I am terrible about forcing myself to sit down and write. If I sit at my desk, even if I have a timer going, it never ends in a successful writing session. I get distracted, start thinking about something completely unrelated, then the next thing I know an hour has passed and I’ve written five words. So, I established a writing routine that’s a bit different.
I write while I exercise. Back when I graduated with my bachelor’s degree, I bought myself a stationary bike with a built-in desk. Instead of handlebars, it has a large plastic desk to put my laptop on. I ride it nearly every day. Exercise is something I need to do for my health, which guarantees I will do it. In turn, that guarantees I will write.
Writing while I exercise also helps me write for longer. Every time I bike, I set a duration target and refuse to quit until I reach it. I also force myself to write that entire time, which ensures I don’t only write five words. I’m still a slow writer, but this way I’m writing 100+ words per session. The motion also helps me focus. It makes the words I write higher quality, so I am less likely to scrap everything when I edit, unlike when I force myself to write at my desk.
In addition to writing while on my bike, I don’t write until after 10 o’clock at night. The primary reason is because I’m a night owl, but another is my family. No, I don’t have kids. Instead, I have grandparents. I do not mean this as an insult whatsoever, but they are LOUD. They are heavy-footed and cough a lot because they have COPD and asthma (things I recognize are entirely out of their control). Also, I don’t understand how they can make so much noise just getting themselves a glass of water. These sounds are innocent, but also very jarring when I’m trying to write. I can still hear them even while wearing headphones because my room is directly off of the kitchen. It’s simply easier (and more productive) to write after they go to bed.
As further protection from their noises in case they are still up or have to walk by my room to get something, I listen to music while I write. However, I am very picky about what music I can listen to while writing. Most songs with lyrics are distracting, making it hard for me to think of more than a few words at a time. The lack of words in classical music, though less disruptive, also means that any words my grandparents might say in the background are particularly noticeable. Thankfully, I have managed to find a few songs with lyrics that help camouflage my grandparents’ voices and filter out the world without interfering with my creative flow. I have no idea why these songs work for this, but they do. The songs are: “The Tortured Poets Department” by Taylor Swift, “Ordinary” by Alex Warren, “Once in a Lifetime” by John Michael Howell, “Favorite Book” by NMST feat. Faithroze, and “Are You with Me” by nilu.
My full writing routine is as follows:
- Get on stationary bike with laptop and bring up my WIP document.
- Set my duration target on my exercise app (usually 45 minutes to an hour and a half) and start pedaling.
- Turn on my writing playlist.
- Write!
If I’m on a writing roll when I reach my exercise target, I will continue to bike until I am finished. This has resulted in me biking for 2+ hours straight, but that just means I can bike less the following day. This system has helped me write over 77,000 words in my WIP, so I’m sticking to it! What’s your writing routine?
Allison Burton 