Day In The Life of A Romance Writer
I know I’m calling myself out and aging myself, but in high school Day In The Life YouTube videos were all the rage. I loved them — the short, small intimacy of sharing how someone made their coffee, if they made their beds first thing, how people jumped into work has always intrigued me. Mostly because I’m nosy as hell, but also because there’s something comforting by seeing the mundane of other people. There’s comfort in recognizing that what you view as boring about your life can be romanticized with a filter and an upbeat indie song in the background.
After a year in quarantine and a year full time freelancing, my daily routine has become pretty structured. Structured around what, I don’t know, except maybe my dog’s individual comfort, but structured nonetheless.
Obviously, my routine shifts some depending on what projects I have. For example, this month, I completely forgot to look at my schedule before agreeing to things and have been working significantly longer hours. But generally speaking, my routine is the same every day.
No one has asked, but I’m in charge of this blog, so here is my Day In The Life of a Romance Writer.
[NOTE: I am plugging my TikTok now. If you want to watch a one minute video of this routine, click here. I’m humiliated by the very concept of TikTok so please comment nice things and give me heart-shaped validation.]
7AM — First thing I do each morning is snooze my alarm for about an hour and a half. I’m a miserable roommate. I should Venmo mine for the emotional damage I’ve likely caused by snoozing for so long. Eventually, though, I realize I’m doing this and—
8:30AM — I wake up in a startled frenzy. My dog slowly wakes up as well and we cuddle for a few minutes while I check my email and vow that I will finally unsubscribe to all the spammy shopping listings. (I never follow through on this.) Then it’s time to take Laurence outside. I have exactly three minutes from the time my feet hit the floor to getting him in a pee-able area. It’s a challenge and one that I fail as often as I succeed.
9AM — I get ready for the day. Sometimes this is a shower, occasionally makeup, rarely dressing in an outfit. Usually, it’s a skincare routine, some eyebrow gel, and fresh pajamas. I work from home. It’s a pandemic. Whatever!
9:30AM — Coffee and emails and usually FaceTiming my sister to talk about my nieces and nephews. More coffee.
10AM — Finally, I start actually working. I used to feel pretty guilty about this late start before I realized that working for myself means I can do whatever I want and also I deserve not to feel guilty for the ways in which I sell my labor. Take that, Capitalism. #GirlBoss (THIS IS A JOKE)
12PM — I realize I’ve been hunched in one position for hours. My neck is immovable. I screech. Laurence and I go on another walk and I make my third (fourth/tenth/whatever) coffee. This one is usually fancier! I sprinkle cinnamon occasionally. Yes, I worked as a barista. Yes, I was fired from being a barista.
12:30PM — I get back to work. I try to move all my boring tasks like social media prep, copywriting, or client work to the morning when I’m still fresh and use the afternoon for whatever creative writing I’m working on that day.
3PM — I realize I haven’t eaten. I’m starving. I make a huge meal. I get immediately sick from eating so much. Sometimes, I watch TV or YouTube while I eat. More often than not, I read some sort of BSS romance or fanfiction in bed instead and lose track of time.
4:30PM — Break done, I head back to work. Usually, I’ll feel a bit rejuvenated and ready to write a nice scene where everyone is yearning for each other. I debate if I should have another coffee. This, dear reader, is a forever battle and I change what side I’m on daily. I’m only a person.
6PM — If I’m not where I need to be with my word count for the day, I keep writing. Otherwise, I say, wow, good work, Emma, and then hang up my hat for the day. My roommate makes the mistake of coming into the common area and I breathlessly rant at him for twenty minutes to get out all the thoughts I’ve had in the day while sitting alone in my office. Like a champion, he nods pleasantly even as regret shines clear in his eyes.
Then it’s my free time and I do whatever I want! (i.e., watching more TV, reading more fanfic, falling asleep by ten o’clock.)
My days are full of pajamas, caffeine-shakes, and solitude. In non-COVID times, this routine is a little nicer, with errands or coffee shop visits and days where other freelancers and I meet up to work together. As it is, I’ve recently bought some very nice sticky notes and that’s giving me a lot of energy for my home office.
If you’re listing the pros and cons of being full time freelance, making my own schedule is definitely my number one pro. I’ve been able to work at my own pace, listen to my body’s needs and mental health much more closely, and figure out what works gives me energy and what work just needs to get done. This routine works for me.
If you’re also working from home or freelance, let me know what your routine is! Link me to your blogs/videos/TikToks and let me relive the inner peace of 2011 #DITL YouTube videos.
