I really enjoy the process of writing. Writing anchors the rest of my life, especially when I keep up a daily ritual.
During the year, I teach elementary school so I am totally exhausted when I get home. However, I have found the energy to write early in the morning. I wake up at 5:00 a.m., in time to drive to a nearby coffee shop. Soon after Peet's opens, at 5:30, I'm sitting in front of my laptop with a tall cup of au lait, logged into My Writing Spot and immersed in my story.
I'm comforted by the atmosphere at Peet's; this early in the day it's congenial, but quiet. The young barristas bustle about preparing for the morning rush, classical music plays in the background, and, actually, one or two other regulars, are sitting in front of their laptops too. I kind of wonder what they're writing about, but in some ways I want to keep it a mystery. It feels like we share a silent bond.
By 6:45 a.m., I'm driving my Honda Fit down Edinger to work, listening to talk radio and finishing off the last of the coffee. I feel like I've gotten a great start to my day.
Of course, there is more to daily writing than keeping a routine. There's how I'm motivated by my writing group, SMCC (Saturday Morning Coffee and Critique). And let's not forget the coffee, a great motivator in and of itself. I love fresh, good quality coffee. And now that I think of it, it doesn't hurt to have a self-imposed deadline or two. Hmmmmm, all topics for another time.
I'll just end this post with a quote from Ben Stein that sums it up, (catch the drama in tortuously):
There is no sudden leap into the stratosphere. There is only advancing step by step, slowly and tortuously, up the pyramid towards your goals.
