Working Up

by Dwayne Phillips

I have few if any writing routines. Here is one I use: the one-hour sprint.

I recently read an excellent post on the daily routines of famous writers. I have thought about such things for years. My conclusion?

I have few if any writing routines.

I write sitting on the couch, riding in a car, sitting in an office building, in a library, in a coffee shop, in an airplane, and I don’t remember all the places where I write.

I write on all types of computers and keyboards. Once I begin writing, I don’t know the keyboard is there. I write on blank paper (not even lined paper). I write on 3×5 cards. I write in notebooks.

I write in MS Word. I write in some of these new no background, all-screen, text editors. I love to write using the vim ASCII programmer’s editor. I write a lot these days in Google Docs.

I write in quiet places, I write with music in the background (all types), I write with talk radio in the background, I write with the chatter of a restaurant in the background.

Nevertheless, I have identified one routine that I tend to use more often than not:

I write in one-hour sprints.

I sit in front of a computer keyboard and bang away for one hour – no more, no less. I usually bang out 1,500 words in that hour. I stop and walk away (always making a backup copy). If I am energetic or have the time, I will do a one-hour sprint in the morning and another one in the afternoon.

The result of a sprint is a draft. I will look at the draft after a few days pass.

This seems to work for me. I recommend you try it. If if works for you, use it. Otherwise, forget about it.