In the past few years I’ve really started to rely on rituals and habits to keep myself going with my writing over time. It’s so easy to just write when I feel like writing and then to not write when I don’t feel like it but doing so results in long periods of lack of productivity about which I often feel disappointed. Having writing routines and rituals helps me to continue working through the times when I don’t necessarily feel like it.
But rituals are even more important to me than the mere fact that they make me productive. It’s more about the feeling of consistency in my life that exists because of the fact that I have these writing routines. Whether I am at home or on vacation, whether I’m healthy or sick, whether I’m excited about life or having a rough time … I have these things that I can rely on to remind me that I’m still doing okay on a day to day basis, still writing and still living.
Here are some of the rituals that I use regularly:
- Daily journal. I am a big fan of the daily written journal. I have kept one off and on since I was a kid and I keep one consistently now. Another version of this that I know a lot of writers use is the “morning pages” ritual created by Julia Cameron of The Artists Way.
- Artists Way exercises. Speaking of the Artists Way, I have all of Julia Cameron’s books and I do the exercises out of them on a near-daily basis. It keeps me feeling creative.
- Morning reading. I take a little bit of time in the morning to do some inspirational reading. Often this reading is from selections on books about creativity from authors like Susan Magmussen and SARK.
- Quick daily description. I’m trying out a routine right now in which I stay in bed in the morning and jot a quick description of what I see around me before I get up. The setting is basically always the same but I describe it a little bit differently each time. I’m hoping this will improve my attention to detail and my way with description.
- Daily, weekly, monthly writing goal lists. I think lists are a great habit to have. I keep different lists for my daily To Dos, my weekly projects and my monthly writing goals.
- Collage art. I think all writers should also have rituals that have nothing to do with words. For me it’s regularly making collage art and scrapbooking photos.
- Yoga, walking and other physical stuff. I do this stuff regularly and I think it gives my mind the space for better writing.
What routines, rituals and habits do you have that you think help your writing?
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