My work habits have featured in the weekly books newsletter of The Age and The Sydney Morning Herald.
Each week we ask an author about their writing rituals. This week: Joyce Morgan, author of The Countess from Kirribilli
If I’m at my desk by the crack of 10am, I’m happy. I have never been an early riser. What I grandly call my study is the spare bedroom, which I share with my bicycle. I follow a similar working day writing non-fiction as I did as a daily journalist. I love a deadline. So, I set myself a word count each day.
I write in silence and edit to music. But only to instrumental or orchestral music, otherwise I’m distracted by the lyrics. I am also inclined to procrastinate.
I’ve written my latest book amid pandemic lockdowns that I’ve barely noticed. Every day feels like a self-isolation day when I’m writing a book. On a good day, I lose track of time. But my Border Collie never does. Lochy pushes his wet nose around my study door on the dot of 5.30pm.
