Before I begin to write (or draw) there are always one or two things I have to do to make my studio comfy. Like…
1. Put on my writing slippers. They’re nothing special, just grey and knitted and baggy, not from a specialist ‘writing attire’ shop or anything. They don’t have ‘writer’ in purple sequins across the toe (although that would be fab!), but they are warm and when I write I wear them (see pic below).
2. Adjust my chair, which involves three minutes of height testing and plumping cushions. I’ve discovered that the best way to do this is to throw them on the floor and pummel them with my fists or launch a few kicks with the old writing slippers (see above).
3. Make tea. This is a long and complicated process, as any true tea connoisseur knows, and involves a lot of pot warming, water boiling and grumbling because my favourite mug is always dirty and festering in the dishwasher and I have to clean it by hand because no other mug will do!
4. Adjust the angle of my Venetian blinds so the light is just right. OK, so I know this sounds a little obsessive, but too far one way and the slats block my inspirational view of the hills, too far the other and all I can see are shed roofs and bins.
5. Make a Spotify playlist… for each chapter! Yes, I spend far too many hours ensuring that the musical mood in the studio completely suits the emotional mood of my characters. Hours and hours and hours!
6. Yoga (sort of). A horrible thought will invariably pop into my head: I’m about to sit still for an awfully long time, so I guess I should exercise at bit first. I will lean over and touch my knees (my toes being rather far away and a little over-ambitious), then wriggle my shoulders or stand on one leg. I might turn my head left and right, down and up, which is the moment I will notice…
7. Cobwebs to be vacuumed. I have a lot of cobwebs and dust bunnies – those clusters of fluff that look so cute as they scud across the floor (see pic below). I do clean from time to time but must admit I let the domestic chores slip a little when I’ve got a new book idea or a looming deadline. So, I don’t mind some dust and dirt, just as long as it’s not dangling over my desk. Totally distracting! 
And finally…
8. E-mail, Blog, Facebook and Tweet. I get all that messaging and chatting malarkey out of my system, which usually takes about an hour (or three) by which time I’m in need of another cup of tea, a quick stretch (to my shins this time), a swift punch of the chair cushions and tweak of the blinds. Actually, now that I think about it, how do I ever get my books written?!!!
What’s your routine before (or instead of) working?
Listen to music, eat some candy and find a comfortable position =) Is enough to me
Great! But only this much is not enough for some people.
yahh i agree
I read your blog and thought how lucky you are to have the time to get your mind around writing! I have a single hour each morning to write before I go off to my day job so aside from making coffee and getting my emails read, I have trained myself to plow ahead, no matter what. I’m usually planning my writing session while I’m in R.E.M.; as in if I’m going to use my hour to work on my blog, write an essay, submit an essay, polish my MS, submit my MS. Back when I was writing the MS, of course, that’s all I worked on.
Marisa
http://www.steppingintothewater.wordpress.com
Definitely what you outlined in your post! Tea Making, Clearing the Decks, +candy eating. It helps me to go to a coffee shop or library sometimes though.
hehe great post cathy! hmm… before i write i usually have to have food for thought, so i skip over to the dairy for licorice or chocolate, and then i have to set up my rather large amount of cushions on the garage roof or in the backyard. i find it excessively hard to write when it rains because the fresh air to me feels inspirational and it’s hard to write inside stuffy rooms in the house. (crickey) so i will bike or walk or catch a ride to the library instead. hehe. and, of course, i MUST have the perfect music, or my writing will freeze like water in the plug at winter. come to think of it, it takes alot of time to get ready before writing. probably more time than the actual writing does! XD
Me, listen to one song over and over, once i get into the writing ‘zone’ i’m gone totally. hehe
I write really fast and can do 1000 words easyly in an hour if i’m in the right Zone.
Funny post and drawings by the way x
Well, to be honest, I don’t really get into a writing mood. I feel like if i don’t write straight away, and pay too much attention to my surroundings, then i lose the passion and inspriation i had in the first place. I just like plonking myself down and typing or scrawling away, because when i get an idea into my head, i just want to write about it!!! Great post, leah xox
Brill post!
To get myself in the writing “mood”, I often grab some popcorn, crisps, sweets, cookies and doughnuts if there are any available. I also HAVE to have the laptop right next to me, for “inspirational” purposes (when I say “inspirational”, I mean checking my emails every two seconds!) I also have to have my whole book shelf behind me, otherwise I feel a bit deflated. I also have to have my glasses on-I don’t know, there’s something about my glasses that gives me spurts of ideas.
Sometimes I have to be in a bad mood, because then all the words just come flowing out.
And for a really good idea, like Jacqueline Wilson, I have to have a little dip in the water. When I say “a little dip”, I mean a whole session in Willesden Sports Center. Then I go down into the water and close my eyes and have a think. I find thinking easier when my heads in the water-it’s so calm and peaceful, and my favorite position is the mushroom float. (When you hold your knees to your chest and curl yourself up into a ball and then sink to the bottom of the water)
I also have to have read a really good book or watched a really good movie and have gone on Girls Heart Books to reply to the great posts!
Oh and some BRILLIANT tunes HAVE to be playing in the background!
And that’s how I get ideas what I do before I write!
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This is a great post by the way!
Hehe, great post! I really enjoyed reading it! As long as I have music playing in the background, a comfy chair and the internet is working OK I am fine!
Great post! I have a serious deadline looming – so I’ve taken to getting up, showering and then getting back in bed to write – if I go any deeper into the house I’ll get distracted by too many things. Facebook etc are must do’s though before the writing begins! xx
I don’t really have a routine. When I feel like writing. I write. When I don’t I don’t. There is one thing I have 2 do before writing… Slam my door shut and tell my brother to keep out or else!!!
Fab post!!!
X
Love this!
A good brew and an hour of dossing definitely needs to be got out of the way to start with. I don’t know how I ended up coming across this post but you can probably trade this across all kinds of creative types.
