Patricia Bowen
Patricia Bowen asked Lily Java:

What is your writing routine? How much? How often? How has it evolved over time?

Lily Java I try to write something every day even if it's just my journal/morning pages. My writing patterns took a few years and a few published books to actually become a routine. I flailed around for a while before I figured out what works for me. Some writers subscribe to the idea that even getting a sentence on paper is better than nothing. I tend to agree with that theory. After all, a lot of writing is all in your head isn't it? Starting anywhere helps. I rise early for my day job, so my fiction writing is best served in the late afternoons, evenings, and all day on the weekends. If I'm not feeling pressured by any self-imposed deadline, I go for a 1500 word count per session, which can take up to a couple of hours if I don't know exactly where I'm going with the story yet. When I can see the end of the project in my mind, I start writing whenever/wherever I get the urge even on my iPhone on my Scrivener app before I shower or on the way to work in the morning. My laptop is usually with me so if things are flowing after work 3-4 nights a week I'll go to my writing studio cave and toll away for 3-5 hours. The main thing I've learned is not to push myself for the sake of pushing. Then, between projects, I take some time, two weeks to a month, to reset for the next go round.

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