Not me, but a decent rep of my Saturday space. Photo by Jeff Sheldon.

As I have been carving away at the lump of raw clay that is my first novel, I have become acquainted with the virtue of routine.

Traditionally I have not been a fan of routine. I hate planning things out in my personal life. From a professional perspective, I like routine, process, and planning, when I’m NOT at work I like spontaneity and a little chaos.

While this is great from the perspective of a lazy Saturday, it turns out that when you are trying to write a supernatural epic of universe altering proportions, it is uncool.

Now I get this isn’t a universal truth, so don’t misunderstand. I know many writers that thrive in unpredictability and chaos. I had assumed I would be one, but as I have found, that isn’t quite true.

I say quite because it turns out that I need a routine, but one that places me in a location of chaos on the same general day and time. I thrive in chaos, alway have and I assume I always will.

But to make any real progress on something like a manuscript for the great American novel, one must engage in routine. And so I did. It’s been amazing seeing the difference between how it felt to write before I instituted my new routine, and how it feels after.

I am now looking forward to Saturday morning at my writing spot, full of chaotic sights and sounds, full of things to distract. Amazingly I find the act of fighting to focus increases my ability to write dramatically.

It’s like a +20 to my creativity.

I guess the point to all of this is simply, don’t be afraid to embrace what is uncomfortable. If you crave order and quiet, try out a place of chaos. If you live for chaos as I do, try throwing some order in the middle. You might be surprised what you find.

Thanks for reading what comes out of my giant, giant head.

Originally published at Sillyness Spelled Wrong Intentionally