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The Daily Routine of a Writer
Planning, organizing, and a little bit of coffee.
As a writer, I’m always fascinated by the writing routines of other writers.
I know this feeling is shared by other creative folks. Mason Curry wrote a whole book on habits of famous writers (Daily Rituals: How Artists Work), which I devoured when I read it years ago. It is a mixture of inspiration (“Maybe that habit would work for me?”) and fascination (“I could never do that”).
After years of struggling to make time for writing, I found that early morning works best for me. It’s not necessarily about the time of day: it’s about finding a block of time that works and sticking to that routine.
Writing habits aren’t about the writing itself, per se. They’re about things you do throughout the day to prepare for writing, both mentally and actual prep work (like research or outlines).
Here are a few things I do every day.
1. Coffee and Wordle
Nothing happens until I’ve had a cup of coffee. Absolutely nothing. I make a single cup and while I wait for it to brew, I tackle Wordle. I’ve played this word game every single day since January 2, 2022. I haven’t missed a day. I’ve lost the game, but I haven’t missed playing.
