As esteemed US novelist John Irving explains in a recent interview there is nothing more frustrating than the interferences that interrupt his routine. His day begins with an early rising, a walk with the dog, boiling eggs for breakfast and then into the office until he emerges in late afternoon for a session on his home gym. After 90 minutes of that he cooks dinner and spends time with his wife.
No matter where he is, the routine doesn’t vary.
Boring? Yes, to some. But essential if one is to truly concentrate on the writing task.
Any impatience he demonstrates comes from “an acute awareness of having limited time left to devote to what he feels needs his attention most – his writing and his family”.
And he is a mere youngster at 70.
Time is indeed a limited resource and writers have to use it to their fullest advantage. And before it seeps away.