Writing Routine as Muse

Turning discipline into habit and habit into inspiration

Since resolutions are on people’s minds these days, I thought it was worth thinking about the less sexy side of writing that is so important to get anything done—such as developing a writing routine.

It’s always easy to find better things to do than write. “I hate writing. I like having written,” Dorothy Parker famously said.

She nailed it for many writers. There’s been many a time, especially on a labored day of writing, when I’ve looked out the window on a nice sunny day and wondered why I don’t take a hike with friends, go to a matinee, or just sit and pass the day with a good book.

“I’m an adult,” I tell myself. “I can do anything I want with my free time. Why am I sitting here and forcing myself to write when I could be indulging in practically any pleasurable activity I want?”

Writing can be daunting, frustrating, and even frightening — yet then, somehow, magically fulfilling. That’s why having a writing routine is so important. If there’s a single defining trait among most successful writers, it’s that they all show up to write regularly. Whether they write at midnight, dawn, or after a two-martini lunch, they have a routine.