My writing process is sitting in front of my laptop and trying not to cry

Ever wanted to get inside a writer’s mind and take a look at their creative process? Well, this week Louise O’Neill shares hers.

The Guardian runs a feature called My Writing Day where authors explain their ‘process’. My process is sitting in front of my laptop and trying not to cry at my own ineptitude - it’s a delight! - but I thought I would make it sound somewhat more professional for the sake of this column.

Apologies to those of you who have absolutely no interest in my daily routine because I’m about to bore you to death.

*** I usually wake at around 5.30- 6am. I don’t set an alarm because my body clock is frighteningly efficient. Translation - I can’t figure out how to work my radio alarm clock.

Before, I would look at my emails and Twitter before I even got out of bed but I’ve banished my phone to another room at night time on the advice of Liz Nugent. Since then, the first thing I do is write my Morning Pages.

This is a technique from a book called The Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron where you write three pages as soon as you wake as a sort of creativity warm up. My pages consist of me describing my trippy dreams in great detail and complaining about how tired I am. When that’s done, I’ll go downstairs, say goodbye to my father who is leaving for work, and make breakfast.

I’m at my desk by 7am. My writing room is a spare bedroom in my parents’ house that they have kindly allowed me to take over.

It’s a simple room; there’s a desk, a chair, and a bed. I have scraps of paper and post-its hanging on the walls to remind me of certain plot points, and because the main character in my third novel is an artist, I have photos of paintings that I imagine she’s created stuck there too.

I meditate for five minutes to centre myself, draw a tarot card and consult The Creative Tarot by Jessa Crispin, and then I’ll set my intentions for what I want to achieve in the next few hours.

I intend to open up to creativity. I intend to allow the words to flow. I intend to connect to a source of inspiration. I intend to allow all other worries, thoughts, and concerns to fade away. I intend to focus now.

I write until noon, or until I hit my target of 1000 words. I very rarely write more than 1000 words a day but I never write less than that either. I keep moving forward with the plot, writing in chronological order, and I never re-read anything until my initial edit of the completed manuscript.

I would become too disheartened, and at that point I just want to get the first draft down on paper, no matter how rough it is. You can’t edit a blank page.

While writing, I require the kind of silence that I imagine would accompany a post-apocalyptic earth where all of mankind has been wiped out. I also need consistency and structure which I previously assumed was antithetical to the spirit of creativity itself.

I’m not the sort of author who can write 100,000 words in two weeks in a fit of Divine Inspiration. I wish I was; it sounds far more romantic than my plodding, slow and steady approach.

When I’m at the beginning of a novel and I’m still figuring out the character’s voice, I get inexplicably tired, and would have to crawl into bed for an hour’s nap. It’s a bit embarrassing - it’s not like I’m down a coal mine. I try and follow my body’s needs and trust that it’ll settle down once I’ve made more progress. It always does.

After lunch, I’ll shower and reluctantly change out of my pyjamas. My mother bought me a dressing gown that looks like a bear costume and it’s become my writing uniform. I’m superstitious about it now, I don’t know if I can work without it.

I try and answer the many, many emails in my inbox and then I would spend an inordinate amount of time on social media.

That has become almost part of an author’s job description and while I enjoy it, it takes up a huge amount of time and energy.

It was affecting my ability to focus for longer periods of time - something that is essential for an author - so I made the decision to check my Facebook/Twitter/Instagram/Snapchat once a week rather than every day. I can’t overstate how much easier it is to concentrate since I did so.

I don’t watch television (except for Crazy Ex Girlfriend on Netflix. If you’re not watching it, we cannot be friends) so I have a lot of free time in the afternoon. I find that I’m constantly thinking about the novel, and I’ll make a lot of notes about issues I need to address the day after.

I don’t like talking to people when I’m in the final throes of a project. I find it almost impossible to interact like a normal human being because I’m not listening to what my friends/family members are saying, I’m thinking about a particular scene and how I can improve it.

It’s obnoxious and isolating and I’m trying to get better at creating a work/life balance because that intensity is unsustainable.

A friend of mine turns off his phone every night at 9pm so he can read for a couple of hours before bed and I have followed suit.

When I’m writing fiction, I tend to read more non-fiction or poetry. That has a twofold benefit as a) I don’t unconsciously start to emulate another author’s narrative voice and b) I don’t feel discouraged by someone else’s genius. There’s no point in comparing your first draft to their sixth. I turn the light off at about 10.30pm but I’m not a great sleeper so it takes me a while to drift off.

My last thought is always the same - one of gratitude for the day’s work and a quick prayer that tomorrow’s will be better.