Your writers’ ritual is an essential key to your growth as a creative writer, poet, or novelist. Every single writer out there has one, from Stephen King to your local newspaper editor, to you. Speaking of the legendary Stephen King, his writers’ ritual is writing two thousand words every day of the year. Yes, that includes his birthday and holidays. No exceptions for the man himself. This is a common and understandable ritual that writers share. I suppose much like everything in life, the only way to improve at an activity is to practice long and often. Repetition is a must since humans are very pattern based. Another common writers’ ritual is having a designated location to work, as many writers draw inspiration from specific areas. J. K. Rowling wrote the Harry Potter series on napkins while in her local coffee shop, while others like myself have a desk at home where we sit, grab a cup of coffee or tea and type away. These are some foundations of becoming a more talented writer. Within time, the ritual will become a habit and it’ll be less difficult and draining.
There is no wrong ritual to choose from
I strongly encourage you to start with a routine that’s small and manageable when attempting to discover your writers’ ritual. Don’t attempt to write ten thousand words in a single hour or hike up a mountain to get your creative juices flowing. Perhaps begin with a notepad or laptop since it’s 2022, and type out one paragraph. Overtime, you can increase it to two paragraphs and then an entire page. Honing your craft is a tedious process, not a swift cheat code. Another ritual I didn’t think of before I began writing was reading. To become a better writer, one must read and gather wisdom from published authors. This also helps with research or can aid in expanding your vocabulary. So before going to bed, find a book of your interest and read ten pages every night. This ritual could be a great asset to your motivation. Whether it’s having a word count, location, schedule, or research, these are tools and techniques that can drive you to become the best writer possible. We are all different. There is no instruction manual or one size fits all solution. Find out what works best for you as a writer and one day you too will have your own writers’ ritual.