How can I maintain my routine as a writer?

By getting up in the morning and deciding to write.

Have your breakfast then write for an hour. Put the timer on.

When it goes off, you get up and do something active. Washing up, making the bed, changing the bed, putting some washing in. Or you could hoe the garden.

If you’re an organised type, you hang out the washing you preset to wash the previous evening.

Twenty minutes later, you sit down again and do another hour.

By doing it like this you spend the twenty minutes ‘off’ feeling virtuous because you have started your writing AND you’ve done some housework.

After your second hour, you could have a cup of coffee but you’re better off being active for twenty minutes. Your children have a basketball net up on the wall? Go on, shoot baskets for twenty minutes. This gets the blood and the lymph flowing round your body. It wakes up your mind and settles your brain.

Now set that timer for another hour. This is your third hour writing - well done.

AND it’s lunchtime.

Whoa, where are you going? Oh no, you don’t. Shut that door.

Cut yourself two slices of bread, butter them, put in two clean lettuce leaves; then it’s ham; sliced, previously boiled egg, or, best of all, peanut butter. Add some cucumber slices then salad cream or mayonnaise. If you’re really eating healthily, you could make a salad dressing with balsamic vinegar, olive oil and sweet chilli sauce. Mix it in a smoothie maker or blender. It’s delicious.

Now sit down and eat. You can have the radio on while you eat lunch. I said the radio, not the television. It distracts your brain from coalescing what you’ve written. Next a glass of water and an apple.

Tidy up and set that timer for another hour.

You’ve now done four hours writing. Pat yourself on the back.

Get your coat on, make sure you’ve got your keys and yes, you can go out the door for a walk. Two or perhaps three miles later, back home, ready for your fifth writing hour. Timer set and you’re off.

After your fifth hour you spend the twenty minutes preparing your evening meal. Stand up to do it.

It’s your sixth hour. Depending on what you’re writing and who for, this could be your last hour for the day.

And there you are, a routine for the day. Imagine how good you’ll feel after six hours writing and your exercise. All you have to do is set your alarm to get you up tomorrow and you can have another good day.