Writer Rituals: My Quirks That are Essential to my Writing Process

As I was working on a blog post recently, I noticed a few things about myself as a writer. I have some quirky habits, or dare I say rituals, that I go through every time I sit down to write. I hadn’t really paid attention before, but when I realized these rituals existed, I wondered what other writers do and why. Is it because these things help us focus, feel more comfortable, or are they simply habits?

The first thing I do before getting down to any part of a writing project is turn on some relaxing piano or acoustic guitar music on my Bluetooth speaker. I intentionally avoid music with words because it distracts me when I’m reading. The instrumental music, however, really helps me to get into a working mindset.

I’ve done similar things as an occupational therapist when working with a patient on more complex fine motor tasks. I started this habit as a therapist years ago when I read a study about classical music helping children with ADHD to focus and retain information better when working on schoolwork. Perhaps I have a touch of ADD and unwittingly use this technique to compensate for my own distractibility.

Another quirk that I understand is a sensory strategy, is that I always grab a glass of ice water and open the curtains in my office. I do not like turning on the lights or even lamps if I don’t have to. I am a natural light kind of gal. At night I turn on a lamp, but it must be a soft warm light. I realize these sensory strategies are evidence-based techniques I have used with my neurodivergent kiddos at the clinic, but it’s interesting seeing how I carry these things over to my own sensory needs.

Lastly, I always start my projects with good old-fashioned pen and paper. I cannot start writing without an outline, and I prefer my first outline to be a rough scribble on a notepad. Recently, there has been more talk in the literature about how people, particularly children, focus better and retain more information when they write using pencil and paper instead of typing. I wonder if this same science applies to why I prefer these low-tech tools when I approach a writing project. As goofy as it sounds, personally I just feel like I engage with the project faster when I write it by hand.

This self-analysis made me wonder what other writers do to get in gear for their projects. Are there any weirdos out there like me? Or should I say creatives? Creatives are quirky, and that is okay. Wear it proudly.