Oh, The Glamour Of It All

So many times, readers and non-writers want to know what a typical day in the life of an author is like. Now, I don't know about Nora Roberts or Stephen King (but I imagine most days they're at the keyboard at least 7-8 hours, just like a "real" job), but my life isn't exactly glamorous, no matter which day you look at.

But I do try to write at least a little bit every day, with my most productive days being the weekend because that's when I have more time. During the week I have to devote 40 hours (well, 45 including travel to and from) to my day job. And I have found that if I haven't started writing by 6:30 or 7:00 p.m. at the latest, it ain't gonna happen that day. So, if I'm being good and not goofing off, here's what a normal weekday looks like for me:

5:00 a.m. Wake up to the soothing sounds of Celtic harp music. (I have accidentally set my alarm on "alarm" instead of "music" before, and I about have a heart attack when the alarm goes off. I do much better with soothing music. LOL)

5:00-5:30 a.m. Check emails, post blog, hit a couple of readers groups if I have time.

5:30-6:00 a.m. Treadmill. Or not.

6:00-7:00 a.m. Get ready for work. And, yes, it generally takes me an hour.

7:00-7:20 a.m. Put my food together for the day, turn off the laptop, and leave for work.

8:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m. Work. Phfffft.

5:45 p.m. Arrive home. Get in comfy clothes, read my snail mail and relax for about half an hour. Check emails and try to figure out what I want for supper.

6:15-7:00 p.m. Fix and eat dinner, usually while watching the news. (I know, it's a no-no to watch TV while you eat, but I gotta do *something*.)

7:00-9:00 p.m. Write. If I'm being good.

9:00-10:00 p.m. Wind down, get ready for bed.

10:00 p.m. Crash for the night.

There are variations to this theme, of course. Sometimes I might meet friends for dinner after work, which means I'll get no writing done at all. And sometimes at work I have an opportunity during lunch to do some writing, but not usually.

See? Not glamorous at all.