I Studied 5 Famous Authors' Writing Routines - Here’s What I Learned

[@willywantoknow2563]

I think whatever works for you, go with that. Trying to mimic others will always lead you away from yourself.

[@cjpreach]

"Never edit as you go." That advice is DEATH to me. The ongoing edits are part of my creative development.

[@IchNachtLiebe]

From my personal experience I ahd the same problem at first. I would write something but there were too many errors for me to leave alone. However, as my skills have improved and I deliver a moderately well rounded paragraph on the first attempt I am able to leave the blemished work alone and move forward. For me, it was just time and practice to get the "edit while writing" out of my system. I'm sure it is a different experience for each person, though.

[@cjpreach]

@@IchNachtLiebe My version of "edit as you go" is not the detailed line edit, as it might be for some writers. I change verbs, word order, and such. Of course, after I completed my first draft I have another 12 rounds of edits prior to sending the MS away to a pro editor. One round of edits is focused upon verbs/adverbs. Another round focuses upon specificity. Another round is for sensory details (since I am a severe "under-writer" who writes simple, fairly clear, less descriptive sentences). But if I see a problem of any kind at any time, I correct it while it is staring me in the face. John Steinbeck said "edit as you go" is an excuse for procrastination. hehehe

[@IchNachtLiebe]

@cjpreach I think your method makes sense. When I tried to edit every aspect of my work in one go it turned into an overwhelming jumbled mess. I found that it is way more effective to do it the way you suggest. I read through the chapter looking for grammar mistakes. I do it again looking at punctuation. I do it again improving verb use. I write in the opposite style from you though. I end up writing whole paragraphs describing the crooked strong woven through the second button from the top of the shirt the character is wearing. I have to chill out and reduce my writing to a refined and more direct style to not make the writing boring from wordiness.

[@dexterpoindexter3583]

​@@cjpreach Well said! (I took a screen cap) _Not_ editing as you go, or at least making a clear note/symbol of what needs fixing, is an excuse to become Boeing. 😁

[@FidinaQuery]

Thank you! The advice is death to me too! I feel like people today are prioritizing getting as much words done as possible, and this advice does not work for everybody. In the end, you’d have to revise your own manuscript anyway, at least on draft two, and a complete mass of a manuscript is hell to work on, that’s the part nobody talks about.

[@ruubytues]

Re: sleeping in the same room. When I step away for the day, it’s like pressing pause on the scene and the characters stay where they are until I sit down next. Sometimes before bed, I imagine what will happen in the next scene and I find it easier to jump right in the next day

[@JustClaude13]

I also edit as I write. Typos and poor structure distract me and keep me from writing. Sometimes I have to erase whole sections and rewrite the scene before I can continue. I find that writing the new passages can suggest more material, while continuing with scenes that aren't working just takes me in the wrong direction.

[@ArizonaWriter]

Great video as always, Alyssa! While I still had a day job, my writing time always took a back seat to the needs of my family, meaning it essentially went nowhere. Which is why I'm working on my first novel at almost 60 years old instead of in my early 40's (when I realized Hollywood ageism would make it harder for me to be produced than published). When my day job left me in late 2019, thankfully providing me a good stretch of severance (later extended because of COVID) as well as a year of unemployment while I did the cursory job searches, I decided it was way past time to seriously make a go of writing, so that I won't reach the end of my life regretting not having really tried. Five years on and I'm still on the first project, hopefully nearing readiness for the agent/editor/publisher process. I've tried to establish a writing routine and regimen, but it's been very inconsistent because of appointments and other things happening during the day while the family isn't home (sort of how retirees say they're busier now than when they were working). And then there's my recently (finally) diagnosed attention deficit issues that have led me down rabbit holes and pulled me toward other distractions. And once the family is home, you can kiss my productivity goodnight because they often ignore my writing-time boundaries. Even when my office door is closed. Another thing I've noticed is that my "creative brain power" runs out at about three hours into my writing sessions, and that's usually meant the end of my productivity for the day. Maybe I need to try following Tomi Adeyemi's routine and work from a write-break-write plan because that may allow me to have longer overall sessions and better productivity. I already read my work out loud (yes, including differing voices for the characters) so I can hear how it flows and catch any dialogue weirdness, so why not? But, um, no Thai food for me. =) And like Joan Didion, I have an editor's brain, and always start my writing routine by reviewing what I've written the day or days before in my current chapter. This has also led me down rabbit holes, but I've never been able to write without editing as I go. It's just how my brain is wired. Again, great video! It just goes to show that every writer has their own routine and way of getting into (and staying in) the writing frame of mind.

