I’m so pleased to introduce you to first-time guest, Keivon Liburd! Keivon is an author, children’s pastor, and educator in Austin, Texas. Married with two boys, Keivon writes so that underrepresented kids, especially young Black boys and girls, can see themselves in every type of story imaginable. He is also the co-founder of HitPitch, a up and coming tool that matches writers to beta-readers, agents, and more!
This is a post Therese asked Keivon to write for WU after he tweeted about steps he’d taken to successfully forge the wake-early-to-write habit. With life’s lines blurring so drastically right now–working from home, working with kids at home, etc–it might be more important than ever to consider establishing an untouchable set of minutes on the daily for your writing. And we’ve heard how magic the morning hours can be, so let’s consider it!
Big thanks to Keivon for writing this for us. You can learn more about him on his blog, and by following him on Twitter.
7 Ways to Make Early Morning Writing a Reality
Early Morning? You’ve got to be kidding me? Now, I know that’s what many of you are saying, but hear me out. This can work for you. Everyone wants to finish their next novel, but talking about finishing is so much easier than actually finishing. This was my issue.
The date was December 1, 2018. I was one day removed from participating in NaNoWriMo. I started a new manuscript called Chasing Lincoln, and was really excited about this fresh endeavor. Although I didn’t hit my 50K word goal for the month, I did get to 38K or so. In my mind, I could keep pushing through and be done by December 31st or maybe late January 2019 at the latest.
***Spoiler Alert: I wasn’t done by January.
Actually I wasn’t done by March, May, or even December 2019. Sometimes, life simply gets in the way. But you know what? That’s reality for most of us. We have jobs, we have friends, we have kids, we have pets, we have a lot of life outside of writing. Yet we love writing so much!
I tried to write at night but I can’t tell you how many times my wife nudged me after seeing a trail of zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzs on my laptop. I tried writing at lunchtime, but I never got into a good flow in between bites of leftover spaghetti. December 2019 spilled into January 2020, and although I was determined to finish this book, I just couldn’t find the time.
Then I got an email from my good friend, Daron K. Roberts. He writes weekly “Life Letters” that inspire people to follow after their dreams and goals. This one was titled, “Write the Damn Book Already.” Well that got my attention. Daron writes non-fiction and said that he completed his book by getting up at 4 am every morning and going to a 24-hour coffee shop where he put pen to paper 6 days a week.
For some reason, this hit me square in the jaw. I have to get up early to get this book done. I realized that early mornings were the only times that were truly mine. A time where my family was in dreamland and I had no responsibilities. The only time where I wouldn’t fall asleep at the wheel. My only problem: I was already up way past my bedtime. At the rate I was going, I was getting to bed at 11:59pm. There was no way I could get up at 5:30… so then I thought, Maybe I can start in two days.
But everyone with a plan knows it doesn’t work like that. If you can make an excuse for one day you can make it for the next. So, I decided right then and there that I was waking up the next morning at 5:15 – no matter what. Consequences be damned. And you know what? The next day I got up, and the day after that, and the day after that.
How did I do it? I’m glad you asked because guess what? You can do it too.
- Get accountability. That first night, I told my wife that I was going to get up in the morning, no matter what. You can tell your spouse, your partner, your best friend, or the #writingcommunity on social media—there’s a #5amwritersclub hashtag on Twitter. I have found that people not only hold you accountable, many times they will join in as well. (True story, three people joined me over Twitter early the next day.)
- Set alarms for the entire week. I immediately set my alarm for Monday through Friday at 5:15am with a backup alarm at 5:20. I knew that I wasn’t going to get a lot of sleep but I needed to be prepared to go to bed earlier the rest of the week. This would help me stay on track.
- Set up your writing space. You have to remove every excuse at 5 am. If you have to go look for your laptop or change a lightbulb or find your power cable, it can mess up your morning. Some of us have a place where we love to write. Make that your everyday spot. It’s ok to move around a few times to get it right, but create a place where you regularly go to get inspired. Alternatively, some people like to go somewhere else to minimize distractions. If you feel like you’ll be distracted at home, get out the house. Guys, I have to admit that I failed this one. I thought that I would get up and go to Starbucks and work. When I got up in the morning, my body pushed back on the idea of driving somewhere, but I was determined to not go back to bed. So, I went to my guest room. All we had in it was a bed and a chair. I slumped into that chair and started writing. This was going to be my new spot. The next day my wife and I moved a small desk into that room and it became my writing home.
