My writing routine has changed over time. Up until last year, I was working full-time as an editor at Random House, so my writing happened early in the morning, before I went to the office. My alarm would go off at 6 a.m., I’d hop in the shower, make a cup of coffee, and be at my desk for a solid one and a half or two hours before leaving for the office.
Now that I’m writing full-time, my schedule is a bit looser. In general I write in the mornings, before lunch, when my mind is clearest and most energized. Most of my work happens at home, in a small office, where I’ve repurposed a dining table as my desk. There are big windows, and lots of light, so that even when I’m alone in that office all day, I don’t feel too cut off from the outside world. The office has a big bookshelf, and it’s comforting to be surrounded by those books. I can flip through them if I need inspiration, or a reminder that it is, in fact, possible to finish a book.
This being New York, it’s never perfectly quiet. There’s always construction noise drifting in from somewhere. Sometimes you can hear the neighbors through the walls. But it’s important to be adaptive. If you demand absolute silence and tranquility in order to get writing done—well, guess what, you won’t get much writing done.
After a few hours of writing, I tend to need a break—I need to come up for air. I’ll do emails and other administrative work, or I might do research, or edit what I wrote that morning. I’ll also sometimes switch locations; a new backdrop can give me a fresh burst of energy. There’s a fantastic library in my neighborhood, and some great coffee shops. I don’t mind the background chatter of a coffee shop. Sometimes it’s just that—the people-watching, the overheard conversations—that can give you the next idea.
Anna Pitoniak graduated from Yale, where she majored in English and was an editor at the Yale Daily News. She worked for many years in book publishing, most recently as a Senior Editor at Random House. She grew up in Whistler, British Columbia, and now lives in New York City. Her new book Necessary People is available for purchase through Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Books-A-Million, Apple Books, and Indiebound. You can find Anna on her website.
