My Daily Writing Routine

Once I set up my writer’s desk, I had nailed a routine down.

I had been hunting for a desk for months now. Ever since the pandemic started, I had been attending my online classes and workshops on the floor, with a little Japanese-style tray, and when my butt started to hurt, I moved onto my bed. I had become a bed potato, wrapped up in four different blankets, and laid on my side as my costume class unfolded in front of me. With the anonymity I could grant myself the option to do this, but it prevented me from truly flourishing in the way I dreamed of.

And so, when I found the perfect desk at a Goodwill in the richer part of Baltimore County, I bought it immediately. It was $25 and it fit perfectly into my mother’s car, then it fit perfectly right in front of my window. I was in love with this little cheap white desk, one that was so simple, but it actually helped solidify my daily writing routine.

I’ve been waking up at five am recently, in a burst of productivity and awareness. I didn’t set my alarm the first time I did, I just woke up, wandered to my desk, and started typing. In that moment, within two hours, I had an entirely new short story that I was actually pretty happy with, as well as two new poems. But this wasn’t the end of that.

I was getting my schoolwork done much faster, which left me more time to type out my thoughts. I bought the writing software Scrivener, I’d set it to focus mode, and then I would brainstorm ideas. The words seemed to just flow out, and, instead of just writing poems, I was creating plays, short stories, and nonfiction essays. I started looking at the work of professional freelancers, then wrote down what their websites told me and what their articles told me. And so I’m breaking down their methods, paving out a better writing career and future for myself.

By nine in the morning, however, it is tea time. I eat my breakfast, usually some strawberries or whatever fruit we have on hand at the time, and then use this time for my own leisure. I don’t believe in constantly grinding, I know that’s what burns me out, so I don’t do it. If I had majored in creative writing, I would not be where I am today. I would’ve burned out and quit my writing career before it even began.

The majority of the daytime is devoted to my schoolwork and other jobs. The most productive time for me is somehow haunting hour—all of my best works have been written at the late hours of the night. When I do stay up later, it substitutes for the 5am sessions, but usually my haunting hour is between 10 PM and 12 AM. I also read during this hour. Something unique I do is that I don’t see reading for content as fun. I see reading for craft as the best part of reading. I like to pick apart sentences, phrases, sections, in order to figure out how the author is manipulating the reader. I think that makes me a better writer, because it teaches intentionality in a way that is discrete to most.

Something else I do, whenever I have pockets of time in between the other work that I do. I journal every thought that comes to mind, every conversation I’ve had, or just images that pop into my brain. That way I can just go back into my journal later and pluck an image if it strikes me as belonging to what I’m writing.

So this is my current writing routine! I’m graduating in August and transitioning more into full-time freelancing, so I guarantee you that this routine is going to evolve when fall rolls around.