Your Pre-Writing Rituals
Posted by David Duhr in 
Discussion questions: Do you have any rituals, whether mental or physical, to get yourself into the writing headspace? Or to keep yourself there, once begun? If so, how do they help? Let us know in the comments.
A few weeks ago we talked about drinking alcohol while writing, and a few people commented or emailed to say they’ll pour a glass of wine (or brew a cup of coffee) before sitting down to write. It got me wondering whether you all have other pre-writing rituals, or even things you do to keep yourself in the zone once you’ve started writing.
I have a writer friend who works out before any writing session. She says the exercise–repetitive cardio, jogging or using an elliptical–calms and clears her mind. And once her mind is clear, she’ll begin thinking about her characters and what they should get up to next.
“By the time I’m done running,” she told me, “I just want to get home because I’m excited to write.”
Makes sense to me, mind/body/spirit and all that. You don’t have to go to the gym and do a whole thing. Even taking a walk around the block can be enough to get you in the right headspace.
I know another writer who insists on changing clothes before writing. If he wants to write in the morning and is wearing pajamas, he’ll put on clothes. If he wants to write after work, he’ll change into pajamas. If he wants to write in the middle of the day, he’ll change from clothes to clothes. (Though not at work…) The point, he says, is to shed the previous version of who he’s been that day and become a new version, the author version.
Which reminds me of my friend Drew, who never, ever writes unless he’s wearing a specific maroon hoodie. (I’ve smelled it. It’s bad.)
Here are some other pre-writing rituals I’ve heard of over the years:
Hanging upside-down: Lying on your back on a bed or a sofa with your head hanging off the edge. The theory is, it gets you seeing things differently than you normally do. Not a bad attribute when you’re writing.
Meditation: Similar to exercise. Clears your mind, calms you down.
Answering emails or doing other busywork: Distraction is something that keeps many of us from writing. It can be difficult to focus if all you can think about are the sixty-eight emails clogging your inbox. Also, email specifically can serve as a good warm-up, since you’re using the same tools (literally and figuratively) you’ll be using once you begin writing.
Mentally envisioning the entire scene/chapter, etc.: Some writers will go step by step through the scene or chapter they plan to write, imagining every single moment as if watching a movie. That way, if anything seems off, they can fix it in pre-production, so to speak, rather than have it trip them up while they write.
Reading: Seems obvious. A lot of writers read to get themselves in the mood.
Anything but reading: While other writers believe reading can sap some of the creative energy.
I don’t have any regular pre- (or during) writing rituals. Sometimes I make coffee, sometimes I don’t. Sometimes I’m in pajamas, sometimes I’m not. Sometimes I’ll clear emails and other nagging tasks, sometimes I won’t.
Do I want a pre-writing ritual? I guess I don’t feel a lack. But if there’s some activity out there that might help me get into a better writing headspace, I’d definitely go all-in on it.
How about you? Is there anything you do before a writing session to get yourself in the mood? If so, why?
And is there anything you do during a writing session to keep yourself in the mood?
Let’s share all of our secrets below!
WriteByNight co-founder David Duhr is fiction editor at the Texas Observer and co-host of the Yak Babies podcast, and has written about books for the Dallas Morning News, Electric Literature, Publishing Perspectives, and others.
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It isn’t a ritual, but I’ll generally clear my email boxes prior to starting to write. I know if I don’t, I’ll not get to it later and then I’ll have hundreds of things to delete. I’m gradually weeding out the continuous sales things from other authors and places like Best Buy. Like now, it’s 6 AM and I’m cleaning out my mail box out of habit. I’m ready for work and if I do this now, I’ll have a lot less to do this evening when I do sit down to work on my writing or website.
Barbara depending on the time I jump on I will also dedicate my first half hour or so to e-mails. the remainder of my time , which is three to four hours to write gobs of caffeine
helps loads. Prost, Stephen. .
Hey Steve. So, doing this helps you avoid distraction while you write?
That explains why you’re almost always the first to get here; 6 a.m., clearing your inbox. I’m glad you have this habit!
Do you usually write at night these days?
cleaning mailboxes great advice
Like you, I have no definite ritual, but I do need to reach a certain mental state to be able to write effectively. That state is a “calming down” that is my key to pass through the writing door. Often, I do the lesser, writing-related, chores that switch on my literary-creation mode. Those chores vary–writing emails, drafting a book review, drafting a blog post, etc. They generate a sympathetic energy that greatly eases my transition into a heavier project, like writing the novel. Once into the big project, my writing mood usually develops into a fervor, and I accomplish something… Read more »
“… but I do need to reach a certain mental state to be able to write effectively.” I’m glad you included “effectively.” That’s the thing for me; I’m usually able to write anytime/anywhere, but what would help is for me to figure out what happens before the occasions where I not only write but write effectively.
