The Creativity Project: Trying on Other Writers’ Routines
Testing out other ways of writing.
One of the things I love to deep dive into is other writers’ routines. I love to see how everyone else comes at the writing process because no two writers have the same routine.
I found it so fascinating because even for me, my routine is still morphing and solidifying. So I decided to follow a few authors’ writing routines for a few days to see if there are any pieces in there for me to add to my own.
This is borne a little out of desperation. I’m highly distractible and can spend all day writing two pages of a book because I clicked on a YouTube video and got sucked down the rabbit hole. And I hate it.
So my first author is Neil Gaiman because it seems like our processes are similar enough that I can slide into his routine. And it’s deceptively simple: write or do nothing.
From the research I’ve done (aka the one interview where he talks about his process), Neil goes somewhere that is distraction free and writes by hand for four hours for his first draft. He uses a fountain pen and a notebook and allows himself to do nothing. After awhile, nothing gets boring and writing is much more preferred. Even if the words are hard.
I already write my first drafts by hand, I just don’t use a fountain pen most of the time. I’m still learning how to effectively use one without all of the hiccups that they involve. I feel like I’m halfway to Neil’s routine.
I’ve already done three days of sitting in a chair away from my desk so I’m not tempted to “quickly” research something. Because we all know that is the top of the rabbit hole. Each day, I’m adding another hour to my distraction free time.
Almost distraction free.
I allow the dog to distract me when she needs to go outside so I don’t have to clean up her mess.
And so far, it has been amazing. I rip through my daily goal of pages written in no time flat and continue on until the time is up. This means I’m almost done with my weekly goal of writing before the week is even half over.
I think I will be incorporating more away from desk writing in the future so I can get more concentrated work done. I just don’t think I need a full four hours to write in that environment. Or I’ll need to break it up a bit to make it more manageable. I do bring more than one project with me so that if I get stuck, I can move on to another story.
I want to call this test a success and move on. The only question I have is: who do I try next? I’m not quite ready for Nora Roberts’s routine just yet so if you have a suggestion, let me know!
