A Writer's Day

The Dream

1. Wake up early and go to gym. Exercise contributes to the creative process.
   
2. Lovely little breakfast.
   
3. Spend morning on new writing. Three, four thousand words, possibly more.
   
4. Lunch, when you feel like it, what you want, and take a whole hour if you choose.
   
5. Spend afternoon editing, going over galleys, workshopping, doing writing-related business, (drafting synops, writing queries, answering your agent/editor/copyed's questions, etc).
   
6. Finish for the afternoon and go do what you want (Play with the kids, go out with friends, chill)
   
7. Enjoy a nice dinner.
   
8. Read.
   
9. Do whatever you want for the evening.
   
10. Get a good night's sleep. The subconscious does its best work when you're asleep.
    

The Reality

1. Wake up early (groan) and go to the gym. It's the only time you have for exercise. Listen to fiction podcasts on headset while pounding treadmill.
   
2. Sneak in 200 words.
   
3. Get kids ready for school. Forget breakfast, maybe.
   
4. Work the Day Job, wish you were writing.
   
5. Scrawl furiously during the half-hour lunch break. Don't forget to eat (assuming you remembered to pack a lunch.)
   
6. Work Day Job some more. Maybe dash off an idea or two on your blotter.
   
7. Pick kids up from school, run them about to sport, music lessons, etc. Snag 50 words here and there while in the car waiting for them.
   
8. Family dinner. Spend quality time with family, so they'll leave you alone later.
   
9. Spend time with spousal unit. Recognise the importance of a supportive spouse.
   
10. Put kids to bed, hand spouse TV remote, retreat to computer.
    
11. Work at writing, wish you were being paid. Send off some queries, sub some shorts, dream about the weekend when everyone will be off at sports and you can write in peace.
    
12. Get to bed way too late to read.