Daily Routines

Robert Lowell

What he did all day was lie on a bed—he liked working on beds—revising his revisions. With a bottle of milk! He had a double bed in his study because he was such a large man he really needed to sprawl and see all the pages.

Read more in Robert Lowell kept a double bed in his study

Derek Walcott

From 1985:

To live next door to Walcott, even for a week is to understand how he has managed to be so productive over the years. A prodigious worker, he often starts at about 4:30 in the morning and continues until he has done a four- or five-hour stint—by the time most people are getting up for the day.

Read more in Derek Walcott on the necessity of ritual