Break the Pattern, Keep the Habit

Writing is a habit. It's something you do every day. No matter how much stuff happens, you find some time to do writing. Now, most people will tell you to establish a writing time. Some people are strict (every day, 6-8 AM) and some are loose (right before going to bed, whenever that is). This is good advice. It is the first step toward turning a hobby into a profession. It stops being something you get around to and starts being something you have to do.

These patterns are useful and productive, but not without risk. If you write before you go to bed, that means you aren't writing the whole rest of the day. You could potentially be sitting on your hands, waiting for the day to become the night and it becomes writing time. Similarly, if you are a morning writer, you could have ideas you want to work with, but be forced to wait until the next day to write again.

Experiment with breaking your pattern. If you find yourself staring into space, pull out a sheet of paper. Write anything and see what happens. Who cares if it's the middle of the day? You may not be in the mood. You may not even get anything done, but at least perform the experiment. See what happens when you do things different. You might find out that any time of day is equally useful. You may find out that you have a completely different writing style when the sun is out. If it fails, you always have your pattern to fall back on. But in doingg this, you may just find out that there is more to you as a writer than you may have thought.

No matter what happens, though, remember to keep writing. It is a habit, one you shouldn't break. If you are unproductive in the afternoon, make sure you still do your regular writing at night.