A Day in the Life of a Writer (Or at Least, This Writer!)

I enjoy being part of a fantastic writerly family, especially online. But most of my local, every-day, face-to-face friends are non-writers. I’ve gotten a lot of questions over time about how and when I write. Do I write every day? Do I plan out my writing time or just wing it? What does a typical day in my life look like? The truth is, it can vary from day-to-day, but mostly depends on what projects I have going on and what season of life I’m in.

But in an effort to answer such questions, here’s a basic overview of what a (current) weekday in the life of this particular writer looks like:

4:10 a.m.

Wake up, get ready to work out and head to my sauna fitness studio for a 5:00 a.m. HIIT session and a 5:15 isometric session. I’m usually listening to an audiobook during all of this, or sometimes I choose a writing-focused podcast. Many acquaintances have suggested that getting up so early seems extreme, but I am just wired this way. Getting up very early and exercising gets my body and mind in gear and sets the tone for my day. Often, on days I decide to sleep in, I feel a difference in my motivation and focus and can feel off.

6:15 a.m.

I’m back at home, drinking good, strong coffee, and getting ready for the day. I like to be showered, dressed for the day with makeup on, etc. by the time I take Little Bit to school.

7:30 a.m.

Take our girl to school. Even though our high school is less than four miles away, it takes about 35-40 minutes roundtrip because of overcrowding and poor county planning (another subject for another day, most likely on a different platform). Depending on when I return home, I typically grab a bite for breakfast and get another cup of coffee before my favorite time of the day.

8:40 a.m.

Time for my community write-in! We all log on, chat for up to 20 minutes then get writing, one hour at a time. We usually check in between each hour to learn how it went for everyone and see who wants to continue for another session. Sometimes, we go on as long as four or five hours. During this cherished time, I do one or several of the following, often in random combinations:

• Brainstorm and work on blog posts, including the actual logistics of posting with an image on my website
• Make notes, outline, and/or create character sketches for future projects (novels or short stories)
• Edit an existing draft
• Write flash fiction stories
• Write on a work-in-progress
• Conduct research for an existing or future story or blog post
• Study the craft of writing (reading books or blog posts, listening to podcasts, etc.)
• Try to ignore the pull to give my attention to my newly acquired Club Soccer Team Manager duties and/or the home chores that lobby for my attention.

1:00-2:00 p.m. (-ish? It varies.)

Think about eating lunch and scramble to shovel some food in.

2:00 p.m.

Take a quick power nap (Remember that 4:10 a.m. wake-up time? By this time, I need about 20 minutes of rest to help me get through the rest of the day.)

This is where my days take a departure from predictability, depending on which day of the week it is and what else is going on in my daughter’s world. Rather than spell out what each day looks like, I’ll give an overview.

Right now, my late afternoons and evenings are completely dictated by Little Bit’s sports activities. In the fall, she participates in both travel club soccer and high school cross country (XC). Her XC team has practice Monday through Friday immediately after school until around 6:00 p.m. She has soccer training on Tuesdays and Thursdays, 7:30-9:00 p.m., at a complex about 40 minutes from home.

She’ll double-up on Tuesdays and Thursdays as much as she can—which makes those days the most demanding by far, both on her and me—but she is very good about listening to her body and judging when she needs to take a day off from XC so she’s not overtraining. It’s not like she doesn’t get plenty of conditioning at soccer.

Because of this schedule, my afternoons and evenings are spent in a combination of activities that include prepping and making dinner, taking care of household chores, conducting club soccer business, waiting in carline, and shuttling her between all the practice locations. In between all of that, I’m sprinkling in laundry, grocery shopping, and other errands. I’m also making Little Bit’s lunch for the next day, setting up coffee for the next morning, cleaning up the kitchen, getting my fitness gear ready for the next day, etc.

Also, depending on time of year, I’ll edit stories for Spark Flash Fiction’s quarterly magazine during my writing time, and I attend a Bible study on Thursday mornings during the school year. Fortunately, the Bible study ends early enough for me to jump on my write-in, which is usually still going when I return home.

No matter the day of the week, I’m lucky to find myself falling into bed exhausted around 10:00-11:00 p.m., ready to start all over again the next morning.

Obviously, during this phase of my life, my writing time is concentrated in the morning. At some point, when our daughter begins driving herself, I’ll find myself with more free time as she gets herself to and from school, activities, and practices. That will be a bittersweet time and is approaching like a bullet train, as she will turn fifteen next week.

So while our schedule feels very full most days, I try to soak up every minute because I know I’ll have much more time to write in the future. But until then, I want our girl to know that I’m her biggest fan, her number-one supporter, making memories that we can both store away like future treasures.

What do you think of my day? Is there anything surprising? Do I get enough writing time in? Would you suggest I order anything differently?