As a writer, I tend to work from home a lot. Or I work on the road. I do a fair amount of travel and write about my exploits as I have them. But when someone asks what my usual or typical workday looks like, there is no easy answer. Every day is different. However, I am surprised to find out that I may be doing something wrong here. While my workday is much more enjoyable than it used to be when I was stuck in the scramble of the nine-to-five, it is pretty much a grind when held up to the typical workday of Ian Fleming himself when he was writing his James Bond franchise.
While he was adamant about pumping out 2000 words a day, that workload apparently left him enough time to swim and work up a 007-level thirst during the day.
What was Ian Fleming’s daily schedule like?
Ok, the below is the legendary author’s apparent daily schedule:
- 7:30 am – Morning swim in the ocean and listen to the birds before scrambled eggs in his garden until mid-morning.
- 10 am – Sit down and write 1500 words. No distractions, no stopping. Just write.
- 12:15 pm – Snorkel around the bay in search of lobsters before returning to have a few pink gins with lunch.
- 2:30 – Siesta
- 4 pm – More garden and swim time.
- 5 pm – Write another unbroken 500 words. Number and organize the pages accomplished in the day and put them in a folder to file them away before having a few more drinks.
- 7 pm – Dinner with his wife and a game of Scrabble
- 10 pm – Bedtime
This enviable lifestyle was likely made more possible after he became a household name as a writer. And, at his Goldeneye Estate in Jamaica, this kind of schedule is the perfect way to relax and work at the same time. For context, Fleming released a novel a year from 1953 to 1965, missing only 1960. The average number of words was 58,800 (The Spy Who Loved Me was the shortest at 42,300 words, and From Russia with Love was the longest with 77,900 words). At the rate of 2000 words a day, Fleming would knock out a first draft in a month. Then, I am assuming second drafts and editing for another few months. Maybe a press tour. Who knows, it is possible that this grueling schedule afforded him a meager few months off to rest his, no doubt, weary body.
