Writing rituals

[IsabellaEmily]

What are the things you do while writing?

Either practical things or things that help you get into a writing headspace.

I try to wear something sexy (usually panties) to get in the spirit of the project.

I'll get some sort of white noise going (thunderstorms or train trip sounds).

I get coffee, and make sure that the laundry is started and the dishwasher is running so I don't have too many chores hanging over my head.

What are some of your practical or headspace rituals?

 

[BobbyBrandt]

What are the things you do while writing?

Either practical things or things that help you get into a writing headspace.

I try to wear something sexy (usually panties) to get in the spirit of the project.

I'll get some sort of white noise going (thunderstorms or train trip sounds).

I get coffee, and make sure that the laundry is started and the dishwasher is running so I don't have too many chores hanging over my head.

What are some of your practical or headspace rituals?

I simply need to get comfortable physically and eliminate distractions as much as possible.

I can write almost anywhere as long as I am situated in a position that doesn't cause me to shift or move around too much (such as sitting cross-legged or leaning against an unstable object). The longer that I can remain comfortable in a position, the more the writing juices will flow.

 

[ElectricBlue]

No rituals. I either start writing, or I'm doing something else. Writing fits in where it does, an hour here, an hour there, but I don't do anything to force it. It either flows or it doesn't, and when it doesn't, I know sooner or later, it will.

 

[KeithD]

I like to have something to drink and I like to have total silence.

 

[Seadog777]

I turn off the TV.
I light a scented candle. (Yes, I'm an American Redneck and I love scented candles)
That's the only light I have in the room.
Utter silence, other than whatever the weather is doing outside.

 

[Kumquatqueen]

I get my phone out. That's it. Waiting in line at the chemist or bank can result in a couple paragraphs.

 

[AwkwardlySet]

Time and motivation is all I need, the rest is almost irrelevant. I require my desktop PC for that though. I can't write on phones, tablets or even laptops.

 

[ElectricBlue]

I get my phone out. That's it. Waiting in line at the chemist or bank can result in a couple paragraphs.

Queue sex, huh? Very British .

 

[Kumquatqueen]

Queue sex, huh? Very British .

Luckily I've only ever been to Fenchurch St Station once, and didn't need a ticket.

(So long, and thanks for all the fish)

 

[EmilyMiller]

What are the things you do while writing?

What are some of your practical or headspace rituals?

I don’t really have any. I write on my phone, so I could be in bed, or lying on the sofa, or at my desk at work on a slow day.

For the same reason, I don’t have anything i particularly wear, or drink, or eat.

I suppose the only constant is that - rather embarrassingly - I get a bit turned on by what I write, which can lead in obvious directions.

Em

 

[IsabellaEmily]

I don’t really have any. I write on my phone, so I could be in bed, or lying on the sofa, or at my desk at work on a slow day.

For the same reason, I don’t have anything i particularly wear, or drink, or eat.

I suppose the only constant is that - rather embarrassingly - I get a bit turned on by what I write, which can lead in obvious directions.

Em

Same here. But I write/work at home, so getting turned on is rarely inconvenient. In fact it's often a very good thing.

Since my goal is to write the sort of stories I want to read, I use my own arousal as a sort of litmus test. If it doesn't make me a bit turned on it's garbage. And if it makes me squirm then I know I'm on the right track.

IzzyEm

 

[EmilyMiller]

Same here. But I write/work at home, so getting turned on is rarely inconvenient. In fact it's often a very good thing.

I work from home three days a week - as does my boyfriend (though he also travels for business). We try to align

Since my goal is to write the sort of stories I want to read, I use my own arousal as a sort of litmus test. If it doesn't make me a bit turned on it's garbage. And if it makes me squirm then I know I'm on the right track.

With you. If it doesn’t turn me on… right?

JustEm

 

[EmilyMiller]

Luckily I've only ever been to Fenchurch St Station once, and didn't need a ticket.

(So long, and thanks for all the fish)

I got inducted into H2G2 when in London. Not complaining mind you.

Em

 

[SamScribble]

What are the things you do while writing?

I often like to have some music playing. Mainly jazz. Instrumental. No vocals. And having a cup of coffee nearby can be quite reassuring.

 

[tenyari]

Usually something genre fitting going on around me, or in the moment where a dream memory is strong.

For my recent stories that take place in Mexico - I would put on videos of contemporary Mexican music. I'd write down notes if some of the lyrics in a given song inspired me. And then see if I could insert a scene around my notes.

In the past, a lot of times it's just been having some music going, maybe a video going, and looking over notes of a dream I'd had at some point. When some idea starts flooding my head I try to make sure to at least jot it down.

No regular ritual to the actual writing. More to the pre-writing.

 

[ronde]

I write mostly at night because I don't watch much TV. I might listen to music that fits into what I'm writing about, but usually it's just quiet. I write on my desktop because I don't like laptops and my fingers are too big to key a phone keypad with any accuracy at all. Once I have an ending and a plot , I prefer to just write what I think my characters would be doing and saying without any outside distractions to pull me out of the story in my head.

 

[HeyAll]

None. I write in between flipping through multiple tabs on my browser.

 

[Jackie.Hikaru]

I get my phone out. That's it. Waiting in line at the chemist or bank can result in a couple paragraphs.

I do the same. I have my work in a folder on my onedrive and whenever I have dead time I pop up the draft on my phone and write.

I also write at home on a laptop but home is not a private or quiet place for me. A packed metro is my sanctuary

 

[JaxRhapsody]

I turn off the TV.
I light a scented candle. (Yes, I'm an American Redneck and I love scented candles)
That's the only light I have in the room.
Utter silence, other than whatever the weather is doing outside.

is that candle 7.3 Powerstroke and Tire Smoke?

 

[JaxRhapsody]

I just smoke ciggs when I write, if I'm somewhere I can do it, since I write on my phone. I actually went to work on something I need my writing laptop for, last week, and the screen seems to have taken the piss. I guess I could try the one I put One Drive on. Dealing with that laptop is why it takes so long for me to finish the stories I have on here.

 

[Seadog777]

is that candle 7.3 Powerstroke and Tire Smoke?

I prefer the gassy smell of my 7500 Running Watt Champion Generator, but lately, I've been enjoying a Bourbon Pecan Pie Candle by Mainstay.