That’s funny. My ritual has fewer and more synthetic steps.
How you get your books written with a routine like that is an easily begged question. Ha. Whatever works for you. That seems to be the only common denominator in writing routines.
I think we writers can relate to parts (read: ALL) of your post. We tend to be an obsessive compulsive bunch, don’t we?
LOVE the personality of your dust bunnies, BTW…
Awesome post, released some good chuckles. I don’t write books, all I write is my blog. Back in the day I would write poetry, I have a books-worth of those, and I just wrote it anywhere but mostly when I was in a bad mood. Anger and frustration made the best poems for me. No food allowed when I write and I OCD-ingly brush off my desk a hundred times because every crumb that gets under my pinky when I write drives me mad. Oh, and no shoes. Too constricting. Congrats on FP!
In this weather I have to wear my dressing gown as the room in which I write hasn’t got heating! At least I never feel any cramp I may get in my fingers…
I have lots of writing/drawing rituals! Too many to point. I like yours!
You’re going to hate me: wake up, start a pot of coffee, turn on the piano, sit down.
Different kind of keyboard, same general idea …
You are wonderful writer. I loved your writing.
I just go for a walk alone before start writing. I think I need to spend some time with myself to get the best thought out of my mind before start writing.
Thank you for this post.
Love it! My routine – call everyone who’s available to talk, change into comfy yoga pants and thermal shirts with socks, and of course, send a random FB status update or Tweet, lol!
Fantastic post, I am exactly the same with my pre-writing rituals. Although I always have to eat a little snack before I begin anything (and have snacks prepared for the inevitable hunger pangs halfway through). Oh and I wear my zebra print dressing gown too
It’s comfy and warm (especially important when you are a student living in student housing and thus a lack of heating!)
Congratulations on being Freshly Pressed!
Unfortunately, I tend to be a binge artist. I might not paint, draw, or write for months and then all of a sudden I’m up all night finishing the perfect piece or twelve.
My “routine” probably goes something like this:
1. Hear or read something I like.
2. Spend the day obsessing about it.
3. Go to bed.
4. Think of several new projects that have something to do with the thing I liked.
5. Realize I’m not going to sleep at all until I get it out of my system.
6. Crack out the laptop/paints/pastels and just go until I’m done.
This is hilarious. And I thought I procrastinated too much.
Oh god… Everything must be done. I cant afford to waste time wondering if I’d actually finished the dishes, organized my room, have clean clothes, and ect. ad infinidum. I must have ALL ELSE FINISHED, before i get to the peace of mind i personally require in order to create — at which point i invariably am starving, so i make food (see dishes, item one on my list).
You captured my attention all the way to the “Funny end.” For me it is more simple in writing my poetry. All I have to do is just remember. Which gets harder and harder for a guy getting ready to turn 70. Congrats on being chosen for “Freshly Pressed,” love the illustrations too.
Wow, you really do prepare or as I like to put it, get into writing mode. I’m a writer, and unlike you, I can’t have radio, drinks, TV, nothing. I have to zone into it in total silence. I have to make sure everyone is out of the house, and then I can go to work. BUT, I do have a very bad habit once I begin to write. When a block comes upon me, I get up and get a snack. NOT good. Ah well, what can a writer do? We’re a special bunch.
Val
http://valentinedefrancis.wordpress.com
Nice post, thanks for sharing. I suppose it’s more frequent for writers to be procrastinators than not! I get obsessed with working out small kinks like a name I’m trying to remember or something so minute that I can’t seem to get myself to bypass and come back to at a later time. My biggest thing to do before I start my writing is to get on the web and check emails. As you noted, this takes a LOT of time! I also tend to have various food supplies within arms reach.
Mine goes something like this -
Inform parents that I am about to start revising and they must not disturb me because I will fail my exams.
Hunt for mug, make tea.
Go to room, close door, put on ‘revision music’, open folder and place in front of computer.
Open Word Doc and start writing.
Whenever someone comes in, put folder in front of laptop and pretend to be doing schoolwork.
Rinse and repeat….
Congrats on freshly Pressed!
Make a cup of tea, coffee or hot cocoa – depending on the mood. Turn on some ambient music to fill the background of my mind, get in comfy clothing and pound my fingers on the keyboard.
Haha so much work just to get ready! This is a great list but I feel sometimes that you just have to write whenever, wherever.
But yeah, your #1 made me laugh…writing slippers just for writing lol.
Funny way of writing, loved reading your article.
Great!
I grab my coat and leave town!!!!
This is way too perfect. Especially the “make a Spotify playlist…for each chapter!!”
Heheh I agree with the tea and making playlists!
Congratulations on being Freshly Pressed!
Love your writing preparation. Before I start writing the kitchen needs to be clean as do the bathrooms, I can never write until I have consumed at least two cups of coffee which also necessitate several visits to the loo. By which time I discover I am hungry, so it is off to the kitchen to make some lunch, then clean up again. Another cup of coffee, a quick read of emails, FB etc, maybe a newspaper or a book, just for inspiration. And then the children come in from school and once again I discover that I have written nothing. I am a cunctator extraordinaire.
I never knew it was such a complicated process… lol I just take my notepad and a pencil. BAM.
I do have a special place though and I love writing outside..
Hi,
Me, I need silence and bad mood.that’s not easy at all in this big city.
Great post by the way, very funny.
thanx
kellouza.wordpress.com
I used to try and do all my prep to make things just right, but it never worked for me. Now I just grab my old battered notepad and either shut myself away in my room with music on to drown out any noise or go and drive to a quiet spot so I can write in peace. I also find that nothing makes me want to put pen to paper more than having other things to do instead. >_<
It’s funny I ended up on this post, this is a part of my routine before doing maths homework… urhm *cough*. Even this was after surfing blogs on the internet, then watching An idiot abroad to some tea and biscuit, then surfing the internee for lolz, then watching An idiot abroad for dinner, then coming here. The maths homework is gathering dust.
