My Summer Morning Writing Routine

The Summer of Deep Revision

I never thought of myself as the “write everyday” type. So much of my inspiration takes place off the page, off my laptop. Often on long walks, in the shower, or as I fall asleep. As much I love writing, I didn’t want the thing I love the most to become an obligation. I’d do Saturday morning writing sessions and then write sporadically throughout the week. All that changed this summer.

The smile of someone who’s glad she wrote today :)

I had the privilege of attending Kenyon Review’s Writers Workshop and it changed me in a million tiny ways. The workshop was generative- which means we showed up and produced. There was class, prompts, readings, assignments, events. My cohort’s theme for the week was “memory palaces” which for me meant lots of emotional excavating and processing. It was powerful, but emotionally exhausting. Coupled with (not) sleeping (well) somewhere new, eating lots of dorm food, and being in a new social situation, I was tired in all the ways you could be. And yet I wrote. I cried. I made friends. I showed up to class thoughtfully. I learned from my instructor and my classmates, and hoped that they learned from me too. No matter how tired I was, I wrote. I’d sit at my laptop thinking I had nothing to give, nothing left to pull from, and I kept surprising myself. With GOOD work.

Of course, being around so many brilliant writers helped, but I was determined to keep some of that energy going when I returned home. I had many pieces to work on. Some nearly done, some half-finished, and some just an inkling of an idea. I was slightly overwhelmed which how much I wanted to flesh out. I wondered what was next. What class or workshop I’d take next. But I knew I needed to sit in the work that I’d already created. So, I dubbed this the Summer of Deep Revision.

And what do you know? Deep revision for me means sitting down and writing everyday.

So, my weekday schedule is as follows:

8:00 AM EST - I hop on

London Writers' Salon

. A great community of people just writing together for an hour. In this morning session, I do my freewriting, Morning Pages. You may have heard about this concept in Julia Cameron’s The Artist’s Way. I typically also pray/ do a devotional during this time.

9:00 - 9:30ish AM- I scroll on my phone a little lol, then get prepared for the day.

9:30ish-10:15 AM- I make and eat breakfast and listen to the birds :)

10:15- 10:55 AM- Morning walk w/ my matcha

11:00 AM- Second writing session with

London Writers' Salon

. This is where I work on active projects. Lately that’s been writing or revising part of an essay, getting it ready for publication/submission or writing a Substack post (I’m writing this post in a session right now!) Next week I’ll be focusing on residency applications and will use the sessions for that. LWS has a rule they like to live by during the sessions. Either write or do nothing. Once in awhile, I’ll “do nothing” and meditate for part of the session too.

If I’m in a flow, I can write more during the afternoon and if not, I know that I showed up for myself and for my writing for that day and that’s all I can really ask of myself. I’ve been really happy with this schedule and I’ve got a lot done! I’ve felt way more in alignment with my writing and its helped me to stay devoted to my process. I’ll begin sending a few things out for submission in the coming weeks, so look out for news from me during the Fall!

I’m curious what writing routine has been working for you! Let me know in the comments <3

Love,

Renée