A Day In The Life

The following was written in response to Meanjin’s Spike challenge to describe one’s daily routine as a writer, which was inspired in turn by this article. Enjoy!

A Day In The Life

1. Jolt awake to radio alarm at ungodly pre-noon hour for day job attendance.

2. Proceed to hit snooze alarm at ten minute intervals until getting up seems inevitable rather than merely obnoxious.

3. Get dressed in shortest amount of time possible.

4. Cycle to work, muttering imprecations about the oblivious jaywalkers and lane-eating buses on Swanston Street.

5. Spend better part of day in government data-entry fog.

6. Cycle home again. Repeat step 4, but with flashing lights.

7. Remove cat from top of barbeque and enter house. Play Final Fantasy XII for two hours.

8. Dine with logician-spouse while watching Spooks, pointedly ignoring large whiteboard spouse holds across his lap while simultaneously working on set theory.

9. Commandeer lounge after spouse retires to bed.

10. Write on laptop until 1:25AM, realise what time it is, feel guilt over being up so late prior to impending work day.

11. Lie awake in bed for two hours, conscious that good writing-or-sleeping time is being pointlessly wasted by insomnia.

12. Fall into fitful sleep, punctuated by scrunched, repetitive dreams of killing wargens in Final Fantasy XII.

13. Jolt awake again at radio alarm.

14. Repeat until published.

 

Update, 17.07.09: Won the contest and a year’s subscription to Meanjin! Woo! Thanks, Spikeblog!