: Re: How to describe an everyday routine? I have a character who is living through a very regular everyday routine for a longer time, let's say a couple of months. How do I describe this routine

@Angie602

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One example of actually writing out the routine is the beginning of American Psycho. Patrick Bateman narrates his morning routine. He does not see it as monotonous, it is a ritual. It's very precise and shows how he is attempting to tightly control his life and also prevent himself from aging. I mention it because the way the character describes his own routine is way to introduce a lot of important information about the character.

Another example is the beginning of "Your Appointment Will Be Yesterday" by Phillip K. Dick. In this case, the narrator is third person and we watch Niehls Lehrer, the main character, go through his morning routine. On the surface it's a mundane procession of breakfast, clothing, and personal hygiene, but everything is wrong - backwards. He doesn't shave, he glues 5:00 shadow to his face. He doesn't search for clean clothes, but for soiled ones that are wrinkled. We won't discuss the food situation here. It turns out that Lehrer is living in a reverse time field, and everything happens backwards. To arrive at work clean shaven with clean pressed clothes would be rude. Instead his hair grows inwards, retracts, and if he doesn't glue whiskers on, he won't have the clean shaven look by the end of the day. This time the routine establishes the setting.

Figure out why the reader has to know about this routine in the first place and start there. If the routine is not important to the story in some way, leave it out.

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