JUNE 8 2019 LISTENER 53
I
wake up at the same time almost every
day and spend a bit of time lying in
bed, willing myself to get up. Some-
times I have to negotiate an escape
from a cat (or two) that has me pinned
down.
I’ve never thought of myself as a morn-
ing person, but I trained myself to be
when I wrote my first novel, The Grapholo-
gist’s Apprentice. The only time I had to
write was before I set off for my day job,
so I would get up before dawn each day to
work on it.
Back then, I used to live near Welling-
ton Zoo, so my time was marked by the
sounds of the animals waking: the lemurs’
whoops and the lions’ roars meant it was
time to wrap up my writing for the day.
When I wrote Bugs, I rearranged my hours
at the office so I didn’t have to get up so
early. These days, I’m a full-time writer,
but sometimes I wonder if I got more
done in those few precious pre-dawn
hours before work.
The first thing I write is a list. Some-
times, if I need an easy win, I’ll write
“Write a list” on my list just so I can tick
it off right away. Writing a list helps me to
focus and keep track of the projects I have
on the go. I usually have a mix of personal
projects, commissions and mentoring
work to juggle, so the shape of my day
depends on where in the process each of
those things are.
I like to do my heavy lifting first thing- before I have a chance to talk myself
out of it. I usually set myself a goal for the
day – if I’m writing a first draft, I might
be aiming towards a specific word count,
or if I’m refining a piece, it might be to
finish a chapter. On a magic day, I might
achieve my goal in only a few hours; other
days, I might struggle with it well into the
evening.
I also like to exercise in the morning
(again, before I have a chance to talkmyself out of it). I’ve learnt that a run
can help me focus, particularly if I feel
overwhelmed by deadlines. I go for a run
every other day. I live near the coast in
Wellington, so I’m almost guaranteed a
good blast of sea air, particularly if there’s
a southerly. If I’m lucky, I’ll have a uni-
corn sort of run – one where my body just
takes over, revelling in movement; one
where my mind forgets about the heavi-
ness of my body and I’m freed to solvethe Gordian knots of my work.
I’ve never been the type of writer who
waits for a muse to show up – Calliope has
always been busy with someone else as
far as I can tell. I just get on with the work
of writing, and usually I find inspiration
along the way. lWhiti Hereaka (Ngāti Tūwharetoa, Te Arawa)
is a novelist and playwright who, with Witi
Ihimaera, has edited and contributed to the new
collection Pūrākau: Māori Myths Retold by
Māori Writers (Vintage). It also features the
work of Jacqueline Carter, David Geary, Patricia
Grace, Briar Grace-Smith, Keri Hulme, Witi
Ihimaera, Kelly Joseph,
Hemi Kelly, Nic Low,
Tina Makereti, Kelly Ana
Morey, Paula Morris,
Frazer Rangihuna,
Renée, Robert Sullivan,
Apirana Taylor, Ngahuia
Te Awekotuku, Clayton
Te Kohe, Hone Tuwhare
and Briar Wood.Writing a
list helps
me focus
Whiti Hereaka
describes her
writing day.
I used to live near
Wellington Zoo. The
lemurs’ whoops andthe lions’ roars meant it
was time to wrap up mywriting for the day.
A WAY WITH WORDS
Whiti Hereaka: “If I’m lucky, I’ll have a unicorn
sort of run.”