With the meditation plan, you mean you want to begin meditation sessions(?) with the specific purpose of getting yourself in that writing zone?
Yes, visualizing a good writing session in a 10 minute mediation before I start. The visualization should include the desire that what I write will ultimately help people in some way, if only in entertainment. Looking for a calm mind to help me reach the zone, also generate some positive karma. Couldn’t hurt.
Well, good luck. Let me know how it goes. I have full confidence you’ll manage to avoid the author’s old bugbear, writer’s meditation block.
LOL
Sometimes for editing, I would play a YouTube focusing meditation and tried YouTube creativity meditations for writing. They both seem to work as long as I play them very low.
Unfortunately, procrastination; checking emails, Quora views, a few quick games of chess or solitaire before I can convince myself to be productive.
The sometimes that I can get right to it are wonderful. If I could cut out the delaying tactics, I could write like King and get 10 pages done a day instead of 4 to 8 a week.
On the plus side; if I’m stalled, I either go back to my perifieral files and work on character development, motivations, interviews and such and look at my plot lines. After that, the story will flow again.
Is it possible the procrastination is beneficial in some way? Maybe you’re not able to be productive until you can “convince yourself” that it’s time. i.e., maybe if you started writing rather than procrastinating, it wouldn’t go very well. Instead of looking at it as procrastination, you might look at it as just a matter of clearing the (mental) decks.
Well, that certainly makes me feel a little better, less frustrated about it.
Sounds like you need to set a schedule and keep to it. That means at a set time you clean your mailbox for a certain amount of time then at a set time you write for a say an hour. You then take a 10 min. break and return to writing for another hour. You can set it up with alarms on your cell phone. It’s what I did until I got into a routine where I only allow an hour for my email before writing. The schedule forced me into productivity becuasenwhne tha alarm went off, I had to… Read more »
I wake up at 4ish every morning with only one thing on my creative mind–breakfast. To keep healthy, I prepare 1 egg + 1 white sauteed with fresh spinach and mushrooms, to keep happy, I scarf down a bowl of sweetened Cheerios soaked in almond milk followed by a mug of very black coffee. I read the opinion pages of the NY Post(very depressing) and complete Fred Piscop’s daily crossword (always fun). Only then do I allow myself to pull up the google doc chapter I left the day before. Most mornings I groan aloud; things like, “When am I… Read more »
I like it. Some morning “me” time before diving in. Plus the crossword probably not only gets the brain moving, but gets you thinking about words.
Exactly! when the news makes me and angry and the puzzle makes me thoughtful–I’m in the sweet spot for writing. that’s the 1st time I’ve thought of my mornings that way. Thanks, David
Now that it is just Shanna(my wife) and I, oh I can’t forget the neediest of all our children…Radar (our chihuahua). I’ve changed my writing atmosphere from a busy Starbucks or a sort of busy Boston Public Library to a peaceful, before everyone in the apartment building wakes up, 4:30 am or 5 am. I have produced cleaner and much more precise drafts. Of course, I thank the Big Guy Upstairs every morning after I do my wake-up routine, that is a MUST.
Ah, the early-morning/predawn writing session. I’ve had a few of those in my time. I love them. The quiet, the calm. Where does it happen? Do you have a good space in your apartment, maybe with a view?
I’m more like you, David. Just write whenever I can. It’s no ritual but often l’m Inspired by a sentence or two in a book on writing on some aspect that’s difficult for me. I used to be up around 6 a.m , got a cup of coffee and fave crackers, and, yes .. clear emails . Often the writing’ I’d do, was answering an email. Time ran away and before I knew it, my husband was out of bed and looking for breakfast. Now I’m doing more writing on my cellphone before giving up.
You write using a program on your phone, like Pages or Notes or some such? I’ve never tried that; I feel like it’d be a hassle, and/or I’d get sore thumbs. But I’ve heard of people writing entire books on their phones.
By “before giving up” do you just mean stopping for the day, or is there some despair behind that syntax?
I get up around 4 in the morning before anyone else and have a cup of coffee in my robe, sitting at the bar in my kitchen. I get more done in 1 hour after I wake up than any other time. Then I get ready for work and start my day
Hi Vivian. Do you feel more creative in the early-morning hours, or is “before anyone else” the key phrase?
It is both, actually. I work 10-12 hour days so writing at night, although I do try, is pretty uneventful. I feel too tired and foggy to be creative. But I am fresh in the morning. Once folks get up, then the TV is on, people want to talk to me, etc…so, doing in the morning – ALONE, is the very best way for me to put out quality paragraphs. :)
I have no pre-writing ritual