A story idea suddenly appears in your head with a complete beginning, middle, and end. You sit down to write, and the words flow freely. It’s as if the story is typing itself.
How often do you experience that kind of burst of incredible inspiration?
I’m guessing that probably doesn’t happen to you very often. (If it does, I am incredibly envious of your superpower.)
However, for the majority of us writers, the Muse is more like a grouchy hibernating bear who refuses to leave its cave. If we wait for her to drop in on us before we start writing, we probably would only end up with a handful of words every year.
In Jack London’s 1905 essay on how to become a published writer, he wisely observed, “Don’t loaf and invite inspiration; light out after it with a club, and if you don’t get it you will nonetheless get something that looks remarkably like it.”
London believed that writing daily was the best way to rouse the sleeping Muse. He advised in his essay, “Set yourself a ‘stint,’ and see that you do that ‘stint’ each day; you will have more words to your credit at the end of the year.”
However, implementing a daily writing habit is hard work, and even when we show up at the computer, the words might still refuse to come.
We need a way to lure the Muse out of the cave, and one of the best ways to do that is with a writing ritual. Read on to discover how several famous writers used writing rituals to spark inspiration and how you too can design a powerful writing ritual to achieve your daily writing goals.
What is a Writing Ritual?
A writing ritual is a set sequence of actions that you perform before you sit down to write. It could be as simple as making a cup of tea or playing one of your favorite music CDs.
Stephen King described his writing process in this way:
There are certain things I do if I sit down to write…I have a glass of water or a cup of tea. There’s a certain time I sit down, from 8:00 to 8:30, somewhere within that half hour every morning…I have my vitamin pill and my music, sit in the same seat, and the papers are all arranged in the same places. The cumulative purpose of doing these things the same way every day seems to be a way of saying to the mind, you’re going to be dreaming soon.
In an interview, Jack Kerouac admitted that he also implemented writing rituals,
I had a ritual once of lighting a candle and writing by its light and blowing it out when I was done for the night … also kneeling and praying before starting (I got that from a French movie about George Frideric Handel).
For Neil Gaiman, his ritual involves writing by hand and using a particular pen,
I try to change my superstitions with each project. Working in fountain pen is good because it slows me down just enough to keep my handwriting legible. Often I use two pens with different coloured ink, so I can tell visually how much I did each day.
Toni Morrison also believes in the power of writing rituals:
Recently I was talking to a writer who described something she did whenever she moved to her writing table. I don’t remember exactly what the gesture was—there is something on her desk that she touches before she hits the computer keyboard—but we began to talk about little rituals that one goes through before beginning to write.
I, at first, thought I didn’t have a ritual, but then I remembered that I always get up and make a cup of coffee while it is still dark—it must be dark—and then I drink the coffee and watch the light come. And she said, Well, that’s a ritual. And I realized that for me this ritual comprises my preparation to enter a space that I can only call nonsecular…
Writers all devise ways to approach that place where they expect to make the contact, where they become the conduit, or where they engage in this mysterious process. For me, light is the signal in the transition. It’s not being in the light, it’s being there before it arrives. It enables me, in some sense.
In a nutshell, writing rituals are a way of baiting the Muse. They help us mentally prepare ourselves to start writing and are one of the essential steps to forming a daily writing habit.
How Rituals Help Us Form a Daily Writing Habit
In his book The Power of Habit, Pulitzer Prize–winning business reporter Charles Duhigg reveals the important three-step process to forming a habit:
First, there is a cue, a trigger that tells your brain to go into automatic mode and which habit to use. Then there is the routine, which can be physical or mental or emotional. Finally, there is a reward, which helps your brain figure out if this particular loop is worth remembering for the future. Over time, this loop…becomes more and more automatic. The cue and reward become intertwined until a powerful sense of anticipation and craving emerges.
A writing ritual, then, could be seen as a cue. For example, by lighting his candle before each writing session, Kerouac was training his brain to associate the candle with the act of writing. Whenever the candle was lit, his brain would switch into writing mode.
However, it took time before the brain linked the action of lighting a candle to the creative process of writing. Kerouac needed to consistently implement his ritual each day.