- Adjust your sleep schedule. Getting to bed at the right time is crucial. I suggest getting into a routine for the same time each night. I know that I need around 7 hours of sleep, so 10:30 is the absolute last moment that I want my head hitting the pillow. And that’s with the lights out and going to sleep, not lying in bed watching Netflix. I went to bed late that first night but that was enough motivation to fix my bedtime for the rest of the week.
- Heed the bell(s). When your alarm goes off, get out of bed. Do not hit snooze, do not roll over, do not tell yourself you are getting more sleep. Immediately get up and walk to your bathroom, wash your face, take a shower—do whatever you’ve got to do to get your body moving. As soon as I turn off my alarm, I swing my feet over the edge of my bed and get to it. There have been a handful of times in the past year where I hit my alarm and haven’t gotten up. That’s what the backup is for. If, somehow, I blow past 5:15, the 5:20 alarm will let me know that I have to immediately get out of bed.
- Don’t look at your phone. This may seem impossible but it’s a part of getting to your writing. Do. Not. Check. Your. Phone. Once you start looking, you’ll get bombarded by Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Reddit and LinkedIn. Just stay away until you have at least typed out your first sentence. Trust me on this one!
- Sink into your chair, grab that laptop—or yellow legal pad if you’re old school—and start writing. As usual, it doesn’t matter if it’s good or not. Your job is to get started and create a habit. For day one, aim for an hour of writing and see if you can extend it as you get better at waking up. As you go about your day, you will feel more accomplished and ready to tackle what’s ahead of you. Plus, I have found that starting off my day with my manuscript keeps it alive all day. Throughout the day, I’ll have fits of inspiration that are a direct result of working on my book earlier in the day. Waking up early has also boosted my confidence and helped me finish my second manuscript, which now has an agent. But I would have never finished it without this routine.
Bonus tip: You will have a day where you will fail. Don’t beat yourself up. You’ll hit that alarm. You’ll roll over, you’ll listen to all the reasons why you shouldn’t get up. That’s fine. Just commit to never letting it happen two days in a row. If you get right back on that horse, you’ll never feel defeated.
Feel free to hit me up for more tips and advice at @AuthorKLBurd on Twitter. I’m looking forward to seeing you at 5am.
Morning writers, how did you make your habit stick?
Have a different routine that works for you, with tips you’d like to share? The floor is yours.
About Keivon Burd
KL Burd (he/him) is a YA Speculative Fiction Author and Educator living in Austin, Texas with his wonderful wife and two amazing boys. As a former teacher and coach, KL thrives on helping individuals reach their full potential, especially young and upcoming writers. Sign up for his newsletter to connect on all things writing. KL writes fiction so that underrepresented kids, especially young Black boys and girls, can see themselves in every type of story imaginable.
MORNING EVERYONE! *coffee coffee coffee I’ve had too much COOOOFEEEE*
I’m a really early riser and drink several cups of super-strong black coffee and there goes the jittery chaos of the brain perfect for tippity tappity words words words!–but I’ve been such a slacker when it comes to spending that morning time writing a new book. Dang.
Thanks for the tips and the great post!
Thank you! Want to hear something crazy?? I don’t drink coffee.
This is an inspiring piece, but to both you and Kathryn I admit my first thought was, “I’ll need caffeine!” Keivon, I salute you, but I’ve given up all my other drugs, and I’m not even going to try to write (or get up) without the bean.
Interesting. I don’t drink coffee either. Lol. Great post. Thanks for the inspiration and advice.
Me, either, but I do love my first-thing-in-the-morning cup of black tea.
The times when I’ve devoted the early morning to writing have been the times when I’ve made the best progress.
And you are so right about making sure to get adequate sleep.
This is exactly what I needed to read. Thanks for this! I’m ready to join the 5 am writers club!
Not sure if I can do 5, but I’ll start @ 7 & work my way up.
I get home @ 7:30 & usually start writing around 8 until near 11:30. Though I can get distracted by the internet at large (mostly YouTube or Tumblr.)
I’m a night owl.
But I also like the peace of getting up early & having time to write.
Will try this.
Welcome Keivon! I get up at 4:30 am to write, 7 days/wk, but I’m a natural. I’ve always loved the dark quiet of the morning, in which I sense endless possibility. And no one expects anything of me at that hour, not even a return email! That time is for me alone.
