The Writer's Way




We all have our writing rituals. Note Ella's routine with her brother's markers.

For the last few months, I've been heading to my local Starbucks on Sundays as my little respite from the family, and to get some writing done. Usually I write to music or some sort of noise I can tune out. I think that's because I'm an only child I have a hard time with silence. When I’m out at Starbucks, I’ll drink hot chocolate (though I may have to switch to iced tea in the summer), but at home I like hot tea with lemon before settling down.

Often the writing starts long before I sit down with my journal. I also listen a lot more to conversations, looking for poetry in the things people say, or don't say. If I'm lucky, I'll mishear a phrase and build a line out of it. And there’s a good amount of free association that happens before pen ever hits the page.

As for the mechanics, I tend to be a late-night writer. After the kids are down for the evening, usually, I’ll open a book of poems to get me going. Then I'll write down a few lines with a blue Uniball Onyx pen and write in my unlined journal. Or, I write on my laptop, which I did a lot of in the month of April.

Now I’m curious about your writing rituals. Specifically, has your ritual changed during the last few months? Does the frequency or location change with the season?

Comments

Emily said…
I love the specifics of your pen...a perfect pen is so good to write with! I feel I've been out of writing practice...I was away for 2 weeks the beginning of April and have been having trouble jumping back in...especially with all the spring goodness.
Anonymous said…
I can't work on a novel without a dedicated journal/notebook for that project. That's where I keep notes, ideas, outlines, etc. I also write longhand quite a bit when I'm drafting. Sometimes, though, finding the "perfect" journal becomes as daunting of a task as getting started...the notebook needs to have some connection to my piece, so I search for patterns or designs that remind me of my characters or themes.
ren powell said…
I've never been the kind of person to routinely do anything. I don't have a favorite pen, a favorite notebook or even a favorite place to write. I scribble notes when I hear something, pull a phrase from a jumble of thoughts, am falling asleep or waking- but they get worked on my computer. Even when I write a whole poem on paper- it gets worked on the computer. - But I do recognize the hot tea and lemon part :-)

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