Great post! I can relate, maybe not with writing specifically but being a professional lazy person, this is what I do, all day, everyday XD.
I like to line everything up that I’m going to be using, stupid I know because I’m only going to move it again. But I feel better if it’s all lined up at the beginning!
Wow! What a fun and too fun read. My favorite pre-post routine, especially now the weather has gotten dreadful is a piping hot bowl of oatmeal. Keep up the funny business.
d. durand
http://mittenmouthmusic.wordpress.com
Oh man, this made me laugh – thank you!!
What a wonderful post. I know something about distractions becuase I’m distracted right now, actually.
Sounds like you can procrastinate writing even better than I can. Cute illustrations, btw!
wow that’s a lot of steps
for me just hear a song and get in a point that the ideas just bloom in my mind
a relax song :3
I hop on WordPress, looking at Freshly Pressed posts, jealously wishing mine was picked… Congrats
Your routine proves one thing, you are a professional writer. I may try your routine next time I feel a twinge of writer’s block. First, I need to borrow those socks . . .
This sounds eerily like what I do before working on school assignments.
Sans tea though. I do not have the ability to gradually sip a warm beverage the way all the work that goes into making it merits. Sipping on a tall coffee? Heck no, it’s gulp gulp gulp. Mug of hot tea with a swirl of honey? The second it’s cool enough, that mug’s contents are gone. Which means I don’t usually go to the bother of creating a delicious such cup of beverage, because I know it will be gone in a couple swallows.
And as to the music: agreed! Must have the special mood-setting music in the background. Must. For hours.
Don’t get me started on my favorite pair of fuzzy socks, which I need to keep the blood in my feet warm and circulating fresh ideas to my head… At least, that’s how I rationalize it!
Great post!
Oh my goodness, I have found kindred spirits.
hahaha, great list. Reminds me of an Ellen Degeneris bit about procrastination. I think I should go put on my writing slippers. I’m not writing anything, but it sure is chilly in my house and a great excuse to wear froggy slippers
I like the slippers idea. Put something on that symbolizes work… (sorry it doesnt work much for you, hahaha) Nice post
For me the list includes, 1) have I checked in on 4Sq yet? Dang, how long is it going to take to get my mayorship back? 2) Better check Outlook, oh, those are good story tips, I should bookmark this. 3) That reminds me, when is the next lunar eclipse?, 4) I should decide the topic for next week’s Science Monday, 5) Oh, I meant to read that article on the plane,…..on and on. I feel like the dogs in the animated film, “Up”, everytime someone says ‘squirrel’, I’m off on a meaningless chase instead of writing….exactly like I’m doing now.
Tea = a absolutely creative necessity!
Good ritual… mine is 1) Write 2) Write 3) Just Write…… and 4) Dont think, just write and try to create a pasitive message!
- http://www.allamericanclothing.com
I do your exact routine before I pay bills online, as well as before I write… Total connection to this post!
I don’t have any ritual but I notice that I like silence. Some people can do their work in noise. I like the write in zero noise.
I often too spend a lot of time saying, “Yeah, I’ll just… check Facebook.” Goodbye day of writing. haha. Unless I’m on a deadline. As in, your revised story is due in an hour and you have just returned home from a night of partying. Ah, midnight deadlines are awesome. Nothing like sitting down, slightly drunk, to try to salvage a story about local Christmas events.
I have the same sort of rituals! It truly does help me in the writing process. Whether it’s just mental or superstitious it works.
I do number 1, 2, 3, and 8 as well.
From a psychological point of view having rituals like this will facilitate the writing process quite a lot because your brain knows ok now its writing time lets retrieve everything i might need.
I’m tragically hit with inspiration at the most inappropriate times, like when it’s time to put the kids to bed, or when it’s the middle of the night and I should be asleep.
However, music is a huge factor. If you don’t get the right mood going with the music, you can completely lose the inspiration!
Great post!
Those dust bunnies are actually pretty cute. I see you have light colored hair.
…now that I’m breaking them down, it’s all starting to seem a lot less alluring.
Procrastination always works for me(:
Well…as long as the goal is “make myself think I’ve done something productive”
1. Acquire season appropriate beverage.
2. Check email, delete spam. Delete more spam. Realize I’ve deleted all my email. Shrug.
3. Dream of retiring on royalties.
4. Check my book sales on Amazon. Realize that I cannot yet retire on my royalties.
5. Check my blogs, battle a troll or two.
6. Write.
7. Dream of retiring on royalties.
8. Write.
9. Repeat.
I always make coffee – also a long process as have to microwave milk as well as percolate the coffee – and nearly always wear a washington dc sweatshirt. It started last year when my novel was set in DC, and I had this new sweatshirt that I loved and happened to wear it one day when writing and that was the beginning of a new friendship. Now I have a different DC sweatshirt and a different novel, also set in DC. I didn’t mean for that habit to start, it just sort of happened!
For my last novel I also had a playlist… but it developed over many months and I’m not there yet for this one…
Jogging pants for me are a definite must. I need to be able to tuck my feet underneath me and I absolutely refuse to that in anything denim! Have you read Steven Pressfield’s the War of Art? I think you would make him proud with your routine and diligence for writing! Cute post!!
So…when does the writing come in?!
Great post! Congrats on being Freshly Pressed!
You sound like me
My house always ends up spotless when I am supposed to be writing or drawing.
Love the dust bunnies!
This is adorable. You have a wonderful gift for writing. Delightful.
You’re a genius. A routine is exactly what’s needed. I tend to have lots of tea, and I have always believed there is at lest one novel in all of us. It’s just a matter getting it out. thanks for the tips.
I read a blog and make myself a coffee and send text messages saying I won’t be able to reply to texts whether urgent or not ‘coz I’ll be in my writing mode and then post a status on FB and stretch and put on my favorite playlist and buy some chips and.. gahhddd… the list could go on.. haha! Until I realize I barely have written a single paragraph for my article which is due in an hour. Argh.