Back when I was a dance critic, filing articles at night once my husband was home to watch the kids, I found my proof of my early morning effectiveness on a day he happened to be home: an article that would have taken me 5 hours to write at night (my average), took me 2 in the early morning.
For me, I think it’s because at night, I am writing over all of the ideas and concerns and problems I’ve been dealing with all day long, whereas in the morning, I’m writing on a fresh page.
But there’s always a flip side. I recently had to give a keynote at 9:15 pm, and let me tell you, that was rough!
We couldn’t tell. But perhaps that explains the cat mask… 🙂
That’s so interesting Kathryn. I have the exact opposite problem. In the morning, the responsibilities of the day very quickly crowd my mind whereas at night, I can say, tomorrow, to the distracting thoughts.
Hi Kathryn! Thanks for the Welcome! I totally get that. I wonder if I’m going to eventually push my time back as I want more writing time to myself.
Also, you are so spot on in 5 hours becoming 2. I have to tell myself that when I write something at night and struggle to comprehend. I just think, “Go to sleep. It’ll be much better in the morning.”
YES! Great post. Especially the idea of not looking at your phone. That’s the key to productivity for me. It’s hard, but I’ve trained myself to stay off the internet and social media until my morning writing time is done. Thanks for a great post!
Thank you Katrina! I’ve broken this happen a few times and it’s always bad! LOL. Somehow, I manage to navigate to Twitter and before I know it, I look up and 30 min have gone by.
Welcome, Keivon! Fabulous advice – and as a long time member of the #5amwritersclub, I am such a proponent of early morning writing sessions. I’ve worked in corporate finance for 12 years, and during this time I’ve managed three books. I tend to write from about 5:30-8 am.
So many people are daunted by the 5 am alarm clock (it’s truly a physical discomfort to wake at this hour unless you’re used to it) but I assure you, after a few weeks, it will become a natural wake time.
Great article, and great to have you here!
Thank you Sarah! I really appreciate it.
Yes, it took a second to get used to but I can’t imagine going without it. I often feel guilty about sleeping in on the weekends, even if I need it.
Congrats on writing three books! That’s awesome.
This is a good one! I rarely comment. Having a plan and sticking to it is what it takes. I stopped working early and now have the luxury of time. But it hasn’t always been that way! I still have a routine that works. Second book just out and of course at work on three. Thank you!
Thanks for the kind words! And congrats on the new release! Good luck with number 3!
Yep. I began 18 years ago, getting up at 3 am, which gave me 2 hours of writing before having to get ready for work.
I’m retired now, but still get up at 3 am. It became my habit.
I’m a drag at parties – I’m in bed by 8 pm. BUT – I have 13 books to show for it. It may not work for everyone, but it sure worked for me.
So… 13 books is beyond impressive. However, I cannot imagine getting up at 3! Then again, if that’s the time you have to get up to enjoy that alone writing space, then it’s totally worth it.
Love this! I’m finding 5am is the only time I can regularly commit/stick to. I’m a little extra crazy and take a 5min ice cold shower the minute I get out of bed. There’s lots of research to suggest that this is great for your overall health, and it wakes me right up!
Love cold showers!!!
I’m so here for this post!
I’m a big fan of accountability. I write with a group of friends for about an hour before work and on the weekends. We enter a Zoom room, mute ourselves, and write until my alarm goes off. I lead folks through a quick “how’d it go” check-in and affirmation session (hey, whatever the “output” of the session, you got your butt in the chair and your fingers on the keyboard, go you!) before sending us off to the rest of our day.
I’m rather a latecomer to the morning writing world, and without the external accountability structure I’m not sure how successful I’d be at keeping a morning writing habit going. But since I know this about myself, I guard my structure like the precious jewel it is.
Two enthusiastic thumbs up on your advice to practice self-kindness. Life can be tricky enough to navigate without adding self-inflicted storms to the mix.
What an excellent idea Keely!!
This was the perfect piece for me to read after being called insane by friends this weekend when I told them I’d started getting up at 4:30 am every day to write. Been doing it for over a month now and there’s no turning back. There’s something about the darkness, the stillness, the silence that kicks my imagination into overdrive hours before the house comes alive.
So yeah, right there with you, Keivon. Great piece. And by the way, I, too, live in Austin. Maybe one day when all this madness is over we’ll grab a drink or a coffee in town. Preferably before 7 pm—we’ve both got an early morning forever.
