Snapshot: 4:30 a.m.

When my alarm clock wakes me at 4:30 every morning, I stumble out of the bedroom to my desk and gather up the three essential tools I need to write...
1. Apple MacBook (aka my life)
2. My pretty floral patterned folder stuffed with notes, pictures, etc.
3. "Empire Falls" by Richard Russo...my inspiration for great writing.

I proceed downstairs to the kitchen where I immediately start brewing coffee and then drop all of my things on my corduroy upholstered sofa (the softest, most comfortable sofa ever made).

Once I'm settled in with my coffee and computer, I proceed to write until 6:00 am. Now, granted, I'm not always writing. The internet is my kryptonite and can easily pull my focus towards the many blogs that I like to read every day. But, if I'm in a good writing groove, I forget about my blogs and emails and get something accomplished with my novel. I can tell when I'm on a good track because I can write about 1,000 words in an hour and a half. But if I'm forcing it too much, I struggle to write even 200 words.

One thing I've learned through this process, I need to let my story and my characters speak to me. My fingers need to stop typing until my characters break their silence and reveal what happens next.