Hilarious post you got here by the way!
In an 8 step program it goes a little something like this for me.
1. procrastinate
2. procrastinate
3. procrastinate
4. procrastinate
5. procrastinate
6. turn off every light humanly possible
7. slap on a little movie soundtrack playlist (preferably Hans Zimmer)
8. pulling up a comfy chair and begin
Hahahah so great!!! For me it takes almost a day getting ready for a new creation (book, beanies, video edit,…) I need to find the right sweater, my mug, choose a.kind of tea, the music, incense, choose between bed, chair, sofa, floor,… Hahahha it’ so hard being a creative.mind!!!
I love it <3 Especially since I did a similar post a while back and I can totally relate to how hard it is to actually start writing. But hey, whatever gets you by, right? Here's what works for me: http://selaharan.wordpress.com/2011/01/29/ten-tips-for-writers/
Tsk, tsk, goofing off eh?
I snack, have tea and surf the ‘Net before getting to brass tacks.
So cute!
Nothing special here… I write when the urge is stronger than I am. But I can not be distracted… No tv or music at all… Just me and something to write with. Congrats on being pressed!
The tea is essential! Water at 175 degrees, steeped for two minutes in the ceramic pot then transferred to the glass pot through the strainer. Glass pot sits atop the warmer (warmed by none other than tea lights!), while the first cup is doctored with a healthy spoonful of honey. Always use a small cup too, so as to be able to have more frequent excuses to get up from the desk and shuffle into the kitchen.
great post! before i work on a project… i always have to tidy up my studio, light a candle, an incense, just the perfect lamp lighting to compliment whatever sunlight there is, do some yoga, make a coffee… come to think of it this must be why i never get much done. (-:
Open the shutters to get as much light as possible in the cave where my computer resides, get a drink of some sort, check my email, read some blog posts, post on my own blogs, go to the bathroom (all that drinking), feed the cat, put dog in and out, start a load of laundry or wash some dishes….then maybe I can get in 10 minutes of writing before I need lunch!
Ha. That’s great. Reminds me of the house that Jack built for some reason. I think it took him a long time.
http://www3.amherst.edu/~rjyanco94/literature/mothergoose/rhymes/thisisthehousethatjackbuilt.html
At any rate, before I write, I usually drink coffee after coffee after coffee and then bounce off the walls for an hour or two and then crash into a melancholy, non-prolific funk before emerging, wild-eyed and inspired to…. move on to Merlot and start writing.
The only thing I have to do to get in the zone is get rid of the children for a few hours, which never happens…….
Therefore, I am tragically forced to settle for second best: coffee and headphones! Great post!
I am going to have to try this perfect playlist for each chapter bit.
With writing I just have to be in the mood [and know what to write about].
For drawing however, a lot of time goes into decisions on what to draw, how to draw it, where to draw etc.
I can spend hours trying to find something to draw but then only take like 5 minutes finding something to write about!
Before I write I always have to play my jam!/my favorite song at the moment. Then I start writing. Or if I’m having a bad day and need to let it out. I find a quiet place with no distractions and I fill up a page or 2 or more. lol 1coffeehouse.wordpress.com
I keep wondering … is it the act of writing itself that drives writers to procrastinate, or is it fear that our writing will be rubbish, or worse still, that our words will just dry up?
Perhaps it’s best not to over-analyse the situation and just embrace it.
Thanks for a great post.
Hilarious! My art/writing routine is almost identical! There’s some fussing about with a cat, and occasional bouts of OCD sorting of papers, but other than that, very close!
I eat, I lay back… And close my eyes and I just let it flow. if I don’t get caught up on social media.. Hahaha.. That part made me laugh because it was so true! Lol..
Please check out my blog http://cheapandfabulousmom.wordpress.com/
I have written and then not written I was going to do a book started it but never finished. I enjoy writing but don’t want to do so for hours upon hours I like it to be short and sweet. OK for get the sweet just to the point. My prep consist of Having and Idea and writing about it. get out what ever is there then go back and check it out a few days later and start editing it. I generally have a Dr Pepper with me. I also have to have my phone near by and access to my favourite forum androidforum.com
I love the reference to writing attire shops. Hilarious. I once got asked where I purchase my painting clothes. As if shirts came artistically pre-splattered.
I use StereoMood to listen to playlists!
if you like lists go here: http://spotthestereotype.wordpress.com
Nothing spurs thought for me like smells. A candle or fresh fruit usually gets the creative fluid flowing.
I, like you, have my own rituals, too, before I can really get into a good writing and drawing session! Much of what you listed is the same for me, yet to give myself more time and less distractions, I’ve had to cut off my Facebook and social networking time. I found that I’ll tend to spend too many hours doing that! Hmmm…. I’ll have to make my own list at my blog soon. I just discovered your blog and I’m following it! Happy to e-meet you!
Cool, I am usually ready with just some earbuds and good music! I have a book called Jim that I wrote, if you get time check it out, I wrote it while listening to music the entire time!
I love reading about how other writers and artist work! Nice insight!
I’m so glad I found your blog. You write with such humor and I can sure relate to the fuzzy slippers as #1 in the list of musts before writing. I remember to stretch 4 to 6 hours later. Preparation? Just the fuzzy slippers. I will even write compulsively in the glare of wrongly adjusted venetian blinds! Thanks so much for sharing. I will follow you.
this is entertaining.
I do have a lot of so called “preparation” before writing, but my sister thinks that it was just some excuses I made before I finally write. You see, the social network, news and some other online shopping has made it very difficult to write nowadays.. *sigh*
Not as much preparation as you before writing. AND i WOULD try your methods.
therefore, you really wrote a nice post.
work remains
Hi – great post, your writing prep routine sounds a lot like mine. Really it’s all good, because it gets you into the frame needed to write. I find music to write to is vital to choose properly – can really switch the writing mood. And it’s handy to get all the housework out of the way, not least because then I’m not likely to be interruped by my wife trying to nudge me into it!
