My tolerance for stress is very low these days. I need a lot of time to recover from basic things. I need even more time to recover from big things. Last fall was a frenzy of big health things happening to loved ones and myself, then me working diligently on my grant and then the subsequent report last month. After this week, which has several human encounters that totally upend things for me, I feel like I can really begin to buckle down on new routines for the winter.
I started a new routine in mid-January that I am really enjoying. My local library offers free office space for rental and I can reserve it online now (thanks goes to COVID-19 for making so many more things accessible for me!). I reserve an office space for an hour every Monday morning and use that time to do editing.
I have two books in completed first draft phase. One of them, a fiction novel, needs a complete redraft now that I have the plot nailed down. The other is the one that I am working on right now. It is a nonfiction book on organizing. I wrote it during NANOWRIMO 2021, did a redraft right away and then hired an editor to go through it last spring 2022. I had to put the project on hold to work on the grant but now that that is done, I am excited to get back to it.
The time away has been really good for me because I can go through the entire book with fresh eyes. Plus, my excitement has been rekindled by the long the absence. In all honesty, I was entirely sick of this project last spring and not doing a very good job incorporating my editor’s suggestions.
I got the library idea from a Youtube series by an Australian author (I can’t remember more than that about her, sorry) who tried out different famous author’s writing routines. I tried a few out and mostly hated them (I’m looking at you *writing whenever you wake up* ugh). But this one invigorates me.
Why?
First, there are nearly no distractions in the library. I get a tiny little room with a desk and a door that locks behind me. I discovered right away that I needed noise canceling headphones so I got a cheap pair of earbuds. Other than that, there are no things calling for my attention like they do at home like sewing, chores, snowshoeing, birdwatching, etc. At home, I can do an okay job pounding out a first draft and ignoring distractions because I enjoy the writing so much. But when it comes to editing and redrafting, that requires an extra layer of concentration that I just do not have at home. This tiny library room is perfect for solving that problem.
Second, I am extremely socially isolated. I have severe social anxiety and much prefer isolation to the rampant brain distortion I get if out interacting with other humans. Going to the library *feels* like the good part of getting out into the world without much of the brain distortion part. I don’t really have to talk to anyone beyond checking into the room but I do get out in the world.
Third, it makes my writing work feel more like going to a job. I have not been able to work a regular job in a very long time. I had a satisfying career in management that I had to leave behind when my health issues took over. Now I prepare like I’m “going to work” and put on my professional clothes and drive the short commute in. It’s not a long enough period of time to completely sap my strength and there is a big enough gap between so I can recover and look forward to the next “day in the office”.
Fourth and finally, I reward myself with new library books after each writing session. Have I mentioned that OHMYGOODNESS I LOVE READING!!! Shopping for new books is the only kind of shopping that I enjoy. My reading tastes change and I like to balance genres out as I go. Like I don’t usually read two books from the same genre back to back. I like rom-coms, speculative fiction, historical nonfiction, science fiction about dystopian societies and space operas, historical fiction (currently digging the 1880s of the American West and WWI Europe), and nonfiction books on things I do like writing, drawing, sewing, gardening, cooking, etc. For a long time, I didn't actually go into the library because of COVID concerns but the librarians were kind enough to bag up my books and leave them in the vestibule for pickup. I am so thrilled to again have that luxury of pulling random books off shelves and impulsively deciding I need this or that art book I'd have never found otherwise.
Let’s pretend that people read this. What have you done to change up your routine that has helped your creative life?