I woke up at 4:30 this morning and just knew I wouldn't fall back to sleep. Not only was I not tired, I felt like I had to get up and work on my query letter for my book. So I was in my office with a mug of chai tea by 5:30 and worked until 7.
It was the most productive 90 minutes I've had in a long time.
Dwayne got up early, too, so I had a coffee break at 6:00 and told him, "This is what it's like to go into labour. There was no way I could stay in bed. I had to get up and work, and I've given birth to a great query."
Finally. In the past 18 months, I guess I've written two dozen versions of my query letter, trying to find the right way to describe my book. Finding my new focus (although not new; there all the time) fixed even that problem. I could even do a pitch in an elevator!
So now I'm thinking I'll have a new routine whenever I get to write books full-time. I'll get up at 5 to work until 7 then go for a walk then eat breakfast. If I've done two hours of good work first thing in the morning, I'll be able to enjoy the walk and breakfast without the pressure of getting to work.
Ah, the dream: No pressure to get to work.