Matthew wright
http://mjwrightnz.wordpress.com
http://www.matthewwright.net
I love this post! It just goes to show that everyone has their own special way of getting in the writing mood
for me, I just write when I feel like it. And when I have to write something, I’ll write it anywhere- my phone, my laptop, a scrap piece of paper, my agenda, my hand, a notebook. Anywhere!
-KD
Whoaaaaaa! I should definitely try this routine of yours! hahaha!
I usually read before writing, to get my brain cells going. Oh, and a caffeine boost once in a while, to perk things up!
Let me see… make coffee. Find a dessert. On occasiona, make one. Check facebook. Check wordpress. Check my e-mail just in case I happen to get a new e-mail since the last five minutes ago I checked. Go through my homework list to make sure I didn’t miss anything. Do the homework I should be doing instead of writing. Turn off my internet so I don’t get distracted. Realize it’s time for bed.
And that is why I never get any writing done.
I pretty much do everything you’ve mentioned plus ponder around for something inspiring. It’s definitely tough but so worth it.
http://embraceyoumag.com
I had heaps of fun reading this post. Haha … See. I am still guffawing while I am writing this comment. Seriously, this post is totally entertaining and informative!
This is hilarious! I’m so happy I’m not the only crazy one with a daily nutso routine lol. Before I get started I have to light candles, get my coffee, check the blogs and sites that have absolutely no bearing on my job or life… the best ones imo… and then I’m usually ready to go.
BTW, I only need an excellent internet connection to turn my brain on.
Usually, I have to alternate between tasks in order to get writing done.
this consists of setting a timer, cleaning for 30, then go write for 30 – no writing flow? back to cleaning for 30 minutes…when I hit a groove in writing, I don’t stop til I get the job done. Kinda weird, but it helps.
Come see what people are talking about how they are getting mind boggling results. http://www.dreamfitnessbootcamp.com
coffee, music, eat candy. really sweet ones!
although what works for me is reading something a few hours earlier to get my brain working.
when I used to work at home, I had a nutso routine of making sure I have my water, coffee and crackers, plus a 2 hour music playlist. then I’m ready for battle.
Before I write, I need to adjust the chair, get in the mood, have eaten, with the TV on the background. I don’t feel like writing when it’s too quiet. So I like it when the radio’s on or when the tv’s on.
Haha hilarious
I usually make sure the chairs adjusted and the lighting is right. It does sound obsessive lol but seriously nothing worse than having some stray beam of light hit you in the eyes when you’re on a roll.
I hate writing when it’s raining outside unless that’s part of the current project in which case it gives inspiration. Check my emails, close the door, plug in the headphones and get the music cranking then take short breaks for food and stuff.
Music though is essential, I can’t write when it’s silent, creeps me out. Grea post, congrats on getting freshly pressed!
Hahaha.. I had to laugh when I read thru this post. My “ritual” typically revolves around pouring a good glass of wine, lighting a candle and making sure the shades are adjusted “just so”. Oh- and I need my 2 favorite blankets and the TV remote handy. (It’s a wonder I get anything done after all that….)
Cheers! Fantastic post and congrats on Freshly Pressed.
you don’t really need to put the (see above) thing on number 2
Oh, yes, don’t we all love procrastination?
Actually, I don’t have a routine. Many times I just stuff down my breakfast, write like mad for about an hour and then rush off to have classes…
It’s a bit more relaxed when I write in the evening, but it’s more difficult finding time in the evenings…
you know..moments back..i was writing and trying to find the ‘right kinda music’ (WHICH i haven’t found till now!) and when i read this..i couldn’t help but smile
Thanks for that!
hotmail, facebook, twitter, blog, then start on my book
As you mentioned I don’t need all the drama just normal sit on the chair and start
I write late at night right before I am ready to sleep, so I write while I get cozy in my big comfy bed!
A good read. I am sure the most common ritual writers practise would be sipping strong tea before they pull up their socks, which literally sends a warm sensation, something I guess complementary.
Writing is a flow. As I feel to flow thoughts out from me I automatically seat to write.
This was a really good read, Im kinda the same though instead of tea i have to have a coffee, and cleaning away the dust bunnies is cleaning up after my kids LOL, though i always find that a god playlist makes it better to write
Hmm…well, let’s see. I don’t really have a routine and my laptops are open and running at almost any given time, so I just don’t have to do anything. Whenever I feel like it, I’ll start writing.
On second thought, some days, i do need a nice, good, hot strong cup of coffee before I start writing to put me into the mood. This especially on the cold winter mornings is heaven.
Ashley
This looks a lot like my routine! Do everything else before I actually sit down to write. I love it, I am glad other people do that too, now I don’t feel so bad.
I stare at the screen for a very long time, look at the tv, look at the screen then forget what I was doing. This could happen for about three days. Eventually things get written though, and it’s usually horrible, but I’m satisfied. Rinse and repeat
oh…..awesome
may i join with them ?
3. tea – I hear you. At home, the routine MUST be followed. Tea pot (and mug) warming, and plenty of time for brewing. Not sure what kind of tea you like, but I recommend doing 1:1 normal tea (english breakfast) : roibos tea. It’s amaze!
Pretty jealous of you being able to get all that social media out of your system before you write. I manage about 5 minutes of work, and then crumble at boredom and resort to Facebook//Twitter for comfort. Always depressing when there’s nothing new to show!
Lovely post, thank you for sharing.
I usually listen to music, and have a cup of tea and some biscuits at the ready. I love some of your ideas, though!
Great post!
