I used to write a lot. I wrote on the train, in the bedroom and in the kitchen. Nowadays, I am not writing enough. And I can feel the strain in my writing. It is like going back to the gym. If you’re out of practice, it hurts when you restart. The lack of form shows. The words are difficult and need a lot more polishing. The flow is thick like glue instead of a stream.

Every serious book on writing suggests writing fresh out of bed for 5 minutes. What’s wrong with that? Why am I not following that? Is my life so bound to the clock that I can’t do my first 5 minutes? Can I hold my urge to the morning usuals for 5 minutes? Can my craving for coffee wait? Can the office blackberry wait?

I think they all can wait. I need to put down five minutes on paper. Not toilet paper. Pen to paper, five solid minutes everyday. To celebrate this decision, I’m going to start a new notebook, make my alarm go five minutes early and see how long I can keep up.