Charles Dickens’ writing routine, a writer’s bookshelf, and a squirrel

This morning I watched a squirrel scamper around the tree trunk and then up to the branches. I love watching squirrels, they are charming and seem to defy gravity in their antics.

While watching him, my thoughts turned to this weekend when my daughter and I watched a couple of writer videos. Lydia Foxglove showed what’s on her bookshelf. She’s a fantasy author, and on her bookshelf were dozens of reference books for period clothing, skills, houses, and more that she refers to for her novels. She also had novels, a “to-be-read” pile, and other books of all kinds. I think it’s fascinating to see what’s on someone’s bookshelf. You never know when you might see something you’d also like to read.

Then we watched Christy Anne Jones, a writer who lives in Australia. She will sometimes emulate a famous author’s writing routine just to try it out and see if it works for her. This time, she shared what Charles Dickens’ writing routine was and tried it for a day. He wrote from 9 am to 2 pm every day and then took a 3-hour leisurely stroll. This refilled his creativity while he walked. My daughter and I remembered when we used to go for a hike every day when we homeschooled. And it definitely did help with creativity for writing while physically wearing us out.

My daughter and I each have our own writing routines and then we also write together in the evening after supper. Sometimes we share ideas and talk about what we are each writing or where we are stuck. And other times we don’t talk at all, each in our own worlds until the writing comes to an end. Then we will let the dogs out for a potty break one more time before turning in.

I’m working on a few different writing projects, splitting time between them throughout the week. The new cookbook is coming along, I only have a few more recipes to format and then I can edit the book for publishing. It always takes longer than what I think it will take, but it’s a lot of fun.

I looked up as a young grackle flew down to a puddle next to the curb and bent down to scoop up a drink with its beak. It reminded me of scenes I had just read in the book Jurassic Park (by Michael Chrichton) the day before, describing dinosaur movements. I read this book not long after it came out, which was around 1991 or so, and I knew nothing about genetic engineering. We lived in a little farmhouse in the middle of nowhere at the time and I would read the book at night after the kids fell asleep. Oh, did that book scare me! And I would look up and imagine what if a dinosaur was looking through that window?

I got up, closed those curtains quick, and jumped right back into reading!

Then later, we saw the movie when it came out. Parts of the story and characters were changed for the movie, but I think it actually made the story better.

I just finished reading the book for the second time after all these years and it still kept me at the edge of my seat. Next, I’ll read the second one, The Lost World.

A movement near the driveway caught my eye and the squirrel hopped along over to my yard. I sat still and watched. His cheek was stuffed full with a walnut and he poked around in the grass in front of me. Using his front feet he scratched at the dirt, moved along, scratched again, moved along again, and scratched again, then finally dug a small crater. He dropped the walnut into the hole and covered it back up, patting the mound smooth with his tiny little paws.

I wonder if he’ll remember where he buried it when he gets hungry this winter?

Or will I have a new tree growing there next year?