In this 1965 interview, Simone de Beauvoir contributes to dispelling the “tortured-genius” myth of writing:
I’m always in a hurry to get going, though in general I dislike starting the day. I first have tea and then, at about ten o’clock, I get under way and work until one. Then I see my friends and after that, at five o’clock, I go back to work and continue until nine. I have no difficulty in picking up the thread in the afternoon. When you leave, I’ll read the paper or perhaps go shopping. Most often it’s a pleasure to work.
[…]
If the work is going well, I spend a quarter or half an hour reading what I wrote the day before, and I make a few corrections. Then I continue from there. In order to pick up the thread I have to read what I’ve done.
via: http://www.brainpickings.org/index.php/2012/11/20/daily-routines-writers/
Karin Mecklenburg 