Here is E.L. Doctorow on writing. Once, when asked about his writing routine, award-winning writer, E.L. Doctorow had this to say:
“Here’s how it goes:
I’m up at the stroke of 10 or 10:30. I have breakfast and read the papers, and then it’s lunchtime. Then maybe a little nap after lunch and out to the gym, and before I know it, it’s time to have a drink.”
Here is E.L. Doctorow’s bio. It’s definitely longer than 25 words and doesn’t at all sound like the bio of someone who lounges through the day.
As I’ve shared before, I write in the mornings, Monday thru Friday, from around 9 until 12:30 and then I do marketing in the afternoons, which involves querying agents and/or publishers, typing in changes to revised manuscripts, and promoting Seeking Sara Summers. If I was a drinker, I’d definitely drink in the afternoons.
What about you? Do you like what E.L. Doctorow has to say on writing? As always, I’d love to hear from you.
P.S. I am an ex-shrink who writes novels. Check out my books here.
I need to be alone and undisturbed to write, and since I have two little kids, that means I can usually only write in the evening after my partner has come home from work and I can go off on my own, but on weekends or holidays I can often write twice in a day: once in the morning, once in the evening. I also prefer to write about 1.5 to 2 hours after I wake up (an afternoon siesta facilitates evening writing 🙂 ). I don’t generally write for longer than two hours at a time, but sometimes I get in a groove and do write longer.
This sounds like a great routine, Sonje. I admire your dedication. While my kids were in school, I wrote,revised & submitted from 8 – 3 and then did freelance editing for other writers after my kids had gone to bed. I was a single-mom at the time, so that worked for me. Though I haven’t always succeeded, I try to put my writing first and then do the part time work around the edges.
An afternoon siesta sounds awfully good about now, too. zzzzzz 🙂
Good question. I don’t exactly have a routine, save that I can’t do much serious writing in the morning (I can do very little of anything in the morning) and it seems that whenever I have a knotty problem I find the writing solution at night. I seem to do my best writing when the sun goes down, and do tend to spend the first half of the day at least very similarly to Mr. Doctorow.
I say do whatever works, John. Every writer is different. In my early life I was trained as a classical musician, even majored in music in college, so I have this practice, practice, practice mentality. I think that’s why I structure my day like I do. It’s like doing scales and arpeggios first thing in the morning.
What instrument? What music did you play?
I play flute and I’ve basically played about everything in the classical flute repertoire. Of course, it’s been years. But I’m still not half bad.:)
Mozart’s Concerto for Flute and Harp? I know a harpist, I could get you two together.
Ever hear the solo flute opening of the Samuel Barber Piano Concerto? He really wrote a low part for the flute, and then created an accompaniment that is another part of the same melody. Fun stuff!
Just finished my last draft, and I hate it! This is the part I hate–now I have to reread it, and I’m still not at the point where I may not chuck it.
I haven’t heard the Barber piece. I’ll try to find it. I love the low parts for flute.
Maybe take 2 weeks to a month off from your latest draft before you go back in and work on it again. That’s what I do. Otherwise I will begin to hate the work, too. My guess is it isn’t horrible at all. The writer is weary and needs a little r & r, perhaps?