Writing Rituals

Every writer has a ritual that puts him or her in the mood for writing. For example, American writer John Cheever donned his suit every morning, rode the elevator down to his basement office, and then stripped to his undies to write. When Cheever went back upstairs for lunch or at the end of the day, he put on his suit again. Stephen King starts his morning with a cup of tea and a vitamin before sitting down in the same seat with his papers arranged in the same way. He says that this consistency signifies that it’s time to work. Gertrude Stein used to sit inside her parked car and write poems on scraps of paper. And, every morning, Alexander Dumas ate an apple under the Arc de Triomphe before he went home to write.

 

My personal ritual for beginning a day of writing at work is to check e-mail and scan the job folders on my desk, becoming familiar with the projects that the day will entail. I then prioritize the projects physically by putting the job folders in order, most pressing on top, and making note of which projects in e-mail are most important. Then I think about the projects while I do something mindless, like check personal e-mail or check out Facebook. Then I’m ready to start writing.

 

When I write outside of work, say when I’m writing a blog post for my personal blog, my ritual is the same. I need something that doesn’t require much focus in order to clear my mind and become focused for writing. After my e-mail–Facebook ritual, I begin research for my blog post; then I often get up from my desk and move around for 10 minutes, thinking about what I want to say, before I start writing.

 

Every writer will tell you that his or her ritual is imperative to starting off on the right foot. If the ritual is interrupted, then the entire day feels off-kilter, and the ability to focus is lessened or lost.

 

A large part of writing is thinking. James Thurber, whose vision was impaired, often composed his work in his head, whether he was socializing at a party or sitting with his family at the dinner table. Later in life, he spent the mornings composing his text in his head; then, in the afternoon, he dictated the text to his secretary.

 

I often find myself tossing around ideas in my head for how to word a clever lead or headline, or even composing would-be plots for books or short stories. If I’m stuck on how to make something mundane sound interesting or exciting, I get up from my desk, go outside and walk around for 10 minutes. For whatever reason, the words come to me during this time, and when I go back inside, I sit down and start typing what I’ve already drafted in my head. The key for me is getting up from my desk; staring at a computer screen does no good.

When I’m stuck on ideas for headlines or taglines, I turn to the Internet. I look at websites from other companies in the industry, becoming more familiar with the industry as a whole. Then I get up, go outside and start thinking.

If writing comes difficult for you, try developing a ritual that signals to your brain, “it’s time to write.” If you already have a writing ritual, then I’m curious: What is it?