[@roberteli5235]

Another author I would be interested in learning more about their process is John Green. His novels are so beautiful and full of characters that feel so real.

[@luisaah5707]

True.

[@roberteli5235]

I've been binging all of your videos during the course of my writing journey. You're the most concise and informative youtuber I follow on writing.

[@IchNachtLiebe]

I agree. I've been researching writing techniques and other information for a year or so now. This channel is one of the very few that I return to. Other channels are often one shot videos and I don't go back. Here, she is clear and concise. She gets right to the point but uses a strong and pleasant voice so that the Information doesn't turn into a boredom trap.

[@briankilgore8808]

I disagree. Edit as you go. Maintain the momentum.

[@roberteli5235]

@@briankilgore8808 What are you disagreeing with?

[@Maidulsk-xw6fs]

another great video, if this makes you tick read 'Magnetic Aura' it will help you a lot

[@daniel2007bacon]

One of your best videos! Practical, interesting, well presented! 👍

[@awkward_KT]

Thank you!! Some of these techniques seem like they'd work really well for me

[@thatmoonshalo]

Consistent practices will be what i will try to work on. A writer ritual

[@IchNachtLiebe]

I'm still taking my first steps into the industry (if you have seen my comments on this channel before, I graciously take a few laughs because I'm still grinding at about the same place). I have to navigate the schedule of the rest of my day which makes it difficult to keep a consistent schedule. Last winter I worked on my novel 10 hours per day. I had to take a break to earn some reliable money. I didn't work on it at all for about 3 months. Once I earned enough to focus again I've been doing 6 hours 4 to 5 days per week with work intermixed. If I get off the ground with book sales in the future, it won't be difficult to hold a consistent 40 hour week writing. Whether that writing is good is yet to be determined by the market.

[@SRKanai1]

I probably most relate to Stephen King's. Although, I typically write late at night. (I'm a veterinary emergency and critical care specialist and work 15 hour shifts 3 times a week.) I've always been a night person. I'm just better at that time creatively and mood wise. I very much like consistency. I write between 2:30 am or 3 am and then continue until I have a clean 4 to 5 pages. Then, I go to sleep. I was up usually around 1 or 2 pm and edit through what I wrote the night before. After that, I'm done. I work on music (as my undergrad was in classical guitar and I continue that passion even now) and carry through the rest of my evening until 2:30 am comes around again. Then the process restarts.

[@lexiderbidge4675]

Thank you so much. I am a mother right now, and I LOVE to write, but I have struggled with how to find the time. Getting up early in the morning is a great option for me. It was also good to hear that she felt that it was okay to throw out hundreds of pages of writing. I've felt that may be what I have to do at times, but I worried that throwing out that much just meant that I was a bad author. This was one of the most helpful videos I've seen from you as far as how it inspired me. Thank you!

[@blakebooth87]

Super good. Just found your page. Very thankful for these videos.

[@nelsoninthenorth6499]

I think the biggest advice I’ve received is not taking your first draft too seriously and trying to be perfect with it. After all it’s a FIRST DRAFT that’s as rough as sandpaper 😂 . Sometimes trying to resolve a scene or situation in your head first before putting on paper can be mentally exhausting that leads to you not wanting to write at all. Just write, even if it’s silly or doesn’t make sense your creative mind somehow always has a way of resolving it and putting it together :)

[@TheEccentricRaven]

I love learning about the writing routines of other writers. Lately I’ve been trying to get up early before work to take time to write. I’ve had mixed results so far, but it's been useful. I hope to make it a regular routine.