Haruki Murakami notes the importance of following the same writing routine day in and day out,
When I’m in writing mode for a novel, I get up at 4:00 am and work for five to six hours. In the afternoon, I run for 10km or swim for 1500m (or do both), then I read a bit and listen to some music. I go to bed at 9:00 pm. I keep to this routine every day without variation. The repetition itself becomes the important thing; it’s a form of mesmerism. I mesmerize myself to reach a deeper state of mind.
The Takeaway: How to Design Your Own Writing Ritual
Ultimately, writing rituals help us nurture habits that are essential to our creativity. As Flannery O’Connor wrote in a letter,
I’m a full-time believer in writing habits…You may be able to do without them if you have genius but most of us only have talent and this is simply something that has to be assisted all the time by physical and mental habits or it dries up and blows away.
So how do you go about designing a writing ritual that will assist the creative side of your brain? First, you need to consider what sort of actions and environment help you prepare yourself to write.
In my case, when I write fiction, I like to spend a little time beforehand tidying up my writing space. This helps put me in the frame of mind that I am going to begin working productively. I try to write at the same time in the same room every evening, and I’ll play the same CD as well (thus, that music becomes associated with my writing time). When writing nonfiction, I don’t have a set time when I write, but I do like to use a timer to sharpen my focus, as Anthony Trollope did.
Of course, everyone’s writing ritual will be unique to them. Toni Morrison gives this advice for determining what kind of ritual you should implement,
I tell my students one of the most important things they need to know is when they are their best, creatively. They need to ask themselves, What does the ideal room look like? Is there music? Is there silence? Is there chaos outside or is there serenity outside? What do I need in order to release my imagination?
Essentially, we must create a climate and a series of actions that encourage the brain to show up to write each day. Only in that way will the Muse see we are serious about our craft. Steven Pressfield writes in The War of Art,
This is the other secret that real artists know and wannabe writers don’t. When we sit down each day and do our work, power concentrates around us. The Muse takes note of our dedication. She approves. We have earned favor in her sight. When we sit down and work, we become like a magnetized rod that attracts iron filings. Ideas come. Insights accrete.
What does your writing ritual look like? If you enjoyed this post, please leave a comment and share with someone you would like to inspire.
Alicia says
I absolutely LOVE this post 🙂 Thank you so much for writting it.
Nicole Bianchi says
Thanks so much, Alicia! 😀 So glad you enjoyed it. Do you have a writing ritual?
Sean says
Great post Nicole. When I am writing productively it is thanks 100% to my routine:
1. Wake up at 0445.
2. Put on the coffee (brewed on the stove top with a Moka pot. Delicious!)
3. Sit down at the computer and write from 0500 – 0600
Lately however I’ve been a little burnt out from it all. I write professionally for work as well so it can get to be a bit much. When we are busy I find it hard to balance work, personal writing, and exercise.
As a de-load period I’ve started working out from 0500 – 0600, then putting on the coffee and writing until 0630. As long as I get a minimum of 15min writing time daily then I’ve hit my 1% for the day.
S.
Nicole Bianchi says
Hi, Sean! Thank you for your comment!
Your routine sounds fantastic. I’ve never been a coffee drinker, but maybe there is something inspirational in brewing a pot? Toni Morrison seemed to think so too. ????
I know what you mean about finding it difficult to balance work, writing, and exercise. There are only so many hours in a day, and it’s easy for our brains to get overwhelmed. Whenever I go for a walk or workout, I always find that afterwards I’m better able to focus on my writing.
All the best with achieving your writing goals!
Jodi Clock says
This post was inspiring and motivational. It reiterated what I have been contemplating.
Nicole Bianchi says
Thanks so much, Jodi! So happy to hear you found it inspirational. 🙂 Do you have a writing ritual?
Mike Loomis says
Terrific post, Nicole! I’d never heard of this. Grateful you shared!
Nicole Bianchi says
Thank you, Mike! It’s little tricks like these that really help on those days that you’re facing writer’s block. Hope you find a powerful writing ritual that works for you!
MaryEllen Miller says
My writing ritual is same time, same pen, same journal, and coffee. Then it is time to write!
Nicole Bianchi says
That’s wonderful that you write by hand, MaryEllen! I used to write by hand quite a bit but mostly type on the computer now. I should get back into the habit of writing by hand each day. Your ritual sounds very inspiring. 🙂
Margaret says
Hey Nicole! Great topic. I have a love-hate relationship with routine. I think if I pretend I don’t have one, but secretly set up all conditions to facilitate one, it works. Sometimes? Still working it out… 😛 Thanks for stopping by the blog!
