My sister Anne Pinckard is back, sharing some wisdom about how rituals can help your writing.
Today we’re going to come up with a ritual that you can use to enhance your writing practice. Why are rituals important? To paraphrase Casper ter Kuile, author of The Power of Ritual, a ritual helps you build a bridge between one way of feeling into another. In this case, we want to find ways to transition into the mundane world into the magical mindset of creativity and flow. We want to tell ourselves, “It’s time to write. Let’s get to work!”
The heart of ritual is intention, and you can create that with even the most simple objects or actions. For instance, opening your lap top can be a ritual in and of itself if it is done with intention. But let’s dive a little deeper. If you’ve written a lot in the past, you can ask yourself, what sort of mood do you do your best work? Excited? Calm? What time of day do you do your best work? Do you have a dedicated work space? Do you need to exercise before writing? Eat? These are elements you may wish to include in your ritual.
Then think about things that make you feel creative and inspired. Candles? A good cup of tea? Music? Robin egg blue? A favorite necklace? Some crazy wild artwork? Start thinking about how objects and sensory experiences make you feel. Maybe there’s a smell that gets your juices flowing. If you find your inner critic and editor constantly gets in your way, you can try affirmations, phrased not as a wish but as a statement, such as: “I write compelling, exciting stories,” or, “Creativity is my birthright.” Another effective technique is stating releases: “I release my need to write perfectly.” Meditation can clear the mind so it’s open to receiving messages from your muse. Go with what feels good. It’s highly personal, and there’s no right or wrong way to do this.
We can start to structure these elements into a simple ritual. Remember, intention is key. So let’s say you decide to brew yourself a cup of mint tea before your writing time. As you’re filling your leaf holder or puling out a teabag, think about writing. Envision yourself sitting down to work on your project. Smell the minty freshness and imagine yourself typing at your computer, the words coming swiftly and freely. If you’ve chosen music, listen to your song and envision the same thing. You are programming yourself so that that when you do this act or experience this sensory event, you awaken your creativity. The more often you do the ritual, the easier and more effective it will become.
I’ve developed many rituals depending on how much inspiration I need and what I’m doing, but here’s a basic one I use almost every day. I wake up early and meditate. Then I brew my coffee. As I’m drinking, I picture myself sitting down to write. I think about what I wrote yesterday and what I want to accomplish in this writing session. After I’m done with my first cup, I’ll apply some essential oils. For my current WIP I use clary sage and sandalwood because these are the smells that evoke the world of my novel. I inhale and picture my setting. I open my computer and say a few words to invite my muse to join me. And then I write. If I feel stuck, I smell the essential oils to help loosen my creativity. If I’m in a time crunch and only have a few minutes here and there to write, I use the smells, which for me, are the most powerful way to get into my writing mindset.
So you see, a ritual can be quite simple and uncomplicated. Don’t neglect a closing ritual! I find these helpful in keeping the creative mindset sacred and easing you back into the mundane. After every writing session, I close my computer then thank my muse.
Anne Pinckard is a writer and witch who wishes she had messenger pigeons.