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Wow–I just found a great link to an article on 50 Awesome Open Source Resources for Writers. Check it out here, you won’t regret it. Something for everyone. I can’t wait to start playing around with some of them.
So, while we’re on the subject of writing, I thought I’d ask what your writing rituals are. My question is inspired by one from the ever-attentive Cindi Hoppes who wondered awhile back about writers habits, special foods etc.. The great thing about writing rituals is that they’re different for everyone and show how writing itself is different for everyone, there is no one way/only way to do it.
My rituals are pretty simple. A really good, really smooth ball point pen (not a pencil, no, no, no, nor a felt tip, though I know my friend Monda feels differently), a lined pad or one of my great National Brand chemistry lab notebooks with the numbered pages (another Monda find–you can order them here) and something to drink, coffee, water, or diet coke depending on the time of day. This last necessity is more to keep me from worrying my nails than anything else. I don’t actually eat food when I’m working, but that’s only because when I eat, I try to be mindful about it and focus on the food and when I’m writing I focus on that alone, of course.
So, fellow scribes, weigh in. What are your writing rituals?
Bye y’all,
SV
Thanks very much for asking my question. I appreciate your answers and hope to see more comments. Cindi
I like the quilt icon! Cindi
Sacred Ritual #1: Write in a place where I can move around. A lot.
Sacred Ritual #2: Go for a walk first. If I know I’m writing after the walk, most of the writing is done by the time I finally get to the paper and I’m in a hurry to get it all down.
Sacred Ritual #3: Coffee, even if it’s instant-no-caf-nasty.
Sacred Ritual #4: Use a chemistry notebook, a Moleskine XL cahier, or one of my typewriters. Never, never, never first-draft on the computer.
Sacred Ritual #5: Uniball Signo 207s in black only. I have no idea how anyone writes with ballpoint pens. Pencils are worse – I’d rather write with sidewalk chalk than a #2 pencil.
Sacred Ritual #6: Write very early in the morning. I’m up at 4:45 just for that reason.
Sacred Ritual #7: Thursday coffee shop scribbles. It gives me balance and can include almost all the other six rituals.
What a wonderful array of rituals. I especially like #7!
Coffee Shop Scribbles. Thanks so much for sharing.
Cindi
1. Like Monda, I always draft with pen and paper first. Always.
2. Take it outside. I love sitting on a bench my the fountain at school (and the fountain when I was at UCA) to write. Good things come out of it, but also lots of water imagery.
3. Read a bit of either my stuff or someone else’s (I’ve been in to Galway Kinnell recently) and get some ideas for innovative line breaks and rhythms. This is nearly always a must.
4. Keep a scribbling notebook. I always walk around with a notebook just to write down ideas, lines, titles, character sketches–not necessarily full drafts of poems or essays but ideas for later.
I’m glad you’re better, Steph!
Another scribbler! I am learning so much from you wonderful ladies/writers! Writing by a fountain sounds lovely. If you ladies are Mothers, Godmothers, Aunts,
etc., I wish you all a very “Happy Mother’s Day!” Cindi