Comments on: The Daily Routines of Famous Writers

By: Tom Simon

Tom Simon — Tue, 01 Jan 2013 08:59:57 +0000

It seems to me you’ve found the sweet spot for that particular kind of ‘zone’: Always accessible, but not in a way that chains you to one place.

By: H G Mewis

H G Mewis — Tue, 01 Jan 2013 05:37:15 +0000

Moral: Sometimes, when a writer doesn’t need special preparation to get into ‘the zone’, it’s because ‘the zone’ is his foxhole and he never willingly leaves it.

I like that. I often feel like that since my routine is very mobile; hence my writing is mobile. As long as I have my laptop (or my notebook and pen) and a few moments of peace, I’ll write. My zone is always with me. It’s my safe place. If I wasn’t married, had no family and didn’t bother cultivating friends, I would be like Asimov and become borderline agoraphobic as I lived too much in my head.

But that’s not good either.

By: Tom Simon

Tom Simon — Tue, 01 Jan 2013 02:51:51 +0000

This makes me think of how Isaac Asimov used to ‘playfully defy the question of routines’. When asked if he had any routines to prepare himself for writing, he said that he had to take the cover off his typewriter and sit in a chair within easy reach of the keys. Ba-dum-bump.

What he didn’t mention on that occasion, but fessed up to at other times, is that he was a round-the-clock, round-the-calendar obsessive writer, who had serious bouts of separation anxiety any time he was away from his office in his Manhattan apartment longer than a day or so. He didn’t even like being able to see out of the window — that was too much intrusion from the outside world.

Moral: Sometimes, when a writer doesn’t need special preparation to get into ‘the zone’, it’s because ‘the zone’ is his foxhole and he never willingly leaves it.

By: Steven J Pemberton

Steven J Pemberton — Tue, 01 Jan 2013 01:25:01 +0000

Having read about several writers’ routines over the years, I’ve come to the conclusion that (a) some of them claim to have a particular habit mainly because it sounds good in interviews and (b) if you want to write, having a routine is more important than any details of what the routine is.

I’ve done some of my best work on a commuter train, with a lawyer or stockbroker in front of me, yapping on his phone, and a screaming baby behind me. As long as the seat next to me is empty, so I can spread my elbows out and type properly, I’m good to go.

By: kelly washington

kelly washington — Mon, 31 Dec 2012 22:29:37 +0000

I enjoy writing in my dining room, which is connected to the living room, with all of the normal noise going on (TV, talking, kids playing on the floor or running around). When they are away from the house and I have the place to myself, I find myself turning the TV to NickJr., because it isn’t distracting, and it gives (my brain, I suppose) me the background noise that I need.

If too quiet, I’ll invent noises or suddenly feel the need to do the dishes, laundry, or otherwise create noises.

Can’t do music… I’ll start singing or something. And no one wants that; trust me.

By: RD Meyer

RD Meyer — Mon, 31 Dec 2012 20:46:03 +0000

My routine varies, but it is beginning to solidify around early in the morning so I can have 2000 words done(in about an hour) and not have it hanging over the rest of my day.