Building a writing routine that survives a busy life

A routine that depends on inspiration fails in the first difficult week. One that depends on a fixed, modest appointment tends to survive years.

Choose a length you can keep on your worst day, not your best. Forty minutes four times a week finishes books; three-hour sessions you cancel do not.

Stop mid-scene. Leaving a sentence unfinished gives you an obvious place to restart, and removes the blank-page cost of every session after the first.

Keep a short log of what you did each day — words, scenes, or simply 'thought about chapter four'. Over a month it shows you the truth about your pace, which is usually better than it feels.