a point where I'm having consistently frustrating writing sessions, I think I'll be likely to come back to this post and see what from it I might adapt for my own writing.

As with so many things I've discussed before, the most important thing here is to find what works for you and stick to it. That probably will mean taking a little piece of advice here and a little piece of advice there and so on. And that's just fine. There's no reason that your big picture writing habits should look much like anyone else's as long as you're making progress towards your goals.

What routines have you found that work for you?

14 comments:

  1. Excellent post, Michael! It really is interesting to see how other writers work. Sometimes it's fun to try certain tricks and tips other writers use, just to see if they work for you. I know I've found excellent advice in the past.

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    1. Thanks for stopping by, Eric. Glad that you enjoyed the post!

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  2. I really need to find a routine. I'm horrible about that. I tried to schedule my time, but it didn't work out. Too much chaos in my house, I suppose.

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    1. Yeah, I know some people who are able to block off a specific chunk of time on their calendar for writing. That hasn't worked well for me in the past. It was always too easy to let something else overtake that spot on the calendar.

      I was only able to do that during NaNoWriMo, having that deadline helped make it easier to not let something else feel more important right at that moemnt. Even then it worked best when I arranged to be out of the house for my writing time.

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  3. Hi Michael,

    I found you via #row80 on Twitter. I love hearing about other writer's routines, so your post caught my eye.

    In my case, deadlines and a kitchen timer are my friend! I just blogged about it, actually. Here's think in case you're interested: http://bit.ly/zsnWMO

    I hope your blog doesn't think I'm spam now!

    Nice to meet you! :)

    ~Tui

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    1. Hi, Tui!

      Thanks for stopping by and sharing your routine. Very nice to hear what works for others!

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  4. Since I'm in school right now it's kind of hard to have a set routine, but I tend to write in the library just because it's nice and quiet!

    Great post!

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    1. That sounds like a good place to work. I often put headphones in, so I usually don't mind some level of background noise, but there's something about a library that sort of encourages one to get to work, isn't there? :)

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  5. Finding a routine would be a great idea! I do make it a goal to write a new blog two to three times a week, but my writing has been pushed to the side recently. I will definitely consider making a good routine! :)

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    1. Good luck with it! I hope it works out well for you.

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  6. Good reminders. I feel like I work much better when I have at least flexible routines.

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    1. Yep; that's an important thing -- to not have so little flexibility in your routine that it starts to feel stifling!

      Thanks for stopping by.

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  7. My best "brain time" is right after my one cup of coffee first thing in the morning, so I always try to write in the morning.

    What's working well for me right now is that I get up at 4:00-4:30 AM, take the dogs out, and settle in to write. After a twenty minute break at 5:00 to have that one cup of coffee with my wife, I'm back at it until about 6:30 AM. I track my writing time, and I consistently get 1 to 1.5 hours per day, with an average of 500 words per hour.

    I'm totally with you on the value of routine for making progress, Michael. Any other approach is, by definition, inconsistent. ;-)

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    1. That's great, even if the idea of waking up at 4-4:30 AM makes me want to cringe. :)

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