GLASGOW-based theatre-maker Gary McNair was awarded a Fringe First for his Letters To Morrissey, a touching, funny and beautifully crafted story show exploring idol worship and growing up in working-class Scotland. McNair’s Locker Room Talk, his verbatim show about what men say about women, also drew considerable acclaim. The Traverse associate artist lets us in on his day.

7.30AM: Breakfast together as a family, including current favourite activities such as squishing blueberries for the porridge, singing songs about what we’re eating and pretending Elmo is on the phone (the phone in this case is a banana). Couple of story books, couple of games, a jigsaw or two and try to find a new answer for “why is it raining again?” that doesn’t leave me too depressed.

9.30AM: Get on my bike and cycle to a cafe with my laptop and a notepad. Spend the cycle convincing myself that today is the day I stop drinking coffee. By the time I arrive I feel like a strong, independent human that takes his buzz from life, not caffeine.

9.45AM: Arrive at cafe. Order coffee. Start to feel a bit of self-loathing for this decision but then coffee arrives and I realise that coffee is brilliant and I should never question that again.

10AM: Open laptop. Get going. This week I’ve been starting some new writing and organising a fun event. The event is a pun contest: The Champipunship, which I started a few years ago and now hold annually at the ABC in Glasgow. It’s a huge amount of fun. I’m finalising contestants, drawing my visual puns for the picture round and dreaming up songs for the house band (The Pun Lovin’ Criminals) to perform.

NOON: Back on the bike. Head home to my office. Change of project, change of space. I’m getting started on a new piece of theatre I’m writing. As I’m at the very beginning of a project, getting going can take any form. Reading books, watching films, listening to music, doodling – anything that allows me to let thoughts flow and my imagination run. Today that is listening to podcasts and tidying my office (I’ve let my office get very crowded with the remnants of now completed plays, so to get started on something new, the decks must be cleared).

1PM: Office tidied and it now feels like a creative space. I notice that the rain has stopped so I go for a walk outside. Going for a walk really helps my thinking and ideas start to flow. I stop on a bench and take some notes, which I will take back home to help me get writing. I write really well with music on. Today is a Joni Mitchell day. Write for a few hours.

5.30PM: Dinner as a family. The rain is still off so we jump at the opportunity to go to the park and play a little game of basketball (our two-year old’s favourite activity at the moment) while there is still enough light in the evening sky to do so. Walk back along to the house playing some awesome songs (seriously, if you have kids, or even if you don’t, listen to Caspar Babypants, he’s awesome) from my phone and we can smell some fires on in people’s houses. I love autumn.

8PM: The wee one is in bed and we are on the sofa, waiting as quietly as we can before the supersonic ears upstairs are asleep so we can catch up with each other and watch some sitcoms.

10PM: Start the tidy up.

11PM: Bed. Regret drinking coffee. Tomorrow I’ll definitely stop the coffee.