Before I write I usually doubt about writing at all; then I stare at the empty page for a while before I close my notebook and do something else, like blogging, facebook or youtube. If I’m lucky, the mood for writing comes back and inspiration wins; and I start writing!
great post! Mine is music and trashy dvds on in the background
I always forget my name after blogging ^^”
amazing post! I am looking for something to write up always. Cheers!
Your list is quite along, I am surprised by the fact that you actually write things :p
As for me, I just need to get my mind to it to write and thats that!
http://topratedjuicers.net/
I love the dust bunnies
… they are really cutie… the rest is more or less what I try to do… I just have to add that before, during and after I write or do anything else I play with my little Treasure (10 months old today 
Loved your post! I don’t write books at all but I can really relate (somewhat) to what you wrote in #8.
I end up spending a lot of time on Twitter, Facebook, etc. and end up not doing what I originally intended to do in the first place. 
My room must be completely neat and ventilated! and snacks ready on the side!
Nice post anyway!!!
Nice blog!!! I like it!!
I live in Sweden, so I don´t think you will understand my text.
I made a hot water bottle this morning, and tea. I blogged about the tea. It was so much better than yesterday’s which I also blogged. I can sometimes blog about other things. Your post is lovely:)
Actually I don’t have to anything but it had to be the right time, I like to think of all the things I’m going to write about but then later…and then at some point, I’m in the right mood and I still don’t know why, and I can write pages after pages. I love it!
nice
I tend to buy new notebooks. Let’s just say that I have a lot of notebooks with one or two pages of content. But no new books written.
LOL! Your little dust bunnies are so dang CUTE! Concerning your list – I’m right there with ya! Our daily rituals help get us started in the day and prepare to focus our mind on the work at hand.
I love your sense of humor as well.
-ST
This was a really cute post! I like to start out my writing by doing some research on the internet. I’m done with my girl’s book and now I’m working on a book geared towards Christian women. Its lots of fun to gather ideas from current world events and watch that inspiration turn into a really great story!
interesting post!
This is a great list. The right music is so important! I have to say, those are some of the cutest dust-bunnies ever. I would feed them and give them names.
So I guess I am normal after all. Likewise, I check my email and the current news before writing. I don’t have a particular writing method, I just let the day plan itself. Blogging has helped me to get better at finding my voice.
I will just speak for today – got up, bathed, prayed, read the Bible. Checked FB to see what’s going on – nothing, logged out within seconds. Checked email, stomach growling – next is breakfast. In an hour, give my dog her meds – put the phone on vibrate and write.
Update my blog, and learn how to design my own books – ongoing.
The cobwebs – if they tug at the back of my mind too much – I have to deal with them. It is difficult for me to be creative if my house is a mess. Some days I can ignore it, and other days I am cleaning like a fiend. Well – we all have our own styles don’t we? Oh, and yes – tea and the right light works for me too.
I listen to Katiro – very soothing – or I may just enjoy the quiet while writing.
OK – you got my juices flowing today – so glad I stopped by.
Peace
My God ….
:D
I walk with no socks or slippers maybe 90% ot the time im at home 
(its so clean, its awesome)
To be honest i laughed really, reaaally hard at the writing slippers thing.
Hmm … Come to think of it – do you get cold when you sit in one place and write (for example)… Because, i mean
Nice post btw
I understand everything, but Yogaaaa?!?!?! Wish you successful writing
after so much preparation 
Good one, one great thing abt your post is, it brought out the writing habits of not only you but quite a few bloggers, which makes it further interesting…
Well for me, Ideas for writing or drawing comes usually when i am all alone, however i write and read sitting along with my family in the tv room
. I want the sound of tv soaps which i have no interest in watching and my kids frequent questions, which prompts me to review what i have written because i lose the flow coz he intervened. 
BTW congrats on being freshly pressed
Your routine sounds wonderfully exciting — mine is a little more mundane…just sit at the desk and type what comes!
Hee, love this. I usually just put music on, wear comfortable clothing, and write in a rooom all to myself.
First, I check Facebook, then I stare out the window for about 3 minutes, and then I properly slouch in my chair…the angle’s got to be just right.
Then I stare at my screen for an hour, attempting to write something, anything, and erase every word about 4 times before I just stick to it and write!
Very cute post!
when I used to write content in an office i would take my shoes off, walk around the cubicles drinking my coffee and mumbling to myself then i would sit at my desk put on my headphones and listed to to the hardest and heaviest stuff i could find on my mp3. when I would need to come up with a new idea i would do the same thing over again all day long.
Thank you for blogging about this topic Cathy. Writers often seem like such fruitcakes! Nice to know we are not alone. I think I need to develop a routine that will signal my brain, it is time to write (well, for an extended period of time that is). I do have one pattern that has developed already. I think I shall call it “the morning download.” My brain is obviously hard at work overnight, because as soon as I wake up, there is a new hairball of raw material. I need to write it down and get it out of my head immediately. It may not be worth much, but if I ignore it, it will nag at me all day! Does anyone else experience this?
LOL! That is pretty much me every morning when I am trying to process photographs, etc.
I have to applaud you for your routine and sticking to it. When I feel the urge to write, I just write.
Ahh, so fun! Love your cobwebs with the googly eyes.
Hello everyone, I am new here and I too adore writing. i have started a new blog with an idea of having the feelings and emotions out like stories and poems… of evryone… whoever wants to share. Please check out the idea and if you like please help me carry it forward…
here is the link…. http://www.campuswriting.com
I will need to shower and brush my teeth first… because I almost always fall asleep. =p
LOL, nothing like good old fashion procrastination. Although as a writer I need my rituals too.
Love this! So funny and so true. I cant get anything written without a cup of tea and a clean room… and between that and homework, its no wonder my blog posts are erratic haha. Great list!
When I’m lucky enough to have time for writing, I just start it right away. I can just write anywhere: in my car (Not while driving!), doing break duty in school I just compose in my head, a few OneNote sentences whenever something pops up.
I regret that I don’t write a lot anymore since my job and college are too demanding.