Great post, Kevion! And congrats on getting that book finished. I’m an afternoon and late-night writer myself but an accident couple of months ago has left me injured and in pain, so now I find myself nodding off in the afternoons and wide awake at 4 am or even before–so I slide out of bed and write for a couple of hours before the household’s awake. It just may turn into a habit given my good husband is taking care of everything. One surgery down, another to go, I may even learn to scrawl with my left hand. It’s amazing what God can do when you seek, ask, knock!
You have wise words, and most especially not picking up your phone. I think I need to disable Twitter on all my devices, actually. I’ll get to the computer, pull up my document and then think “I’ll just go over to Twitter for a second, just to check…” And then it’s an hour later and I need to make sure the kids are in bed. Ugh.
I can’t tell you how many times I’ve tried to get up early to write throughout my years, and just sit there staring at whatever I’m trying to force words out of my brain onto. About as many as I’ve tried NaNo and failed at it, actually!
However, I realized this September that it took me a year to finish outlining and writing 8,000 words on my most recent story, so I totally was nodding at the beginning of your post. I’ve written two novels, so you’d think I’d be better at finishing them… I kind of had the same realization you did about getting up early, but since I know my brain is mush to creative endeavors that early, and I’m working from home now, I restructured my day so I get up at 6am, go to work at my basement desk–which was my writing nook pre-pandemic :( — by 7am, take a short lunch and get off by 4:30, and then do all the things I need to as Mom to write for an hour at 8pm. And definitely lights out by 10:30. Then, I take Friday afternoons off to write, since I’ve already put in my 40 hours.
I’ve only just started and am finding a large part of what is going to get me to utilize my newly-structured writing time correctly is my own motivation to get done. To that end, just this week I read a Neil Gaiman quote that someone asked him to share how to stop procrastinating and he basically said that the guy was making choices and allowed another writer who was showing up and writing to get published in his place–so someone who wants to do (and has the discipline) to do the work is getting published and isn’t that a good thing. So, yeah. Opened my eyes right up! This week when I open Twitter, Neil Gaiman is whispering in my ear “That’s right. Give that spot up.” :D
Welcome Kevion. My practice has altered as I recently moved from California back to Chicago. So far, the only regular schedule I have been able to create is writing my blog post on Sundays. As for working on my novels, I have been all over the place with schedules. When my son was in high school, I wrote every morning. In the last seven years, my time has been afternoons. So who knows what I will finally settle into, once life itself settles down. One thing I do know, I can’t create until I have had my coffee and read the newspaper. But with all these ideas and responses, maybe I could change???
Hi Keivon, and welcome to a great site for writers. Your Seven Steps to Success in getting the work out make sense to me. That said, I would offer one suggestion. The process of getting up at or close to dawn can be pretty much guaranteed–if you own the right kind of dog. I recommend herding breeds: they have qualities of leadership, command and imagination that incline them to take charge. They have subtle techniques involving nails on hardwood floors, whimpering, pawing the side of the bed, or, when that fails, jumping up and getting in your face. Get the right dog, and you’ll finish that tome way ahead of schedule.
Welcome, Keivon!
Great post to motivate those early risers.
I wish I could say this would work for me, but I’m a lady in need of her beauty sleep. LOL. I crash by 10:00, 10:30 at the latest, but still can’t bring myself to wake before 7:00. I’m a huge believer in sleep=good health.
That said, you’ve motivated me to give the dark a shot. Even an hour would help, right? I’ll do it . . . hopefully.
See, it’s THAT hard. LOL.
Yours,
Dee
I wrote a novel on a blog, writing and posting once a week. I’m an early riser, so getting up and hitting the keyboard wasn’t an issue. Posting only once per week taught me a lot about cliffhangers. More than that, it made me aware of my audience. People starting commenting on episodes, and knowing there were people “out there” who wanted more was highly motivating. 53 weeks after I started, I had a 70,000-word novel. It can be done!
Keivon, you don’t drink coffee? How do you remember how to type? That flabbergastation aside, nice to see you on WU. I’m much more of a “get bureaucratic things done” in the morning—like making sure my pens are aligned in my pen cup—before I do any actual writing.
I’m up before 6, but usually don’t write until after 9. Though I usually have an energy resurgence mid-afternoon: I finished a memoir in 7 months by setting a reminder to write at 3pm every day for a half-hour, and got a book out of it, even with those small increments.
Anxiety about the universe has me reading the sour-face news all too often on my computer, but not being much of a phone guy, at least I don’t have that pit of horrors calling to me as well.
