Charles Dickens's Framework

No city clerk was ever more methodical, his son said. Dickens rose at seven, breakfasted at eight and was in his study by nine, staying until two with only a brief lunch he ate mechanically, his mind still on the book. A typical day produced two thousand words, occasionally double, but on barren days he stayed at the desk anyway, doodling and staring out of the window. He needed absolute quiet and had an extra door fitted to one study. The desk carried goose-quill pens, blue ink, fresh flowers and bronze statuettes of duelling toads. At two sharp he left for a vigorous three-hour walk through London or the countryside, still working the story over and, as he put it, searching for pictures to build on. He dined at six, spent the evening with family or friends, and went to bed at midnight. The week here is a seven-hour night, five hours of creative work in one block, three hours of walking, and a five-hour evening for other people. The most balanced day among the writers.