Some people may know that I recently quit my office job. I took a week long vacation in Oregon to reset myself and spend some time with family. When I got back, I started focusing on getting a new job and focusing on my writing. The easiest way for me to do that has been to make a schedule.
My day usually starts around 6:00 with breakfast, a run and showering. Then I write until noon. Sometimes, I’ll do this in my apartment or head to the downtown library to focus on my work there. Then I’ll figure out something for lunch and take a quick break (usually practicing French or ASL). Then I’ll take some time to submit, either to agents or short fiction magazines. Afterwards, I tend to edit–either what I’ve written earlier that day or one of the short stories I’m planning on submitting in the near future. Around 5, I apply for a day job or two before it gets too late. In the end, I tend to close up shop around 5:30 or 6:00 and spend the rest of my night decompressing.
Some days obviously go better than others when it comes to my word count, but with time and space to focus on my writing, I’m getting a pretty frequent 2,000 words a day. It’s comforting to have the schedule in place and it gives me a reason to get up in the morning. Like any job, the schedule is a little bit flexible. Still having a usual, established writing time that people don’t interrupt me and I don’t have to squeeze it in the hour before leaving for work.
Do you have a regular writing schedule? Do you have a usual schedule that you dedicate to your writing or art? If you work on your art full-time, do you have a specific schedule that you try to adhere to?