Great blog. Hoping to reconnect to writing again.
interesting list. thanks for sharing!
Nice blog=)
i just find an isolated place, take alot of papers or diaries/journals(depending on what I have to write) and get a glass of orange juice if I can, and start writing!!
At least you have a routine! Good for you!
I’m with you on the tea. Every morning when I arrive at the office I put water (filtered not tap!) on to boil. Tea warms me up if it’s cold outside or the A/C is blasting in summer.
Congrats on Freshly Pressed!
Light a candle, shut off my internet connection, make a cafetiere of coffee, and start up my writing playlist on iTunes.
I have actually shooed away dust bunnies that size–but if they ever pop open eyes of that size finding time to write or clean will be the least of my worries.
Hilarious post!
Writing is a fun way to pass the time between royalty checks.
Make coffee, read Freshly Pressed, giggle and comment, then pretend I’m going to the gym, flip through FlipBook, find a story full of inspiration and blend it with a personal experience, then…blog blog blogggg!! Or at least, pretend to…until it happens.
hey! i just stumbled accross your blog and i’m glad i did. i can really relate with doing a bunch of stuff to get myself worked up to do the thing i’m ACTUALLY wanting to do.(did that make sense?)
Great post! I just wish I get time to compose myself before writing but it’s not possible with 2 kids. I usually just grab my netbook and start typing whatever I have to before it slip off my mind. You will know on your own how hurriedly my posts are written
I know it’s not good but can’t help it!
Great post! I follow a lot of your routine but instead of slippers I wrap myself up in an old tartan wool throw, grab a huge cup of coffee, light a candle and make sure the table is clear. I then write a quick mind map and have to spend a while re-organizing it so it makes sense to anybody else! I really enjoyed reading this post, thank you.
I’ve found acts of procrastination (ie tea making, spotify playlist creating, etc) to be quite helpful in creative plotting. But that’s just me. Loved reading about your process.
I really liked your post! it is so universally appliable to writers! I read a few rows of my preferred book of the moment. when I feel the style has ‘affected’ me…i write. please visit http://www.39motherofthebride.com and see if my inspirations inspire you too!
Cathy, we all have a quirks, don’t we? I enjoyed your post and I hear you on the tea: I have accumulated a collection assorted of ‘special’ cups to combat the disastrous situation you found yourself in. This week I asked another author to share their rituals in a quick interview. You can read it at my site: http://chenoafawn.wordpress.com/
I wish I had a life that was routine enough that I could make a writing ritual…because I really do love to…Hm…I think I’ll make one over Christmas break…
Years ago, I taught a writing workshop to non-writers who had to write reports on a regular basis (and typically wrote total garbage that no one could understand, which is why their boss hired me). One of the first points I covered is that it’s not unusual for people to need to circle around and around and around, like a dog getting ready to lie down and go to sleep, in order to get comfortable enough to get started. Just having that permission seemed to do many of them a lot of good. Now if I could just start paring down some of my own pre-writing routines to an hour instead of the whole frickin’ morning …
Oh, my ritual before writing is nothing too fancy. I just need a clean table and then my notebook must be at the right angle. And my pen must have this certain position between my fingers. And there must be a mug of coffee and food on the table too. Lol.
Yep, gotta get rid of those cobwebs first
Maybe if I set up a routine, my writing would be more prolific. Love the pic of the dust bunnies!
This made me laugh… which put me in a better mood for work! Love how you orchestrate the mood lighting and sound
Wake up, stretch, smoke.
Breakfast, coffee, more coffee, smoke, coffee, smoke.
Start the laundry, make the bed, whatever light chores I can invent to do.
(If I’m going to write… my room is going to be SPOTLESS while I do)
Open word.
Smoke.
Coffee, tea or hot chocolate,
Smoke.
Get an idea. Write feverishly.
Smoke.
Think.
Switch the laundry.
Write a little more.
Lunch.
Man, I had an exhausting day. Time to post blogs!
This may be the reason I’ve yet to publish a book.
The light bulb just went on. I only do yoga when I want to procrastinate!
Loved your article.
the best part was: Make tea. This is a long and complicated process, as any true tea connoisseur knows, and involves a lot of pot warming, water boiling and grumbling because my favourite mug is always dirty and festering in the dishwasher and I have to clean it by hand because no other mug will do!
:)
I am a musician and a producer, not a writer. But sure I have my routines mainly before mixing, bouncing or doing any kind of post recording activity.
It is a lot about how to place my things, coffee and a biscotti.
I like to take a Nespresso…or 10, which I generally have with a biscotti, a cookie or a cinnamon roll.
I light candles, the small ones in small colorful glass containers, incence sticks, low lights, my favorite headphones.
Love from Sweden,
/Dave
Hi Dave,
Just want you to know that I really love the candle part of your preparation:)
Interesting.
Agreed! That’s such a good idea. I’ll try that too
A fabulous post, well deserving being Freshly Pressed. Congrats!
I guess reading the Freshly Pressed posts is what I do–purely for inspiration of course!
Cute post, love how it summarizes (and gives ideas!) all the little things that make writing more enjoyable. Right now I am sitting in bed with my dog and a smoothie, about to type my next post. Thanks! yupthisisit.wordpress.com
Every time I think of writing, I get on one of my favorite food blogs first…and then somehow end up baking instead! :s
Rituals rule! I really need one…
Awesome blog post! And after trying to read it yesterday, and failing because I kept getting an error page when I clicked on this link, I’m glad I gave it another shot today! I don’t really have a writing ritual. For blog posts, I can write anytime anywhere, under any conditions.
For lengthier, more important writing (eg. I’ve been trying to write a book), I have to be in my pajamas, sitting in a comfortable position on my bed in my shelter room bedroom (shelter room, that’s right, I live in Israel), with my laptop on a pillow on my lap, and with the door closed. If it’s winter, the heater must be on, or I can’t concentrate. I also have to have dinner before I sit down to write because hunger distracts me. Or what’s worse is if I get hungry while I’m writing, chances are I won’t realize it, and will skip my dinner altogether.
