Reading time: Less than 1 minute
This is my weekly installment of “writing about writing,” in which I scan the world to find websites, books and articles to help other writers. Today I discuss an interview with author Agnie Abdou about how to create a writing routine…
Angie Abdou is a Canadian author and creative writing teacher at Athabasca University. She is the author of seven books including the novels The Bone Cage and In Case I Go, and more recently the memoir, Home Ice: Reflections of a Reluctant Hockey Mom.
A friend of mine recently sent me an email with the subject line, “piece you might like” and it contained a link to an interview with Abdou. I could see right away why my friend had sent it to me.
Abdou’s advice reflects many of my own beliefs about how to succeed as a writer. For example, in answer to a question about how and where she writes, here is what she said:
“I’m pretty regimented. I come to writing as an athlete, and I’ve transferred the discipline, routine, and work ethic I used in swimming to writing. That’s the only way I know how to do it. When I’m working on a book project, I work every day. The momentum that builds from that (obsessive?) attachment to the work is key to my process. Ideas only arrive – and the story only comes to life – when I commit to daily time with the manuscript. I prefer to write first thing in the morning, then go for a run (where the most creative stuff happens), and then come back to the page for another hour or so.”
I especially like Abdou’s idea of taking a break for exercise mid-morning, after she has written for awhile but, crucially, before she has stopped working for the day. I think she’s quite right that this is when the most creative stuff happens.
If you have ever struggled with how to create a writing routine, read this interview and see what ideas you might be able to adopt for yourself.
An earlier version of this post first appeared on my blog on July 27/20.
