Lots of authors write every day, but if you read my first “What Writers Do All Day” post, you know  I’m not one of them.  Right now, I’m working on a few different things while I wait for the line edits for UNBREAKABLE (the first book in my solo series, The Legion) — primary  research and outlining the sequel.  What am I really doing all day?  Funny you should ask . . .

8:00 AM – My alarm goes off so I can drive my kids to camp.  I hit snooze a minimum of 4x before I get up.

8:50 AM – This is a typical day so I throw on a T-shirt, which makes my black pajama pants look less like pajama pants, and I take my kids to camp (where the other mothers at drop-off are NOT wearing pajama pants).

9:40 AM – I’m back in my bed (otherwise known as my home office where I spend my time when I’m not at my real office).  Yvette comes over with Starbucks because she rocks (skinny vanilla lattes with 2 extra pumps of vanilla for both of us).  You may notice that the cup says “Sam” instead of Yvette or Kami.  If you have names like ours that are constantly misspelled and mispronounced at places like Starbucks, you probably have what I refer to as a “coffee name” too.  I wanted mine to be Magneto, but Yvette would never go to Starbucks with me if I used that one, so I use Alex, my husband’s name instead.

10:00 AM –  I just bought this awesome bin to hold all the research and writing books I’m currently reading, as well as the binder with a hard copy of my revision & the spiral notebook I’m using for the sequel to UNBREAKABLE.  Before I complete a “beat sheet,” or the 15 main beats / plot points in my novel, I brainstorm in a notebook.  I use Blake Snyder’s Beat Sheet based on his novel SAVE THE CAT.  You can download his beat sheet for free on his website, BlakeSnyder.com.  You can also download more detailed versions of his beat sheets adapted for novelists at LizWritesBooks.com.   Before I actually complete the beat sheet, I do TONS of brainstorming.   I start with a list of “What If” questions along the lines of “What if Kennedy does_________?”  I don’t end up answering all the questions, but they usually leading me to ideas I DO end up using.  I also have a section in the notebook for research notes and concepts I want to include, which I will import into Scrivener before I start drafting.

10:10 AM – I open my  files in Scrivener to find mt beat sheet for UNBREAKABLE, but I get distracted by Twitter.  I don’t want to be anti-social, so I tweet just a little.  (This is a huge lie I tell myself daily.)

10:55 AM – After I finish tweeting, I take a look at the new Official Facebook Page for The Legion Series.  My web designer, Anna Moore,  made me this cool header for me to use until UNBREAKABLE has a cover.  I love it, so I stare at it for a while.

11:15 AM – I actually start working.  I fill five pages with “What If” questions, then switch to making a list of things I think readers will expect to happen in Book 2 (so I can make sure most of them don’t happen).

1:30 PM – Finally take a shower and eat yogurt.

2:15 PM – The new BEAUTIFUL REDEMPTION bookmarks with the Beautiful Creatures Movie info on the back arrive and they look awesome!

2:30 PM – My friends and fellow YA authors, Ransom Riggs (MISS PEREGRINE’S HOME FOR PECULIAR CHILDREN) & Tahereh Mafi (SHATTER ME), come over to write.  Tahereh is wearing fantastic shoes as usual.

Ransom and Yvette do not want to have their pictures taken, but . . .

Ransom takes our picture, which involves him standing on the bench at my dining room table (= cool photographer move).

PHOTO BY: RANSOM RIGGS

3:45 PM – We actually start working.

6:15 PM – My kids get home and attack Tahereh (they love her), and circle Ransom like tiny vultures.  Ultimately, he wins them over which results in my 5 year-old daughter serenading him with “We Will Rock You” while my 7 1/2 year-old son accompanies her on the drums.

6:40 PM – We’re meeting more friends for dinner and I’m wearing leggings and a giant T-shirt, so I search my closet for something else to wear.  After considering several options, I wear the same black dress from Target that I wear 80% of the time.

7:10 PM – We meet up with our friends, MG and YA author Javier Ruescas from Spain; YouTube personality & MG author Kaleb Nation (Bran Hambric Series); and Kaleb’s friend, Taylor, who is very cool.  We eat lots of Mexican food and annoy our waiter (okay – I annoy our waiter with requests for Diet Cokes with extra ice).

9:10 PM – Tahereh, Javier, and I are trapped in the parking lot because the lot only accepts cash, and we have $3.25 between us (after Javier searched his pockets and my car).  We need $8.00 for parking.  The lady at the booth lets Tahereh go, but tells me I can sign a promissory note for the $4.00 I owe.  I laugh because I think I’m being punked (I’m not), and she finally lets us go because the line behind us is so long.

10:40 PM – I hang out with my husband and watch TV while I fix this necklace I love (and broke).  I collect vintage necklaces.  Paula Montgomery (who made the one in this photo) and Christine Wallace are my favorite designers.

11:56 PM – I hang out on Twitter for a while, then I hit Pinterest, a free online site where you can collect images of things you love and save them in categorized albums called “pin boards.”  I am a Pinterest addict.  I have boards for everything from my favorite jewelry and looks, to a Beautiful Creatures movie board and inspiration boards for writing.  The screenshot above is from my pin board for UNBREAKABLE.

2:00 AM – I eat 3 pieces of chocolate and go to sleep.

What are your daily writing habits like?  Leave a comment.