FROM THE EDITOR
COVER: JIAQI WANG THIS PAGE: BBC STUDIOS, GETTY IMAGES X2, BERNARD LEONARDO
I’ve long been fascinated by the habits of some of the world’s most successful and prolific writers. How are they able to work at such a level, so consistently? Especially since writing has always been such a capricious pursuit for me: easy one day, torture the next.
There’s one answer to this question that has stuck with me since I first read it over a decade ago. It comes from author Haruki Murakami.
“When I’m in writing mode for a novel, I get up at 4am and work for five to six hours. In the afternoon I run for 10km or swim for 1,500m, or both. Then I read a bit and listen to some music. I go to bed at 9pm. I keep to this routine without variation. The repetition itself becomes the important thing; it’s a form of mesmerism. I mesmerise myself to reach a deeper state of mind. But to hold on to such repetition for so long – six months to a year – requires a good amount of mental and physical strength.”