Thanks for the thoughtful counsel.
I am in awe of anyone who can manage to get up early to write. For me, no. Just no. My brain does not function that early. Especially not when it is dark outside. I still remember those days when my oldest son was a toddler: awake at 5.30, all happy and bright and full of energy. If you sit on a sofa at 6.00 in the morning and have already finished reading three books to your little star, and all you want to do is to close your eyes for just 5 minutes … – No writing for me early in the morning. If I start at 9.00, I consider myself super efficient. :-)
Great points Keivon. Took your morning up and at em advice a year ago and quickly progressed. Wrote from 6-7 am and out the door 50 minutes later for the 5 minute drive to my paying job.
When we selected a house to buy in February, my heart got heavy. With its inevitable remodel and the additional 30 minute daily commute I knew my focus would be challenged and the morning writing would give way to interior design and hammer swinging recuperation. Like you said, I had to get off my back and give myself permission to hit pause and welcome the fluster.
Today, the new flooring has been laid in my home office and this weekend the desk, computer and garage sale bankers chair move in completing my writing place. After this one final week of major renovation I will push the button again to pause the flurry. I’m looking forward to November 2nd when my alarm will go off at 5:30 a.m. and I can get back after it. The message within me burns deeper than ever. It’s that or all the paint solvent fumes.
Thank you. You inspire me.
Welcome, Keivon! And what a great list of tips!
I may have to return to writing early in the morning, once my recovery from shoulder surgery is complete. (I’d like to write using dictation software, but I get too annoyed by the software’s errors to make much headway.)
I agree wholeheartedly that staying OFF social media and news websites is critical to hitting my daily writing goals. And since my self-discipline isn’t as robust as I’d like, I use Freedom on my laptop and phone to block access to those sites while I’m writing.
I find that I often write well past my scheduled block period because I just get in the groove. And the notifications that I have access to those distractions is subtle enough that I usually don’t see it.
Once I’m writing again, I’ll have to check out that Twitter hashtag for some accountability and positive reinforcement.
Hello Keivon! Thanks for a great list of tips in the most inspiring post. I’ve struggled with similar problems with getting my writing done. And I don’t have children underfoot as I’m a retired grandma! So what’s my problem? The same as you have referenced above. Most recently, it has been chronic pain and multiple surgeries. I am committed to trying your methods and see where I end up!
I was advised to practice the writing technique in the morning, this is when you get up and start writing whatever comes into your head. This method did not work for me. It seems that in the morning I cannot give out any specific information. But maybe I just tried a little. Plans for the day help me wake up in the morning. I plan my next day in the evening and then it is easier for me to get up, because I know what I need to do.
This is inspiring and something I am in the midst of working on.
Since I’m about to begin NaNoWriMo in a few days, these suggestions are perfect! Thank you for all the tips and reminders!
Thank you thank you thank you, for reminding me what I once knew but have somehow forgotten in retirement, and totally abandoned during the pandemic. Thought I could sleep in and just start when I woke up since i didn’t have to go to work. If I was awake about 16 hrs, what difference did it make when the day started and stopped? Wrong. Hasn’t worked worth a damn, and you’ve inspired me to try your seven hints with gratitude. Setting my alarm now…
I wholly agree that getting up early (for me that’s 3am because my usual rising time is already 4:30am) and getting straight to work is a needful practice, but for me it’s only when a deadline is pressing or I’m in the middle of a content edit (like right now) and have to really bear down. I normally write from 9-noon, and a little in the afternoon sometimes, because I have a house to myself during the day. But if the work load is extra it does me no good to tack on hours to the end of the day. My tank is empty and I’m no night owl. Being up at 3am on a Saturday (or any) morning, phone off and email ignored, knowing I have five hours before my husband (who IS a night owl) will be up, is one of the most productive writing times I have these days when the internet and social media is doing its best to fracture and scatter and rewire my hard won powers of focus. All it means is that I need to be turning off the lights and getting some ZZZZZs by 8pm at the latest. Disclaimer: I’ve been getting up by 5am for 40 years so this habit is well ingrained.
A really good tip to wake up in the morning is to put the phone away so you have to get out of bed to turn off the alarm. And it is even better to set 2 alarm clocks at once, because you can turn off the first one automatically. In addition, I would recommend going to bed earlier, you can, for example, use the means of СBD to calm down. This will allow you to get up in the morning with a light mood and a clear mind.