When Should You Write?

I'm a very organized person and my life runs on a relatively regular schedule. On Mondays, I do laundry and put clean sheets on the bed. I have little jobs that tend to fall on the same day of the week for the other six days, as well. If I miss doing them, my world does not shatter into pieces but it does bother me sometimes. I'm definitely a creature of habit. My mother lived much the same and I guess I got it from her.

I have a close friend who laughs at me for being so regulated while she does her household tasks whenever they seem to need attention, when she feels like doing them. I'm more of a free spirit. she recently said. We both get our work done; we just approach it in a different way.

Writers are much the same. Some of us have a set routine for writing times. One of the often-asked questions when an author is being interviewed is When do you write? The answers vary greatly. Some spend a certain number of hours every morning writing without interruption while others say they work long into the night and sleep late the next mornings. We read about authors who say they write whenever inspiration hits. No two writers are exactly alike in their work method just as none of us who are running a house do so exactly the same.

We're individuals and as we move through life, we find what works best for us. You might admire Writer A but could never adopt the same work methods. You could criticize Writer B for the haphazard way she writes as you know you'd never be able to produce anything credible if you tried to do as she did.

If you are able to write and submit your work and have some of it published, it doesn't matter what your writing schedule or method is. Write mornings, afternoons or late into the night--choose the time that is suited to you.