Despite many lofty promises, my writing day rarely is super-efficient. I always manage to write my 15-20 pages, but the journey is never as smooth as I hoped.
6:00 a.m. Rise/Coffee/Let the dogs out
6:30 a.m. Head to the gym, shower
8:00 a.m. Read email. Check daily horoscope, weekly horoscope and reread monthly horoscope to see if any of it has come true. Make sure my miniature dachshund is in her chair by the fireplace (so she doesn’t whine). Feed the cat for the third time (she’s 15 and forgets she’s just eaten). Read more email. Quick check of Facebook. Let my dog Buddy outside. And then let him back inside. Read a little research.
9:30 a.m. Write 3 pages
10:15 a.m. Repeat 8 a.m. schedule
11:15 a.m. Write four more pages.
12 noon Eat Lunch
1:00 p.m. Feed the cat again and give Bella and Buddy chew sticks so I can make the final push to finish the afternoon pages. Bella gets the big chew stick and Buddy gets two small ones (he hides the first in the backyard and then finally settles to eat the second)
1:00 p.m. Start a spaghetti sauce for dinner (or put a chicken into the oven to roast)
1:30 p.m. Burst of energy to finish the last thirteen pages. (My children are in college but I still can’t help but forget the elementary school bus arrives at 2:35 and I feel a need to be finished by then)
4:00 p.m. Finish up. Walk the dogs.
After dinner is research time. This is when I read the pile of nonfiction books by my desk.