MY IDEAL WRITING DAY
I've been asked this question a lot and it's something that I generally ask in my Friday Interviews with other authors. I know that for a lot of people the act of writing is done when they can fit it into life because they already have so much on and it's a case of grabbing minutes when they can. Now for me, I don't have another job. I am chronically ill and unable to work a full time job, and in that respect I'm lucky enough to be able to spend my days doing whatever I want and what works for me. I thought that it would be a fun piece for this fine Monday, to tell you all my idea of an ideal writing day.
I normally wake up around eight in the morning. I know you might be thinking, why when I can sleep all day, but my health conditions have certain limits on me and one of those is getting up at eight otherwise I over sleep and feel horrible and end up needing nap after nap to deal with it. So that would be the ideal start to the day, up at eight and ready to get going.
Next on the list would be to do any admin work in the morning, usually this only happens on days when I have videos, blog posts, or teasers going out, but once that's out of the way my ideal day would then move to chatting on Wire/Skype with a friend. We've fallen into this routine and I thoroughly enjoy chatting with them as the day goes on. At around midday, we move to text and then I get to start writing.
Now I used to be a morning person at school, that changed when I got sick and it used to be that I wrote the most in the afternoons/evening/wee hours. But back then I wasn't writing every day and nor was I really doing any promotion to do with my books. Now I like to be writing by one at the latest and generally finish around five before heading up to bed to read a book and chat with my friend on Wire for the remainder of the night.
My ideal writing day would be ones where I could hop between my WIP and chatting, talking to people on Twitter and all of that. I'm very much a multi-tasker and do my best work when I have a lot going on. It fuels my creativity and allows me to spend time with people and actually get some writing done all at once. I always have short breaks for tea and all of that, but if I'm writing, they usually happen on their own without me needing to leave in the middle of a massive scene so that I don't lose my thread.
Now I'm a hybrid (talked about here) so I do have some semblance of a plan for my books, but I don't always stick to it. Sometimes the best writing days are ones where I've been able to get over the hurdle of a touch of writer's block and can get back into the thick of the story. I also write two books at once and again, some days are best because I finish the chapter of one with an idea brewing for the next chapter of the other. I find this works best for me and I've had a lot of success doing it this way.
If I've recently finished a draft then I'll be letting that sit, but if it's in the second stage of editing and redrafting, then I'll be able to do that as well. I completely meant it when I said I was a multi-tasker! I'll also answer emails and anything that didn't get done in the admin of the morning. If I'm working at my desk then I generally have company in the shape of a kitty, and the same can be said if I'm working up in bed. It's always nice to have them around when I'm writing.
So basically my ideal writing day is a day where everything goes to plan, I get to chat with friends and hang on online, as well as getting a good chapter written and managing to get up to bed before too late. In that respect I'm a bit of a homebody. I've tried writing in coffee shops and the like, and while I can do it from time to time, I just prefer having my own space and my own time. However, I don't get out much so that may play a part in it. I do sometimes put on my noise cancelling headphones and listed to the white noise app - my choice playlist there is thunder, rain and a small cafe to keep me company!
What's your idea of a great writing day? Lemme know in the comments!
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