My Writing Rituals

We all have writing rituals, of this I am sure. Whether it's clearing out your desk, or turning off all your gadgets, even playing light music or having a drink (or two) constitutes as writing rituals. Don't worry, it's normal. John Steinback, Mark Twain, Virginia Woolf and Victor Hugo are just a few of the many great writers who had the craziest writing rituals out there.

Back in high school, I was a journalist for our school paper The Narra. My main writing ritual back then was scribbling on a dilapidated piece of scratch paper in the corner of the class room just a few minutes before the deadline. Later on, our editor-in-chief would then accept my shabby little paper with a knowing smirk on his face.

But then, there were always those times when I actually remembered to write a few days before our articles were due. Also, I have kept many diaries and special notebooks to write in ever since I was twelve (and successfully maintained them until now!) My writing intention fluctuates between highly organized outlines and random wanderings. That's where my writing rituals come in.


Environment - When the weather is cold and the downpour makes it impossible to go out with my friends, that's when I write the most. The cold makes me sad and melancholic and that help makes me concentrate on what I'm writing. I can't write when it's too hot. These days, my Math notebook is full of random paragraphs and musings because CSM has awesome air conditioning.


Music - Sometimes I can listen to lyrical music, but I actually like writing to white noise or natural sounds. Again, the silence contributes to the "melancholy" atmosphere I like best. If the silence gets too uncomfortable, I use 8tracks where there are a lot of varieties of fanmixes to choose from. Finally, my favorite is a site called Coffitivity, where they play sounds you hear in a cafe to boost your creative spirit. There are a lot of sounds to choose from like Lunchtime Lounge, University Undertones, Texas Teahouse and a lot more. Su-per-cool. (It's also available as an app on OS X, Android and iOS.)


Writing Space -  I find that I’m much more focused if I’m at a desk, rather than lounging in bed. But sometimes, even typing on a phone or tab brings out one or two helpful ideas.

Gadgets - When I write, my phone usually is on silent mode. When I'm on my laptop, I use ColdTurkey to block addicting websites like Facebook, Youtube, Twitter, and Tumblr. Gadgets are the doom of teenage writers like me.

So, those are a few of my writing rituals. Now that I've bared my soul out to you, let me know yours.