Everyone has a ritual, whether they realize it or not. Some people have candy or coffee within arms reach, others have to be listening to a very specific song/genre/artist of music. No matter what you do, these rituals are very important and help define you as an author.
I once met an author who set aside a very specific set of scenes to write each day and would plan the scenes to the last detail before actually writing them. She joined a creative writing workshop at the local community college and they gave random prompts and a very specific amount of time in which to complete the prompts before the end of each meeting, which was to her detriment. Whenever she sat down and planned something out her writing was spectacular, but when she was given 10 minutes and a two sentence prompt her writing was less than enjoyable. This wasn't something she was proud of, considering the comments many people in her workshop made while reviewing what she wrote in class - which was all they were allowed to workshop in this particular class. She would have preferred to discuss what was written in class over what she did in her free time.
If you have a writing ritual, follow it! Just because I am a pantser and the author above is a planner doesn't mean planning will work well for me and pantsing will be effective for her, which is evident through past events.
If you write in the nude while standing on your head and reciting the alphabet backwards, then by all means you do right by yourself. Don't let anyone tell you that your writing rituals make you a bad writer because, chances are, they are what helps you be a great one.
No comments:
Post a Comment