I have a very loose writing routine that is becoming more and more refined. If I am able to get out of the bed by 3 AM or 4 AM, I write. More recently I journal in my notebook first. I keep my writing journal handy, it comes with me everywhere I go because there are moments when inspiration hits and it is a small flame that most be protected, and kept burning. I journal ideas, musings, and random facts. Inspiration and motivation can be fleeting. It can be as sudden as an ignited flame and then instantly it is smothered by distraction or some other convention of every day life.
Since I work a full time job the early mornings is the best time for me because my mind is less cluttered and clouded by conversations, emails, and other peoples problems that seem to swirl in my mind at the end of a work day. It is the best time for me to concentrate because it is quiet and everyone is sleep. No demands on my time, my time is my time to do with what I choose. After I journal I work on the book, or another project idea, or a post for my blog. I usually reserve research for the weekend. I read everyday. Audible and Libby are Godsends. They allow me to listen to books in the car during my commute to work and home. I try to make it to the library at least once or twice a month for my writing group, and/or a writing craft workshop. There is a wonderful county library near where I live that has a writing center, with a resident book whisperer you can schedule time with, reserve a private room, or attend a writing workshop. It is the William N. Skirball Writers’ Center at the South Euclid-Lyndhurst Branch.
I have to admit I do get stuck in my writing. I don’t see it as writer’s block but more like I don’t know what the next move is. I usually find my way through by studying the writings of other authors, or exploring the craft of writing through writing exercise and prompts. This can sometimes feel like an exercise in futility but it is necessary. Consider it writing CrossFit or writing calisthenics (wasn’t sure how to spell that–thank goodness for spellcheck and Google). I am currently part of an author study group that was offered by Literary Cleveland, a nonprofit organization and creative writing center that I joined this past year. Backwoods and Bloodlines: The Novels of Jesmyn Ward, facilitated by instructor Dr. Brenda Smith, has provided me a space to discuss craft with other writers and book lovers. The benefits of author study groups is it is an inexpensive way to study the craft of writing without paying for a MFA degree in creative writing.
I used to write in isolation. For years I would write and that was it. I wasn’t sharing my writing or gleaming wisdom from other writers. Isolation is part of the process but it shouldn’t be the entire process. Find a local writing group and community, you will need the support. My writing group meets once a month at the library and our facilitator, Jason Harris, provides us with these amazing writing prompts. There are so many creative ways to get the creative juices flowing. The last few months I have been exploring creative nonfiction writing. A Crash Course in the Lyric Essay by Randon Billings Noble was one of the writing prompts we used for one of our Saturday writing group sessions. Writing groups can also hold you accountable and committed to a regular writing routine.
Finally, on those mornings early in the AM, before the birds are chirping, and the sun as yet to emerge from the horizon, when I am the most fruitful, and my voice comes through with bell ringing clarity, and I have a lead–a most wonderful creative idea, I am inspired, and hopeful that I can finish this damn thing, or at least be a better writer.
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