Writing Rituals

When most people hear the word ritual, visions of black cloaks, candles, daggers and chanting automatically spring to mind. However this post is about writing rituals. By all means, if candles and chanting are your thing, go for it! Incorporate it into your writing ritual. In fact, I’ve been known to clutch desperately to a crystal while begging the Gods and Goddesses to help me turn my latest pile of drivel into something suitable for human consumption, on more than one occasion. But for today’s post, I want to talk about the benefits of having a writing ritual, and how to create one.

Benefits of Having a Writing Ritual

1. Having a writing ritual can help get you into the groove for writing. If you consistently follow the same ritual, eventually you will train your brain to automatically prepare for writing. Small disclaimer, if you have a particularly obstinate brain such as mine, it may take multiple weeks to kick your brain into gear…seriously, I’ve trained puppies faster!

2. Rituals provide you with a sense of being in control. You know exactly what you are going to do and when. You are in control of kicking your mind into gear, and for a control freak like me, this is heaven!

3. I’ve found that having a ritual helps to reduce anxiety about writing. I know exactly what I am going to do and where I am headed. By the time I sit down to write, I am already prepared and there is no uncertainty. As someone who suffers from anxiety, this benefit is invaluable. Too many times I have gotten so anxious about writing, that I simply didn’t do it.

4. I don’t know about you, but I can really relate to that facebook meme: “My brain is like an internet browser. 17 tabs are open, 9 of them aren’t responding, there are thousands of popups and I have no idea where that annoying music is coming from”. Having a ritual can help get rid of mental clutter and frees your mind to focus on writing.

5. As a direct result of the first 4 benefits, a 5th benefit arises. Having a writing ritual will expedite your entire writing process. You will be writing more regularly and more efficiently. Come at me success!!!!

Now that you have seen the benefits, I’m sure you are chomping at the bit to dive in and create your own ritual. Ultimately your ritual is personal to you and your needs, but I have a few tips to help get you started.

Organise your office space – I know, I know…you’re the creative type, you live in organised chaos and the thought of having to organise your writing space is about as appealing as doing a 50 metre sprint over hot coals. I hear ya, believe me! But the harsh reality is that a lack of organisation can keep you from being a productive writer and zap your creativity. So here are a few things you can do to organise your office as part of your ritual

1. Remove unnecessary items form your desk each day before you start writing. You can still keep all your knick-knacks and inspirational items on your desk (we all have them), but anything that doesn’t inspire you, or isn’t necessary to the writing process, has no place on your desk. I am no minimalist; I have multiple things on my desk that are purely there because I enjoy looking at them and they make me happy.

2. Organise your drawers and files. While it can be tempting to just shove everything in your desk drawer (I’m not the only one who does this right?), part of being organised means being able to access things easily. Try and maintain some sort of semblance in your drawers so you don’t spend precious time looking for a paper clip or your stapler.

3. Clean up your computer files. It may seem like a daunting task, but getting your files in order is a great way to keep you organised and focused. Sort each work in progress into its own folder with every document relating to it. It’s better than searching through a hundred files saved to your desktop!

4. Remove everything from your office that doesn’t need to be there. You’ve already done this for your desk, so expand out and do the same for your office.

Write the Same Time Every Day – there are two ways you can do this. If you benefit from a strict routine, then schedule in an exact time that you will write every day and stick to it! But if you are more like me and not quite as rigid with your routine, you could plan it around another event. For example, I like to write for an hour as soon as I wake up, and then write again of a night time once the kidlets are in bed. Instead of assigning a time, I assign my writing to the completion of a task. Regardless of which option you choose, pick your optimal time and stick to it. Once it becomes part of your ritual, it will become second nature to pick up a pen and smash out that creative genius!

Prepare Yourself – make sure you prepare yourself the same way every day before writing. I like to do my hair and makeup to make myself feel ready for the day, then slip into some comfy clothes and take my dogs for a nice long walk before sitting down to write. This simple step in my ritual makes sure I feel prepared to write, and cuts down on time spent mentally preparing myself (translation: staring blankly at my computer screen wondering what I am going to have for dinner)

Prepare Your Area – this step is all about making sure you have everything you need to sit down and write. For example, I always play some soft music that matches the mood of the scene I will be working on (You know someone is about to die when I crank up the Rammstein). I also brew myself a pot of my favourite herbal tea (peppermint in case you’re curious) and make sure to have a good supply of snacks. Obviously when preparing snacks, make sure it is something you can easily eat without having to stop writing. Maybe a few lollies if you’re a sweet tooth or a bowl of nuts or grapes if that is more to your taste (I’m totally this healthy *cough*).

Set a Daily and Monthly Word Count Goal – Word count goals are a great motivator and if incorporated into your ritual, will really expedite your writing process. Make sure to set your daily goal realistically so that you consistently hit that magic number. Decide how long you would like to write for per day, then sit down and write for this time period once a day for 2 weeks. Keep track of how many words you write in that time block and average it out. For example, you may set aside an hour to write each day, and in that hour you get an average of 250 words written. Great! Set that as your daily goal because you have already proven you can consistently reach it. When it comes to your monthly goal, push yourself a little harder. You already know you can write 250 words an hour, but some days you will write for longer than an hour. Inspiration will hit and you won’t want to stop (I wish). So instead of setting your monthly goal at 7750 (for a 31 day month) set it for 9000. You’ll be surprised how often you write more than your daily goal. You may even find you can increase your monthly goal even more! It’s ok to challenge yourself, just make sure you keep it realistic.

Most Importantly – Give Yourself a Break! – Building a routine takes time, and to start with, it will feel like pulling teeth! Procrastination is a given (especially if you’re me) and it can be easy to fall back into bad habits. But if you stick to it, eventually it will become second nature and you will be smashing out word counts high enough to make your head spin!