These days my routine consists largely of avoiding writing. Then at the end of the week being pissed off because I haven't done much writing.
Your routine Page 2
I go from one obsession to the other. I'll spend a month focusing on sitcom, writing a script and re-writing it. Then when I've finished that I'll get an obssession with stand up and write routines and ideas down, then I'll move onto sketches or songs or creative writing.
I write everyday for work but sometimes I'll go weeks without doing any writing for myself. I try to keep a list of writers opportunities or competitions in a calendar so I can find a focus when I do write though.
I just make sure I do a bit of writing every day, skipping between whatever projects I have on the go.
Open laptop...procrastinate...procrastinate...get depressed about not writing....read what I've written in the past and smile, realising a lot of it's very good. Procrastinate....get paranoid. Procrasturbate.
Realise it's really late and I'll be shattered in the morning...suddently get inspired and tap out some words, skip between myriad projects ensuring I finsh none. Go to bed. Get loads of great ideas as I drift off to sleep.
Go to work, come home...repeat.
I write every day without fail. Construct-deconstruct-reconstruct looking for that perfect sentence. Even for posts here, I'll rework them 'til I have it as good as I can make it... er... and stuff. That's why my post count is so low.
No sentence is, or should, be wasted is a lovely creed; although it's hard to turn creed into discipline. Constant self-editing is one form of improvement that can be developed wherever you are, and whether you're feeling inspired or not.
Echo Tim. We've all been on that flowchart at some time or other, Bro'.
I wrote a brilliant scene, just last night. Obviously I won't say too much about it on here, but what I can say is it will involve Queen's brilliantly over-the-top pomp rock hit 'Princes of the Universe', from the film Highlander - well, it will, providing the show gets made, and the Producers can afford to use the song, and...oh let's face it, it's probably never going to get further than my imagination is it?
I have just discovered a new way to increase my output. I currently write about one to two scenes a day. I have no deadline to work to, so there's no great incentive. I have discovered that sunbathing with a can of lager in one hand and notebook in the other is very effective. When sun bathing the ideas come flooding in. I take notes of just the dialogue with the characters initials, leaving out scene headings, ints, exts, and "do-you-mind-if-I-don'ts." (Blackadder). I just type out the notes in the morning, before the next day's sunbathing, editing out any stray space monsters that may have entered the fray near the end. I'm up to four scenes a day and the first degree burns are starting to heal.