[@boydmccollum692]

In any art, rules should be viewed more as guidelines. As a guideline, don't edit while you write is pretty solid advice. I'm not sure what Joan Didion does in the hour she sits down with her days work should really be considered editing. The act of writing new words and pages involves a certain amount of mental editing before the words even hit the page - there's thinking about what you're going to write next, what you want out of paragraph or scene etc, and how best to construct the sentences you are writing in the now. Reviewing what you wrote the same day is really more of the same. Many authors do similar reviews of what they just wrote. Some the last page only, some the 10-20 pages they just wrote. Technically "editing" but you're still mentally in a writing/creating mode. Here's what I thinking editing as you go really looks like. I had a friend who was working on her first screenplay. The first draft of her screenplay. She got through Act 1 and then started editing it. A year later she was still trying to perfect Act 1 and, ultimately, never finished the screenplay. That's the danger of editing while you go. Reviewing what you've done the day before, tweaking it, is more to keep the day ahead clear and keep continuity. The one type of writing that is really stream of conscious (there may be other types as well), where you never go back to edit, is journaling. You may not even go back and read any of it, ever. Obviously YMMV.

[@UrbanSwagger]

Great writing strategies, Alyssa. Thanks for sharing. I have a day job, and it seems I get some of my best ideas on my commute home.

[@alexanderfraboulet8535]

I love this content, thank you so much!

[@exdejesus]

This is very helpful. These people write very different kinds of books, but they use similar methods. A routine that puts your mind in the mood. Accepting whatever words come. Testing how the words are working. Surrendering to the process. All very useful and practical. PS: This must have been a lot of work to put together! Researching, distilling, and summarizing each one. Thanks for doing us this favor!

[@AlyssaMatesic]

I'm so glad it was helpful! It was a fun one to put together :)

[@Izaptb]

Could you please do a video where you elaborate how much "self work" one has still to do when published through a publisher (especially as a first time author). For example marketing, social media... Thank you :)

[@WordAte]

Great video. There are so many authors that have moved me. The author routines I would be most interested in learning about are Kurt Vonnegut (probably easy to find), Ernest Hemingway, Gabriel Garcia Marquez, and Flannery O'Connor (this may be a difficult ask considering her heyday was during a period that deemphasized the contribution of female authors). I would also appreciate how they generate ideas and move those ideas into plots. For fun, I would also be interested in hearing about Kafka and Poe's routines. I imagine their routines included periods of self-flagellation, solitude, and psychotic breaks. On second thought, maybe we shouldn't discuss such things. Haha.

[@declanconner9360]

I used this for the first book of a post-apocalyptic trilogy as a hook for the world building, but not the blurb which incorporated the character and what he wants and what stands in his way as to the conflict in the plot with the stakes.. WHEN THE SUN FLARES -- EARTH’S MANTLE HICCUPS -- SOCIETY SUFFERS Didn't get me an agent, but the 1st book gained 172 reviews and ratings on Amazon and Goodreads combined at an average of 4.4 stars..

[@Jus-X]

Loved the vid and wouldn't mind seeing more examples from other authors, this way viewers can potentially adopt a style to best match their schedules. As for which of these routines is the closest to mine? Probably King's. It's about routine. And I switch out the tea for coffee. And my goal is word count rather than pages.

[@Anthaliel]

Never try these for yourselves. The only 2 clear tips to be learnt from this video is that each person has their own routines and that they don't stop writing. That's it. I also find it concerning that none of them talked about inspiration in their routines. If you want to be a good writer, you can't do it alone: so keep on reading new books, listen to new music (this was half mentioned, but...), explore artistic illustrations or go sit in a public coffee shop, public transport or park and listen to people - be discreet, hah! - it will help you differentiate your characters' voices. Don't ever copy other writers' routines, find your own.

[@giovannijacobs4496]

Another great video!

[@junebird1435]

I saw a video of Ian McEwan at a creative writing class. He said that he spends half the day reading and half his day writing (reading as fuel for writing.) I like that idea, together with light exercise such as a walk. Writing all day can be too iintense!

[@jamesstolpa9442]

Thanks again for all you do for us struggling writers. How's your manuscript coming along?

[@stephenbarone4053]

Murakami’s routine is one that can only be practiced by someone living a very privileged life. More power to him.

[@dalemills2906]

Interesting variation for the same goal. I’m taking all into consideration

[@heyall3914]

This is a great video. Thank you for sharing.

[@AlyssaMatesic]

Thank you! I'm so glad you enjoyed it.

[@UniquelyAshantesCorner]

@Alyssa Matesic : Hello Alyssa. I had a question. If someone decides to traditionally publish, how often would the author have release a new book? Is it every year? What happens if the author doesn't release a book every year? Would greatly appreciate some clarity. Thank you in advance for your time and hope to hear from you soon!

