Whatever you can do or dream you can, begin it. Boldness has genius, magic power in it. Begin it now. – Goethe
This is just one inspirational quote from a collection I’ve been accumulating over time. It’s a good one. And yet beginning “it” (the writing) “now” isn’t as easy as it sounds.
I usually start writing soon after the kids get on the bus. But getting them there can be a hectic process: lunches and snacks to pack, fashion emergencies to solve, the violin to be remembered on orchestra days, etc… Making the transition from harried mom to focused writer isn’t trivial. What helps me is ritual.
First I make sure I won’t get cold from sitting quietly. Having a sweater handy keeps me from jumping up and getting sidetracked by some household task. I make sure I have coffee or tea at my elbow. I close the door, even if no one else is in the house, as it gives me a sense of being safe in my writing “cave”. I turn on music–usually classical instrumental, as lyrics distract me from the words I’m supposed to be writing. At present I’m in an impressionist mood and my CD player is loaded with Ravel and Debussy. On another day it could be Mozart and Beethoven or Elgar and Vaughn Williams. Then I light a candle.
It all may seem rather fussy–and perhaps time-wasting–but it works. These things help me settle down and leave the mundane world behind.
Do any of you have rituals to help you transition between different roles? What are they? Have they changed over time?
Elena
www.elenagreene.com
Elena, I have so many rituals! [procrastination, perhaps?] I need to have tea, the desk lamp on, the overhead light off, the email all read and answered, maybe a candle and the WIP’s soundtrack (a new addition to the ritual, but it’s an aural Pavlov’s dog to get me writing).
And now I must go do the laundry, so all that ritual talk is for nought, for me, at least.
Good luck with beginning yours!
My ritual is preparing a pot of coffee, feeding the cat, anxiously watching the coffee drip in the pot while the cat crunches, getting the coffee cup ready, turning the computer on, stealing a cup while the pot is in mid-brew.
Sometimes it works. Sometimes it don’t. But at least the coffee’s always fresh.
I like to have earl grey tea (hot!) sitting within reach. (Okay, it tends not to be hot anymore after a while…) And maybe I use some gingerlily perfume… And then I pretend to write. 🙂
Cara
I like the quote, Elena. I have several I keep taped to my computer that balance me when I get started — the tricky part 🙂
My son gave me a fountain for Christmas and now I turn that on when I write. The rippling water sound keeps me focused, I guess (I do have to keep it filled or it starts to hiss — sometimes a good reason to get up and move around a little).
I’ve always used candles (lilac, freesia, or gardenia are the preferred) and had to tape a note to the door to remember to blow them out when I left the room. A full glass of water and I’m good to go!
If I’m really serious about working, I close down the Internet so I can’t see if there’s any new messages waiting to lure me away.
Then I open the window and on my altar behind my desk I light incense and a red candle to the goddess Brighid. She’s a triple fire goddess of healing, the hearth and forge, and inspiration of poets.
Hey, whatever works!
Someone told me once that yellow candles inspire creativity, so I light a yellow candle (I like Honeysuckle and Sparkling Lemon from Yankee Candles)! I don’t know if it works, but it smells nice. And I like to have music on that suits the story I’m working on. And I like to read all my email first. 🙂
I used to have rituals to help me work, but now I have something even better: grad students!
Todd-who-is-leaning-back-and-relaxing-in-his-chair
I wouldn’t dare light a candle around my work area. I’d set the house on fire (although it’s a lovely idea).
I have a folding screen I made specifically to keep my nearest and dearest away that I set up and hide behind, and put on some music, or, on Saturday afternoons, listen to the Met. That’s a real treat!