I got into the habit of writing daily after my parents bought me a diary when I was 10 and for the last thirty-five years, I have been a serial diarist – using the page as my witness.
Once upon a time, most of my writing happened at night and it continued on in that manner as I experimented with writing poetry and short stories.
When I started to write professionally for newspapers and magazines – my writing habits changed. Column writing, journalistic writing and content writing often require research and having a fresh brain most certainly helps.
I cannot imagine writing at night now. Night-time is me-time. Nights are for winding down with bubble baths, movies and cooking.
But after I’ve had my first two coffees in the morning – I’ll be at my desk. It’s a daily habit and it’s a good one. Articles, books, essays and blogs don’t get written by themselves, you have to put in the work!
Obviously, I’m human. Obviously, menstruation, hangovers, writer’s block, depression and fatigue can all upset my routine (and they do) but I usually don’t stay out of action for more than a fortnight and even that’s rare.
In 2023, I’m planning to take a step back from writing. I want to focus on other areas of my life.
I want to make time for my health, my friends, travelling and fun.
As my beautiful Mum used to say:
“All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy”.