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Table of Contents
- The Life of a Novelist & the Weird Rituals
- What’s the Daily Life of a Novelist Like?
- Life of a Novelist: My 10-Year Retrospective View
- About the Life of a Novelist: My Final Thoughts
All good writing is swimming under water and holding your breath.
F. Scott Fitzgerald
There’s nothing special in the life of a novelist, which is far from how Hollywood established and defined assumptions about us.
What you see in the films or TV series are stereotypes—walking around with thick eyeglasses, buck teeth, wrapped in pain with those braces, ultra-conservative life views, etc.
Again, these stereotypical attributes are outcomes of someone’s creative observation and wild imagination. The reality is far worse than one could ever imagine.
The Life of a Novelist & the Weird Rituals
Though we crave that feeling of belongingness, many would rather spend time alone, thinking about every sh*t we care about, regardless of whether they’re about the mundane or something grand or memorable.
Be it an idea for a story, a scene in a chapter, or a book launch. By the way, check out my upcoming book launch here!
These things, in addition to the other publishing hats to wear, such as the writer’s hat, editor’s, investor’s, or publisher’s, keep our minds busy and, consequently, zone out.
Even a few friends and relatives ask me how I live my daily life as a website content writer during the daytime and a novelist by night.
Are we writing all day?
Do we still have time to party with friends?
Tons of questions.
It’s nothing fancy.
Here’s mine…
Before I get to bed, I raise my head from a night of deep sleep (my face pressed on the pillow all night) and see the sun. Then, I press my face again on the pillow and extend my sleep. Trying to. For around 15 minutes or so.
Around 6 o’clock, I get up and go to the comfort room to pee. Afterward, I go to the kitchen and make my coffee.
Then, I sit on the living room kawayan bench and stare outside to think. Think, think, and think for around 30 minutes or so.
Once my mind is satisfied with my morning introspection, I bathe around 6:30. The weird thing is I take a hot shower first while lathing soap and shampoo before I turn to the cold shower until I shiver.
I don’t know, but it’s part of my showering routine. I need to feel the cool waters dripping from my head down to my toes while I hug my knees bent for minutes.
Before I end my shower, I turn off the heating machine, then shower. Then, I pour another 3 pails of cold water from the bucket to finish my ritual.
What’s the Daily Life of a Novelist Like?
I don’t want to sound fancy because I’m not here to brag. I simply describe my daily morning to you. It does sound a bit boring. Yet, that’s how my life is. *smiles*
You know, my life is isolated and mundane. It’s living an imperfect life with 100% introspection. Less talking, less BS.
It’s an isolated lifestyle. Nobody can understand that I can’t give time to other stuff around people. I need my alone time – most of the time – to think.
I don’t intentionally isolate myself from others just because. It’s my way of life. And I couldn’t do anything about it.
I’m a writer and a novelist, for God’s sake. He made me this way. He created me as a human being gifted with words. So, I have to use it for others’ benefit. There’s no way out.
Though we crave that feeling of belongingness, many would rather spend time alone, thinking about every sh*t we care about, regardless of whether they’re about the mundane or something grand or memorable.
Given my writing life is kinda 24/7, there’s no break. I write at a constant pace every single day. I write fast in the morning to ensure I don’t waste a minute of it.
Because I work as a full-time writer for a company today, I start around 7 o’clock to 2 in the afternoon, writing loads of articles daily.
Although the stress level kills me, I immensely enjoy the fact I earn a monthly income while I give time to my novels at night. There are also times I write here on my blog, ensuring I write here as regularly as possible.
Then, I take a break by reading articles online or playing with our puppies to relax. If my sister weren’t around, I would do the household chores. But she does it most of the time on my behalf.
Around 8 in the evening, my writing life doesn’t stop there. After a long day of working, I start writing stories until midnight. Even though I struggled to keep this habit initially, I have gotten used to it.
As a result, I became an indie author. And here’s my first adult romance novel, which you might like. 🙂
Life of a Novelist: My 10-Year Retrospective View
I would be more resentful if I continued my dreading life as a full-time teacher. It doesn’t mean I quit my career as a teacher because I don’t like it. It’s just there’s a more fulfilling element when I write.
I chose the road less taken, which my family initially doubted, and stepped outside my comfort zone. Writing is tedious work.
It’s not an easy feat. Writing is hard work. It drains me. But in the end, I felt the satisfaction I couldn’t get when I worked as a teacher.
Yes, I can teach but not in a traditional classroom setting. I want to teach people what I value and close to my heart rather than what the government or any authority wants me to.
I want to help struggling writers with potential and worth-sharing stories. They’re stuck in fear and impostor syndrome. Less confident and doubtful of their work.
In the most boring situations, I enjoy it. Because within that circumstance, I write a wonderful story for people. It is a story that fills their dread and the gaps of their imperfect realities.
As a novelist, it’s my job to keep that fantasy in their heads, ensuring I entertain them with the world I created. The world inside the characters’ daily lives.
As a novelist, it requires emotional strength on my part. I don’t know if other authors shared this with you, but it kills us whenever we write our stories. It’s emotionally draining. We cry in the character’s intense moments and feel the wrath of the villains we created.
For the sake of telling that story out of obligation (to share our character’s story with the world), we continue writing until our fingers bleed. Until late at night. In the earliest morning.
If you aren’t a reader, you won’t understand this realm. Nor you can’t understand the BS I’m talking about now.
About the Life of a Novelist: My Final Thoughts
In general, my isolation doesn’t mean I’m sad. Months ago, I was more frustrated with being unimportant to someone. I want to be of help to others. That gives me purpose.
Writing my story, regardless of the genre, is life to me. It’s invigorating. A powerful drive to live the next day.
As a novelist, it’s my job to keep that fantasy in their heads, ensuring I entertain them with the world I created. The world inside the characters’ daily lives.
This is how a typical day in the life of a novelist. A life filled with chaotic silence and indescribable words hiding inside my head, waiting for release. A life filled with procrastination but fun.
You see, there’s not that much to talk about. I hope you enjoyed reading about my life with satisfaction.
P.S.: If you are a novelist, you understand what I’m talking about now. If not, it’s okay. We’re different people anyway. Ciao!
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