[@rosemartillano7176]

I enjoyed that very much and would love to know the writing routine of Ann Pachett,, Jesmyn Ward, Celeste Ng, Richard Powers and Abraham Vergheese.

[@rad4924]

When I was younger I tried Stephen King's techniques but it really didn't work for me as I'm not a pantser and I can't function, let alone write, in the morning. The famous writer closest to my routine is probably Brandon Sanderson as we're both midnight writers who typically don't go to sleep until 4 or 5am, and we both work from a floating outline. I'm not dissimilar in some ways to what Haruki Murakami said, but in reverse: I need to go out and exercise and THEN write. But for me the ideal writing time is usually between 10pm and 2am, though I've had 8pm to 4am sessions before, often toward the end of the book when I get excited.

[@smokinggnu6584]

Oh, you bet writing has to dance, and even sometimes conflict with family obligations. I live with my parents (long depressing story) and i have to 'fight' figuratively every day for a calm, alone period to write with. They wake up super early and spend the majority of the morning constantly at work with busywork chores and they relentlessly rope me in for the rest of the morning. Then, after work is done, i try to open up some time in the afternoons to write, but a closed door with a sign on it that says "Working, please do not disturb" is treated as only a suggestion and, about half the time, ignored like a stop sign. Well there goes hours of focusing my attention to get my head in the game. Right now the only real reliable alone time i can get to write is when they're asleep at night, and i have to take a lot of caffeine to stave off the tiredness so i can get a few hours of writing in.

[@ashleykelly279]

Hello Alyssa! I love your content. It is always researched and well-thought-out. I have learned so much from your content over the past two years. You are an invaluable resource, and I appreciate all the work you've put in. Would you ever be interested in a video about neurodivergent authors and their writing routines?

[@jasonmd1420]

Let's be honest, as wannabe writers we don't research famous writers' routines so we can copy them. We research them in the desperate hope someone else is doing exactly what we are doing.

[@TheChristianPsychopath]

Let's be honest. You should really just speak for yourself and not presume everyone else has the same motivations. I did listen a lot for tips and patterns particularly when I was first learning. It is okay to say "I" instead of "we" when you mean "I".

[@evalramman7502]

I like Isaac Asimov's philosophy about his writing style - he wanted, above all else, to be CLEAR to his audience. That can solve as many problems as it causes, perhaps.

[@serkanonf]

Atomic Habits is the way to follow. Sitting on that desk and writing everyday makes you writer even pretending. I wonder if 4 am is the secret recipe 😂

[@melvindodson6827]

😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊

[@Taliah89]

Hi Alyssa, I have a question. Have you noticed any changes in the publishing industry regarding LGBT+ books? Things such as agents not accepting manuscripts with queer characters or representing or publishers not accepting submissions with such themes? My story has many queer characters and with the political changes it has me worried about being able to find a agent or publisher. Thank you for all your advice, it's helped me work through my writing my first novel.

[@michaelashman6035]

I am old but a new writer. I let my book sit for a year. I've already had some family members read it and give me feedback, and Inow Im revising it and then will line edit. Do you copy edit?

[@thatguyfromcetialphaV]

Stephen King wrote The Running Man in 7 days. No lie. Ian Fleming tried to write 2-3000 words a day and was very specific about when he wrote. After 6 weeks he had 80000 words to submit to his editor.

[@rolandwright3502]

Tomi Adeyemie really? I couldn't get past fifty pages of her novel Children of Blood and Bone. You should have went with Toni Morrison or Alice Walker writting rountine. I know Toni Morrison has past on, but her work routine is still here on youtube

[@larrybird4398]

❤

[@Heothbremel]

❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤

[@larssjostrom6565]

I write better if I have done something were I think logically the day before. Which currently means playing Age of Empires II.

[@familycorvette]

I love Joan Didion's non-fiction prose, but her novels never worked for me. Same with Peter Matthiessen - great non-fiction, so-so fiction. However, I wouldn't take seriously her advice about having a drink - she was a notorious alcoholic.

[@TheGamingBluejay]

They say you shouldn't write to please others...but what if I'm writing an erotic novel?

[@louhill5448]

I read somewhere that Balzac would chew coffee beans as he wrote, and James Joyce, as his eyesight was failing, wrote parts of Finnegans Wake in crayon. But of these, Joan Didion's was the most helpful, and the most relatable.