Disclaimer: The information provided is for entertainment and learning purposes only. I am neutral towards JK Rowling’s social media activities, dealing with her thoughts and opinions. I still admire Rowling for her writings and contributions to the world as a wife, mother, creative, and entrepreneur. 

INTRODUCTION

Hello, lovely readers! I’ve been wanting to try a writer’s routine for some time now, seeing that it’s a trend among aspiring writers. Because I work a 9 to 5 during the week, and have two little ones to care for around the clock, I wanted to find an author whose schedule either resembles mine or is simple to follow.

The first person that came to mind is JK Rowling, author of the Harry Potter series. She is a magnificent writer who went from rags to riches overnight–or so it feels to us writers–and is such an inspiration to someone like myself, who also has children and dreams of getting into the writing/publishing world.

Before moving on to what her writing routine looks like, let’s learn a bit about the author.

WHO IS JK ROWLING?

Joanne, or Jo, Rowling was born on July 31, 1965, in Yate, England. 

The K in her name actually comes from her grandmother’s name Kathleen. Rowling herself does not have a middle name.

When she was publishing the first Harry Potter book, Rowling’s publishers decided to abbreviate the first part of her name to make it neutral, so boys would not be turned away by her name–this is a female author writing a book about a boy. Her publishers wanted Harry Potter in the hands of all readers. (However, when word spread that JK Rowling is in fact female, no reader cared.)

Rowling is not only a children’s book author, but a novelist, philanthropist, screenwriter and film producer.

In the case of this experiment, I followed her writing routine. The information I took this from can be found on thecreativeecho.com. 

JK ROWLING’S WRITING ROUTINE

In her early days, while working on Harry Potter, Rowling would stroll her eldest daughter around, who was still very young. Once her daughter fell asleep in the stroller, Rowling would go into a cafe and write.

Today, Rowling writes from the comfort of her home. On one of her properties, she has a garden and she-shed, where she can steal away to write without distractions. (Cafes were Rowling’s preferred writing spaces, but being famous meant she could no longer work in peace, so she reluctantly moved her writing space to home.)

She starts her work day at 9:00 am. This is so Rowling can get up and enjoy breakfast, clean the house, etc. before getting straight to writing. 

While she works, Rowling drinks cups of tea and has a light, non-messy snack, such as popcorn. She also listens to classical music because there are no lyrics to distract her. And she gives herself breaks throughout the day, before resuming work. (Rowling suggests limiting meetings to get the most out of your writing window.)

Her work day finally ends at 3:00 pm.

HOW DID THE WRITING ROUTINE GO FOR ME?

You can watch the video here:

The day I chose to film my experience, I had the day off from work and rose at 6:00 am in order to write at 8:00. I had a dental appointment to attend later in the day, and had to pick up my kids from daycare, so I “worked” an hour earlier than JK Rowling normally would.

I started with writing longhand at my writing desk, for the first hour, before switching to revising my novel–Project Emily–and moved down to the living room for the second hour. However, my living room was cold–I live in Minne-snow-ta–so I moved into bed for hours 3 through 6. (See more about Project Emily here.)

Throughout it all, I actually struggled. Here’s why:

1. The house was too quiet. My brain needed other distractions. I could definitely see why JK Rowling preferred a cafe before she became famous. There’s this phenomenon where we perform better in the presence of others, who are also performing. 

I can attest to this from my college and current experiences. During college, I was able to complete homework in study spaces; and I currently work on Project Emily during my work breaks and can go to town. But in the quiet of my house, I found it really hard to get far in one hour.

I distracted myself by checking my phone, because I get updates from my kids’ daycare; I checked emails; worked on blogs; and talked about my writing to myself. I just couldn’t focus for such long periods.

2. I found it hard to stick to just working on my novel. I switched back and forth between revising, blogging, and working on other projects. My brain needed to do that. I know this is something James Patterson does. He works on multiple projects during the day. (I would like to give his writing routine a go in the future.)

3. Listening to music was distracting. I tried to listen to classical music as well. My preferred music genre is classical pop, with my favorite singers being Hayley Westenra, Josh Groban, Andrea Bocelli, and more. 

However, I couldn’t listen to music. I eventually had to turn it off, in order to concentrate better. 

I should have known that music would not work for me because, at work, I have the ability to listen to music and podcasts, since I work in front of a computer all day. If I’m working on an important project, I actually have to pause what I’m listening to, in order to focus.

4. I couldn’t stay in one space all day. Remaining at my writing desk was a struggle because I eventually needed more comfortable seating, than a wooden chair, so I moved down to the living room. But because it was cold, I moved back up into bed.

I also moved around during the breaks that I gave myself. 

5. I needed a nap. After 3 hours I needed a nap, due to how early I woke up. I now understand why JK Rowling drinks cups and cups of tea, to keep going. I only had one. 

Six hours couldn’t have come any sooner. 

In the end, I only got through three chapters of revision with Project Emily. That’s because I was working on other things, taking my time revising, and I was tired.

CONCLUSION

I’ve been wanting to try an author’s writing routine, which is inspiring for many of us aspiring writers. I chose JK Rowling’s 6-hours writing routine, which you can view my experience here.

In all honesty, JK Rowling’s writing routine sounds ideal, but I would have to be doing more than “just write” during that time. Rowling doesn’t say how she uses her time specifically, but I would assume that she works on multiple projects at a time, to change things up and get more done in her day. Next time, I will be sure to do that as well. 

If you’re up for a challenge, give this writing routine a try. And have fun! 

Thanks for reading!