I recently taught a week long online workshop on writer’s
block. I asked the participants to share
their writing rituals. I was surprised (though
I probably shouldn't have been) by the number of writers who sit down at their
computers to write and first check their email and Facebook. Responding to your emails and checking Facebook before you write is not a ritual--it is a routine.
A writing ritual is a type of ceremony or rite. It helps facilitate the transition between
your everyday life and your writing life.
It is a specific set of activities designed to signal your subconscious that
this is a special time set aside just for writing. It is a call to your muse. It might be
ringing a bell, putting on soft music, or saying a prayer. It does not have to
be elaborate, but it should be something done with intent.
My ritual includes a short meditation and filling my writing
coffee cup—my “Do North” coffee cup. So,
as I sip my coffee out of my DO North mug, I embrace the action or the Doing of
my true North and then I start to write.
It’s simple and quick, but helps me slip into the writer in me.
Do you have a writing ritual or is it a routine? I’d love to hear how you start your writing
sessions.
Mary Jo Guglielmo is writer and
intuitive life strategist. She helps clients take the action to live their true north.
For more information check out www.donorth.biz
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