A ‘Regimented Regime’
I’ve been asked: ‘Do you write to a regimented regime?’
Yes, I write to a regime. The thing about writing is that it’s so flexible that if you DON’T make a time when you absolutely must write, it gets pushed to one side by everything else. I currently do 3 hours five mornings a week. That may not sound much but if you I’m actually drafting something up for the first time I find three hours of solid creative thought quite enough. Do I stick to my regime? Sort of. Mostly. See “The Discipline Thing” and “Holidays Are Allowed”.
However, all authors are different. I know some who work (in theory) all day and well into the night. I know some who work only when the fit takes them. When I had a full time job I would write in whatever snatches of time I could find in the evenings - fifteen minutes here and an hour there. That’s how The Cup of the World was written. It took about six years. Then when I was in Brussels working long hours as a diplomat, the only time I had to write was on the way to and from the office. I cycled to work, so the only way of writing was to dictate while I rode. (Not good for the concentration, I fear, but my automatic pilot kept me alive somehow.) I was using voice-recognition software but of course I was breathing rather heavily into the mike as I rode so the software was never really able to recognise my voice. I’m not recommending this method, but it shows you the lengths some authors will go to.