The hardest thing for me is to get inspired. I can’t write without inspiration. And this comes more spontaneously, so I just have to relax, take a few deep breaths and let the inspiration come over me
Your drawing is amazing and your little dust bunnies are SO cute!
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I might try the yoga thing . . . lately, I’ve had this irrational fear of a blood clot forming in my leg (or both legs) because I sit still for so long. I take baby aspirin as a precaution. This makes me sound crazy, but it does allow me to concentrate.
I can relate to the playlist for a chapter thing. I do that with my iPod. Hearing bagpipes play “Amazing Grace” while writing a police officer’s funeral scene is especially poignant.
Congratulations on being Freshly Pressed!
Heh. I’m a professional writer so I can relate. Hemingway, when asked, said the first thing he did before he wrote was “fix the refrigerator.” Of course, he didn’t mean that literally, but it does speak to the fact we writers have to have certain ducks in a row before we sit down to work.
I do, anyway!
Love your blog.
My routine before writing:
1. Shuffle down the hall to my home office.
2. Sit down at desk.
3. Put hands on computer.
I really should have something more fun.
I tend to have sporadic moments of ideas, so I usually keep something to write with on me. Especially being an MC this happens alot. For me I need to be in a hoody, some slippers with tall glass of water to get my creative juices flowing if I need to write something.
here is a piece I wrote while in my hoody, slippers and tall glass of water.
awesome post! my inner Creative Writing major is beaming right now
… time to make some tea!
*searches for her Lamb Chop slippers*
Great post and congratulations on being Freshly Pressed. I love that pic of the crazed writer. Isn’t it funny how we all have our little routines? The madhouse that I write in is another post altogether. Hmmm. There ya go!
That ‘crazed writer’ is me!
That all sounds so familiar!
Great post, made me think of the multitude of things I tend to get side-tracked by as I prep to write and make my little cubby-hole/corner before I even start to write. Really need to be less fussy!
… and the oh-so-evil stumbleupon and of course facebook need to be curtailed!!
Haha, I can relate
you are a good writer. awaiting new ones!
I procrastinate online and see if anything leads me back to writing
Great post! Enjoyed the read!
Check out ZazenLife, you would enjoy the material! We talk about life too!
http://zazenlife.com/author/thetaoofd/
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Lovely post!! =)
I wish I wrote more, but inspiration is always somewhere else!
If you feel like having a look at what I’ve done so far, here you have a link:
http://mycupofcareisempty.wordpress.com/
Again: wonderful post!
Personally, clutch and get it done or try again next day lol.
nice one..like you i want that my place is clean..but i’m still one of those who are just starting writing blogs..still a lot to learn here..
I have a similar method of preparation before beginning to pain… I have a special tshirt I like to wear.. not just because I’m afraid of getting any other shirt dirty, but this shirt has meaning.
The blinds and tea making are also an ocd habit I have before I begin to paint.
Loved this post!
Wow.. i was thinking I was special when it came to selecting the music to set the mood for the characters.. guess not. I really like this post.. going to share. Thanks.
Iced Earl Grey tea. So yummy and refreshing to have next to me when I’m writing
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Procrastination always works for me
Love the behind the scenes info! Great blog you have here! Consider me a follower
I think you’ll really like my blog too! We write and design bios for artists and musicians and share their stories with the world to help them connect with their fans by sharing this very kind of behind the scenes info! Please subscribe to our blog and follow us. We’d love to hear your opinions. we’re also on Facebook at facebook.com/biobasement. Hope to hear from you.
haha…great post…i can so identify with this!!! and so many people do!!! love it!!
223 comments!
Amazing!
I love your rituals for writing. I am hoping for a rad pair of slippers from Santa, maybe they will become my special writing slippers as well!
routine routine routine.
nice illustrated image.
keep up the good work
Making tea, not sure it helps writers block though. Great blog
mindlesslog.wordpress.com
When I have a lot of writing/homework to do, I get mounds of chocolate; cups of coffee; and, like you, I generally coordinate my music to the mood of character/chapter/level of anxiety based on my homework. I really liked your post though! What’s you favorite kind of tea?
I love this post! Very funny, and so true! In an ideal world, I’d like to have things just so. However, I don’t often have time to have things be just right, so I try to streamline my writing prep work. …It doesn’t often work to skip steps in the pre-writing process. The most important thing I can do, and I mean THE most important thing, is have my music on. It is absolutely the best when I have my headphones on (earbuds just don’t cut it for me…it has to be big headphones). I listen to movie scores mostly, with some ragtime, blues, and big band thrown in; I have a large collection of music, and unless I have a strong gut feeling about what I am going to write, I’ll typically open ITunes and hit shuffle. It can be the perfect tool…almost as important as the pen or the keyboard. When I feel the right song begin, I dive into my novel, writing…soaring…with the music. Should ITunes shuffle on to a song that is not correct with the mood, I must change it within seconds, or the entire process is undone.
Of course, I often end up with some chocolate nearby, not to mention checking my favorite websites and my email every now and again. How can I be on the computer and not be online? It’s unheard of!
Great post! Thanks for sharing.
Sigh. The Internet. It can bring us to unexpected, new places. I was on my way to write a new post for my blog and then I thought I’d just roam around for a bit and here you are. Didn’t regret it though. I enjoyed this post.
This is so funny! I have a crazy routine too! It involves putting on iTunes, checking tumblr and Facebook and my email beforehand so I get everything over and done with before I write!
wow,..loved it! .. umm if someone’s reading this.. plz do check my blog too..
im a starter..nd i really need readers 
ah lol , who manage this blog , too many writers .. and age restriction is
Nice post!
Can we use couple paragraphes for our site http://yeahiloveit.com ?