Nicole Bianchi says
Hi, Margaret! 🙂 Thanks for your comment! Haha, it’s so true that routines can be difficult to implement. At first, I didn’t think I had a ritual when writing nonfiction, but then I realized that there were still a number of actions that helped me get into writing mode, even if it was just as simple as opening my favorite word processor and setting a timer. Now I try to do those whenever I sit down to write. It sounds like my method is similar to yours. 😉
Jodi Heisz says
Great ideas! I really need to have a set ritual. I believe it will help to set the tone for writing. Sometimes it feels like I take too long to warm-up. Definitely will give it a try1
Nicole Bianchi says
Thanks, Jodi! I definitely find it very helpful for getting my brain into writing mode. Hope you are able to find a ritual that works for you! 🙂
Nadia King says
Hi Nicole, great post. Like anything in life we need to prepare. I might have to work on setting up a ritual. If I’m at home I usually make a cup of tea. When out and about, I start writing straight away. I think a prayer or just a focusing of the mind before I start, could really help. Thanks for posting this interesting and valuable post.
Nicole Bianchi says
Hi, Nadia! 🙂 Thank you! I find tea very inspirational as well, though I don’t always remember to make a cup when I sit down to write. I do love the idea of saying a prayer before writing.
Ellen Read says
Hello Nicole.
A great, inspiring post. Thank you.
I always have breakfast first – food and a cup of tea. That gives me and my brain energy. After breakfast I open my study curtains and let in the light. Then I dress and then go back to the study. I write at the same desk in front of the same computer in my study.( I already have thought about what I’m going to write. I may do this the night before.) I play some music before I start writing but not while I’m writing. I prefer the silence so I can immerse myself in my own world- the world of my story. I have a cup of coffee between 10am and 10.30am. At irregular intervals, I walk around the house, to stretch my legs, to think.
I probably have more rituals if I think about it. Thank you once again. Ellen.
Nicole Bianchi says
Hi, Ellen! 🙂 Thank you so much for your comment!
I love your rituals. This routine sounds so peaceful and relaxing — the perfect way to awaken the creative side of your brain. I like that you think about what you’re going to write the night before. I too find it much easier to start writing when I’ve planned everything out in my head or on paper in advance.
Thanks again for sharing! 😀
Michael Kilman says
Excellent blog here. It’s so important to creat a writing routine.
Nicole Bianchi says
Thanks so much, Michael! Glad you enjoyed it. 🙂 And I definitely agree!
Shonazee says
Love, love this post, Nicole!
In fact, I’m love with the blog, will keep visiting it like all the time!
Thank you so much for the comment on my blog 🙂
Nicole Bianchi says
Hi, Shonazee! 😀 Thank you so much for your sweet message! I really enjoyed reading your blog too. 🙂 So happy we met through Instagram.
Karli says
Fantastic!
It is truly incredible how we can train our minds! I loved all of your sources, each author giving their perspective on what we all can benefit from!
My ritual is getting up before my kids (so there is silence!), making a cup of coffee, reading my Bible, and then I turn Imogen Heap radio on Pandora and start writing! The days I follow through on my ritual I get SO much more written!
Thanks for always sharing really insightful tips on writerly things 🙂
Nicole Bianchi says
Thank you so much, Karli! 😀
Loved reading about your ritual. It sounds wonderful. Thanks for sharing! I also like to start my morning by reading several Bible passages. 🙂 And music really helps to set the mood once I sit down to write. And, yes, I agree. The ritual really does make the writing flow so much easier!
AH says
Interesting post! Thanks for writing.
Nicole Bianchi says
Thank you! So happy you found it informative! 😀
Diane Young says
I tried to sign up for your FaceBook group, but it didn’t work because the app said, “Subscriber type
unsubscribed”. ???
Diane Young says
I tried to sign up for your FB group, but it didn’t work. “Subscriber type unsubscribed.” ???
Nicole Bianchi says
Hi Diane,
It looks like you had unsubscribed from the email list. Would you like me to resubscribe you?
RiverWrites says
Hi Nicole,
We enjoyed reading this post, my young lad and I. It resonates with me and my young lad, who is an avid writer, for his age!