Finding time to write

I’ve been thinking of the Writer’s Process and I’ve been wondering how to best optimize my time so that I can write more.

Aside: It occurs to me that I really should just concentrate on writing rather than wasting time focused on things that don’t actually contribute to the content authored in this blog.

I wonder how professional bloggers like Shawn Blanc and John Gruber focus themselves to write. Do they set aside a specific time in the day to write?

I wonder what their typing speed is? Mine averages at 48 aWPM (or so says Mavis Beacon). A lot of the bloggers I read come from some sort of computer science background–they typically type very quickly.

For me, I find that I often have the itch to write at the end of the day; late into the evening. That’s when things are quiet enough.

What are the tools that they use? What type of keyboard do they use? I notice that I don’t type nearly as fast on my Macbook Pro than I do with an external keyboard. In fact, I hope to one day upgrade my Apple wireless keyboard to one of those pricey mechanical keyboards that feature those tactile CherryMX switches. (I type faster with the mechanical feedback).

I’m a bit obsessed as to how these writers interface with their profession (whether digital or with pen and paper). I’m a firm believer that having great paper and a great writing instrument help elicit great ideas. It helps me when I sketch.

I suppose the same would be with how I write this weblog. What text editor do they use?¹ BBedit? jEdit? Textmate? Sublime Edit? Do they use an external monitor? What environmental factors do they share (solitude, music, temperature), or are they like me? (I type this stuff on the dining room table of my home until my wrists hurt…then I move downstairs into the office and type until my feet get numb from the cold).

Perhaps I’ll just email them.