Write With Greater Intention
National Book Awards finalist Candice Iloh on writing routines that work for them.
For today’s issue, I interviewed debut author Candice Iloh. We went to grad school together at Lesley University, where Candice continually blew everyone away with their supreme talent and work ethic. It’s the biggest thrill to watch Candice’s success with their first book, a remarkable verse novel for young adults called Every Body Looking—it’s a finalist for this year’s National Book Awards!
Since I talked about establishing writing routines last time, I thought I’d ask Candice some questions about their own routine as a working author.
What does your writing routine look like?
Before the onset of the pandemic, when I was trying to meet a deadline, I would get up and walk to the coffee shop around the corner from my apartment around 7 or 8 in the morning and stay there until they nearly closed, giving myself the whole day to take as long as I needed to form sentences. It was important for me not to do anything else but get dressed before getting up and going so my mind could remain clear and unused for much else before I started writing. I'd do this 3 or 4 days a week while under that kind of pressure.
Now, amid quarantine, my lack of a routine has intensified. On days that I end up writing, I will let myself wake up whenever I'm done sleeping, make yerba mate or coffee depending on what I need, move my body, eat breakfast, and eventually find my way to my desk around 2 p.m. and stay there until 6, with hopes of pushing out at least 1,000 words. Whatever happens, I am most productive when I take frequent breaks for music, water, and food. That is… on a very good day. A very good/productive day happens maybe once or twice a week right now. But I'm pushing to step it up some notches given I owe my editor a second book that was due months ago.
How has your routine evolved since you first started writing?
I just write more and with greater intention. I now know what things like “story arc” and “pacing” and “manuscript draft” mean, so when I sit down, there is more force behind what I'm doing. When I started, I was just feeling and trying and practicing. I had no routine and had no idea what I needed to complete full-length projects. And in many senses, I'm still learning that.
I squealed so loud when I saw Candice’s author photo in The New York Freakin’ Times.
Aside from getting the work done, what else do you gain from keeping a writing routine?
A sense of purpose. Writing is my only job now, and when I do it, I feel like I am getting to say why I am here.
What advice do you have for those who want to build a writing routine into their busy lives?
Listen to what works for the rhythm and needs of your own life. There are all kinds of ridiculous routines that many authors abide by that will never get you to create meaningful things. And many of those routines leave very little room for self care. Figure out what brings the best and most out of you and try to keep doing that.
Learn more about Candice’s work at their website, and while you’re at it, buy a copy of Every Body Looking for every single young person in your life—and heck, why not pick up a few for your not-young friends, too?
Do you have a writing routine?
“Write in the mornings, when I can, drink coffee, eat lots of pretzels, and try not to write during work hours.” —Sarah
“I like to pretend that I’m going to wake up early, go for a morning run, eat breakfast, and then settle in to write until noon, then keep going after one until dinnertime. In reality, I look at the clock, realize it's 10 p.m. and I still need to get my 550 words in, and then jot them down before I can sleep.” —Julia
“Not necessarily. Sometimes the words come at 9 a.m., sometimes 3 a.m. It just depends on where my brain is at.” —Taylor
Tell me about your writing process in my reader questionnaire!
Really Digging This
I couldn’t have been more delighted by Beth O’Leary’s latest novel, The Switch. When a career-obsessed thirty-something suffers a nervous breakdown at work, she swaps homes with her 79-year-old grandmother, who’s on the dating scene for the first time in decades. The book, I’m pleased to say, is somehow even more delightful than its premise. I’m now eager to read O’Leary’s first novel, The Flatshare!
I also finally read Cal Newport’s Digital Minimalism: Choosing a Focused Life in a Noisy World, which was well worth the wait. In fact, it was so effective that it inspired me to take two whole months away from the shallow distractions of social media to focus on my novel in November and December! I read Newport’s book Deep Work last year (which is definitely the most effective book I’ve read in the productivity genre) and found Digital Minimalism to be an excellent companion piece.
Tell me about your lonely victories.
“I got my notebook set up for the second draft of the novel I wrote last NanoWriMo!” —Chelsea
“After working to edit and refine a story for months, I finally finished it! Sometimes it's impossible for me to know where a story should end, if the characters are done, if you've given the reader enough to be satisfied with, etc. It was incredible to wrap something up and feel confident the story was complete.” —Mara
Share your own lonely victories with me in my reader questionnaire.
Ina Garten Fanfiction: Halloween Edition!
Rebecca Joy and I are back with a special Halloween installment Ina Garten Fanfiction! How will the Barefoot Contessa possibly finish cooking her butternut squash soup on All Hallow’s Eve amid a spooky power outage and LOTS of sexual energy from Jeffrey?! Only one way to find out. Read it now.
Lonely Victories is a labor of love—one that involves a lot of caffeine. You can support my work by tipping me for coffee, shopping my Bookshop.org affiliate page, or sharing this issue with a friend! Every little bit helps.
Special thanks to Aysha Miskin for designing the banner image for this newsletter and to Becca Wucker for editing this issue.
Learn more about my work at hurleywinkler.com. And while you’re at it, come say hi on Instagram and Twitter.
“Writing alone can give you a very deep sense of satisfaction and lonely victory.” —Greta Gerwig