My top 3 writing rituals

Writing rituals are quite common for authors whether they are a newbie or veteran. It’s different each one and there is always a story behind that ritual. When I started writing fiction books, I never thought I would end up having a ritual of my own. But it turns out I do.

I don’t touch a rabbit’s foot, or sharpen my pencils (especially since I don’t use pencils) or anything like that. My rituals are more practical, which suits me because I’m quite a practical person.

In this post, I will tell you my top three writing rituals and why I do them.

Filling up the water bottle

I always have water next to my laptop when I’m writing. And there are two main reasons for this. One is for hydration because there are moments (not too many) when I forget to eat because I’m so immersed in the book I’m writing. Having water there to drink constantly while writing helps me stay hydrated and stave off some of the hunger. Also, because I drink a lot of water, I have to get up to use the toilet many times too. This gets me up and walking, taking a break from being on my seat a lot (which we all know isn’t good for you because apparently sitting too long is the new smoking).

Googling characters and settings

This is a ritual but also a pre-writing habit – and something fun. This process ends up being unpredictable for me. I go into Google with an idea that’s almost set when I’m looking for a specific look of a person or a specific place for the setting. But what ends up happening is that I find new things online that might end up becoming a better location for the book, or a person’s look that might end up suiting the character’s personality more. Or maybe the look is totally opposite to societal expectations, which will give the character a different spin. I sometimes find myself being carried away that I have to steer myself again to focus on what I was supposed to be doing.

Music and no music

This is a strange one for me but it works. During the day, I open the windows and write without any noise – no music or chatter. Things flow easily for me when I’m writing like this during the day. But at night, when everyone’s asleep and it’s dark outside, I put on my headphones and play classical music while writing. And yes, I can write that way too. It’s quite strange, I know, but I have no explanation for it. All I know is that it works for me so I keep on doing it.

What about you? What are your writing rituals?

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