We all have our routines. I get up at 6am, you sleep in until noon. You like tea in the morning, I like coffee. You drive to work while listening to sports talk radio and I listen to some form of audio book, every day. Our routines are great. But they can also be deadly to our inner artist. Let me explain.

If you read my last post, you know that things have changed in my life. And by that I mean sleep is a luxury and my novelizing has to be crammed into awkward nooks and crannies of my day. My ideal writing time is from 5:00am until 7:00am. But as my son turns in for the evening around 2:00am things have had to change and it has been a breath of fresh air.

My wife has been going to bed around 9:00pm. I have been staying up until around 2:00am and when she gets up I go to bed. I thought I would be exhausted each night and not have the energy to do anything. I was so wrong.

As it turns out, I really enjoy writing at night, more than I ever thought I would. It is writing time and that is always relished, but also a moment of quiet and peace and reflection. I can even read. All is quiet and I have ideas and writing projects that have been given new life because of this shuffle of time.

Writing is a disciple. Once developed you can build momentum and you may end up with an article, blog post, or novel that needs some serious editing. However, changing the time you write, what you write or what you read can help shake loose the cobwebs of complacency and allow great things to happen. It can allow your artist to wake up, paint something fresh and new, or even awaken your spirit to be bold.

Do you find your writing project growing cold and stale? Write from 9pm to 3am in the morning. Get up early and go on a walk before beginning your writing time. Do something to freshen up your life a bit, it may help relax your writing muscles and prepare you for the serious work ahead.

Cheers,

Bob