So, I have my idea for a middle grade book about a boy investigating encounters with aliens; I have the chapter plan and I know my parameters for word count. Now I have to get the story out of my head in a vivid and unique way. Bring on the writing routine.

There are lots of articles on this, and authors taking photos of messy desks in sheds or spare bedrooms, sharing them in biographies and Instagram posts. And although the specifics differ from account to blog, the common thread is successful people have a routine, whether they are athletes, authors, artists, CEOs… the list goes on. Of course, there are exceptions to this, as some authors on the New2theScene podcast prove, storing energy until they have a slot to splurge thousands of words in one session. But I know that isn’t for me.

It stands to reason if you can timetable your day - get up at really? o’clock, have a cup of coffee, make breakfast for five people, get the kids up, prepare packed lunches, put the washer on etc. – you can timetable writing and establish a routine. Good habits, routines, schedules: call it what you will, but I believe you can’t do anything ad hoc and not expect to fall by the wayside when the inevitable happens and your motivation ebbs. Getting fit is a good example. Unless you have a bullet-proof non-negotiable routine, there will always be a reason to put it off until tomorrow, then cancel your gym subscription because you haven’t been in six months and the money could upgrade your TV, which you are dedicated to. The same message is in every motivational seminar on the internet: ‘discipline beats talent every time’. Which I hope is true, as judging my discipline is less harrowing than analysing the latter.

1. Set goals

For me, this step is all about numbers. First, my aim. 50,000 words. Let’s make it easy and say I’ll do 10,000 words a month, and pretend there are thirty days in each month, so I need to write 300 words a day – I know it’s 333.3! That’s doable. Saturday morning, I have swimming and dancing – not me personally, although I would join in if allowed, if only to embarrass my kids – so it's a tough day to write, but Sundays can make up for this. If I average more than two-and-a-half thousand words a week, fantastic; I’ve built in a bit of slack for illness and birthdays etc. And finishing in four months will be an endorphin boost if the goal was five - not so much if I set the bar at three.

2. Determine the best time of day to commit to, when your energy is at its optimum

I write in the morning, when I’m feeling creative. On an evening, I google, yawn and get sucked into binge TV, all of which don’t add to my word count. Writing in the morning also means I have a time limit before going to my day job, focusing my energy. I have to get up at a predetermined hour – in my house we’re not allowed an alarm as it may wake pampered kids; instead, I play on-time roulette and visit the bathroom lots – as every minute in bed is an opportunity lost. I have to prep the night before – water in kettle, workspace clear, laptop charged – to maximise efficiency. And I can’t scrutinise yesterday’s work, editing on-the-fly, other than a quick scan for continuity, which benefits productivity and self-esteem no end as re-reading work you were buoyant about with a fresh, critical eye does nothing but encourage imposter syndrome and self-loathing, in my experience – Sophie, we may need to increase the weekly therapy session. I can complete my goal of three hundred words in an hour – more words, if it is a scene with characters interacting. Depending on when I have to get ready for work, an hour of writing soothes my itch and feeds my passion, keeping me on track to meet my target.

3. Find the right space and stick to it

This is my Achilles heel, but I know it won’t be everybody’s. Working on a laptop means not requiring a permanent station, and saying I wanted a big family when I thought I knew better than to listen to my dad’s horror stories of lost weekends in play gyms, the only available space to write is in communal areas: the kitchen or living room. During the week, at 6 a.m. the world is a quiet place to immerse myself in thoughts, aided by solid pre-school rigour around teeth scrubbing, hair brushing, uniform wrestling and reading being performed upstairs. But on weekends and school holidays I have to beg, bribe and threaten my way to meeting my daily word count. Whoever invented iPads, thank you; three children are alive now because of you!

4. Set in stone

Discipline (routine) sounds such a negative word, but it’s what all the greats mention when attributing their success to a characteristic.

‘Discipline is the bridge between goals and accomplishment.’ Jim Rohn.

‘Some people want it to happen, some wish it would happen, others make it happen.’ Michael Jordan.

‘A writer who waits for ideal conditions under which to work will die without putting a word on paper.’ E. B. White.

It’s like watching an athlete perform and wishing you were as skilful, or had their body, but believing they were born that way. They weren’t. The dots connecting a baby to a gold medal are sacrifice and routine/practice, aka discipline, with passion being the nourishment required to stay the course. I have passion, but do I have discipline, and will it stand up to the dreaded slush pile rejection letter?

5. Don’t chastise yourself for slippage, refocus

A caveat to the point above: don’t be hard on yourself if you have an off day. This I learned when beginning my fasting diet, of which I’ve enjoyed/punished myself with for over a year now. There will be days when the urge for cake is too great, or the kids’ Easter eggs prove too tempting – the older they get, the more elaborate the hiding of evidence becomes as flattened packaging is stuffed inside empty cereal boxes saved for the occasion, to be deposited in next door’s green bin. But just because, in your eyes, today was a failure, doesn’t mean you’re not on the right path. A ‘cheat day’ now and again can renew your spirit and energy, even help motivate; I schedule them into my diary, planning them more lavishly than any holiday I’ve organised – my latest was fish and chips, with mushy peas and a breadcake, washed down with a cup of tea, followed by a bag of cookies, a tub of ice cream, then a food nap. As long as every day isn’t a ‘cheat day’ or nothing gets done.

Routine established, then; writing begins. Motivation is high, and I know myself well enough to prepare for the middle-section blues and a rushed ending. Recognising this when it comes will help me counter and power through. Here we go…