I admire those writers who wake up at 5am and knock out a ton of words before heading off to work or taking care of their families. I love sleep and hate mornings far too much for that! But the concept is what's important more than actual time of day. If you want to be a writer, you write. It's that simple. Routine helps a lot.
For me that means writing on the train during my morning commute. I'm assured a 40 minute writing block every morning I'm on the train. If I'm lucky I can find a seat on the train home and grab another 40 minutes.
By writing in the same place and at the same time, I'm letting my brain know the moment I sit down that it's writing time.
Sounds fab, doesn't it? Of course sometimes I'm so exhausted in the mornings that I can't string two words together. Sometimes I need to spend that commute time critiquing a MS for a friend, or reading an ARC I only have seven days to finish and send on to the next person in the ARC tour.
But if I want to be a writer, if I want to tattoo that label on my forehead in invisible ink and wear it on my heart, then I have to find more balance and guard my writing time. I have to write even when the words suck. Even when I'm lost. Even when I'm hung over with a sleep coma.
I'm still trying to find that perfect mix which lets me churn out amazing words. Until then, like Dory, I'll just keep swimming, just keep swimming, just keep swimming. Or writing in this case.
It can start small. One sentence. My new goal is to write at least one sentence per day. Even on the weekends. Time to go work on that sentence! And maybe try some yoga while I do. Balance!
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