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Wednesday, May 06, 2020

IWSG: Writing Rituals

Welcome to the month of May, otherwise known as Level 5 of Jumanji if you've been following the memes on social media. It's not only the first Wednesday of May, but it's also the 30th anniversary of the day my husband asked me out, and I gave him a "Maybe." I guess by now I can give him a more definite answer. I guess I should also remind readers that this is the designated day for the Insecure Writer's Support Group post, in which writers can share their insecurities without fear and encourage other writers. Learn more about the IWSG on their website, Facebook page, or Twitter feed. Our hosts this month are Feather Stone, Beverly Stowe McClure, Mary Aalgaard, Kim Lajevardi, and Chemist Ken.

Here's our question for the month: Do you have any rituals that you use when you need help getting into the ZONE? Care to share?


No, I don't have any special writing rituals. As a working mother, I have to take my writing time wherever and whenever I can get it. These days, since I'm working from home, I can no longer write on my lunch hour at work (I'm too busy making lunch for my son and myself, doing the dishes afterwards, and catching up on laundry.) What I can share is that it often takes me a while to get into the zone, especially if I'm not sure what to include in the scene I'm working on. I can be very distracted by games and social media under these conditions. To help me get started, I may end a writing session by adding a few ideas about what I want to add next and try to think about my story when I'm doing housework or walking around the neighborhood. The more I write, the easier it is to get the ideas that keep my fingers typing.

Now that I've warmed up by writing this blog post, it's time to turn to my work in progress. If you have any ideas for getting into and staying in the writing zone, please feel free to share them in the comments.

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7 comments:

  1. Alex J. Cavanaugh5/06/2020 4:44 AM

    I think you hit it at the end with warming up with a blog post. Any bit of writing leads to more, and that puts one in the zone.

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  2. Joanna Weston5/06/2020 4:42 PM

    I like your idea to end the writing session with notes about what to write next. I bet that makes it a little easier to jump back in, rather than getting your creative brain to go from from 0 to 60 right away.

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  3. L. Diane Wolfe5/06/2020 5:10 PM

    My best chance is to just get away from the computer. I hand write everything first anyway. Slow, but I don't have the pressure to make it perfect the way the computer makes me feel.

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  4. emaginette5/06/2020 8:40 PM

    I like reading previous chapter too. It gets me in the game pretty fast. :-)

    Anna from elements of emaginette

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  5. Sandra Ulbrich Almazan5/06/2020 9:30 PM

    Alex, I agree warming up does help.

    Joanna, I have so many other things I need to keep in my mind that my stories get short shift. Anything that helps me get back in the writing mode is useful.

    Diane, sounds like a good way to avoid distractions as well.

    Anna, that's another useful tip.

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  6. Joylene Nowell Butler5/07/2020 8:50 AM

    I leave notes in red inside my scenes too. Otherwise, I'm standing at the screen the next day wondering what the heck the brilliant idea I had yesterday was. LOL. Happy IWSG, Sandra.

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  7. Diane Burton5/08/2020 10:29 AM

    I like the idea of adding "what I want to write tomorrow" notes at the end the day's writing. When I get stuck for a word or idea, I write XXX and highlight it then keep on writing. If I stop to look up something, I lose my momentum. Good luck. Hope you have productive month.

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