Writing Routine CPR

My new job is in the health care industry, and it is also dealing with patient care. Because of this, I spent my morning in a CPR class. CPR has a very specific order (I know, I was just tested on it). First, you assess the scene to make sure the patient is in a safe place (ie, not in the center of the road or lying in shattered glass), then you see if they are responsive. After that, check for a pulse, if no pulse, remove clothing from the chest and start CPR.

This seems like a lot of steps, and I haven't even covered the compressions/breathing themselves.

My writing schedule used to be this strict. Pre-college/work I would write from 9 to 11:30 every night, then go to bed. It didn't matter if it was a Sunday, Tuesday, or Friday. It didn't matter if it was winter or spring. In fact, at that time, if I had suddenly been transported to Mars, that wouldn't have mattered either. 9 to 11:30 was my writing time.

Then I went to college, where time was never truly applicable. After withdrawing, I resumed my writing routine. But then I got an infant rabbit who needed a lot of attention and training, and a long bedtime transition from her exercise pen back to her cage. After that came my health care job. I now wake up between 5:30 and 6:30am on weekdays, depending on my schedule. The rabbit is nearly 5 months old and thinks it's okay to chew on the wires for my computer.

My writing routine is no longer working. I can't stay up that late and hope to wake up that early. So, instead, I've been writing a lot on my lunch break and days off. It's not an everyday assurance like my old routine, but it's what I have to do.

If you've found yourself inhibited by a new work, child, or pet routine, go ahead and break your previous writing schedule. Take a few weeks to adjust and reassess when you can squeeze in some writing. Perhaps it's fifteen minutes after work you can have to yourself. Or the few minutes your infant will sleep.

Adopting this flexibility to change will keep you from stalling out your writing. It's better to write for fifteen minutes every day then to not write for a month.

As parting, here's a few stories of fellow writers:

Poet Wallace Stevens wrote his famous poems on commute walks to and from his job.

 

Ernest Hemingway would write at the crack of dawn...while standing...and drinking.

 

Victor Hugo had his valet hide all of his clothing so he was forced to write and not leave the house.

 

Dan Brown writes in 60 minute stints (measured by an hourglass) and then exercises.