Why a Writing Ritual Is the Ultimate Creativity Boost—How to Design One for Yourself

Lifestyle news - I’ve agelong believed: a happy, patient life is built connected rituals. From your morning routine to your evening wind-down, our days travel pinch greater easiness erstwhile we person supportive habits successful place. Decision fatigue is an inevitable truth of our lives (the net presents america pinch nary shortage of rabbit holes). But rituals let america to weave much volition into our choices. By committing to what helps america consciousness our best, we use from a level of self-trust that becomes a fixture of our days. And arsenic a writer, that truth shows itself astir successful my regular penning rituals.

I’m some blessed and cursed pinch a imaginative career. Writing, of course, is simply a accomplishment you create done education, experience, and vulnerability to beautiful words and effective style. But it besides requires inspiration—a cardinal constituent from which we tin build a story, argument, aliases moreover a azygous thought. And honestly? Some days, I don’t person it. Writing rituals, however, thief maine conquer nan blank page pinch confidence.

Featured image from our question and reply pinch Roxana Saidi by Suruchi Avasthi.

What are penning rituals?

Writing rituals are nan accordant group of steps we return to hole ourselves earlier putting pen to paper. While they look different for everyone, penning rituals get astatine nan aforesaid goal: to consciousness energized and inspired to building our thoughts efficaciously and successful a measurement that aligns pinch our eventual desire to pass them to others. Sometimes they’re simple; sometimes they’re profoundly idiosyncratic. What matters astir is that they put america successful a headspace pinch greater state to create.

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Writing rituals are impervious that there’s powerfulness successful consistency. When we put ourselves successful nan aforesaid place, astatine nan aforesaid time, and having done nan aforesaid actions that we cognize and spot make america consciousness fresh to move outward, nan imaginative process is much successful. With less variables to control, we person nan opportunity to research without immoderate intelligence barriers weighing america down. Does that sound excessively abstract? As personification who’s committed herself to 1500+ words daily, spot me: it works.

As nan mid-century novelist and short communicative writer, Flannery O’Connor shared, “I’m a full-time believer successful penning habits… You whitethorn beryllium capable to do without them if you person brilliant but astir of america only person talent and this is simply thing that has to beryllium assisted each nan clip by beingness and intelligence habits aliases it dries up and blows away.”

It’s existent (and I could constitute an wholly abstracted article astir this): penning is not a gift. Writing is simply a “talent,” e.g., thing you build by engaging pinch and encountering daily. Have I exhausted this constituent enough? Great—let’s dive into nan nonstop penning rituals to thief you build a much rewarding practice.

Writing Rituals to Cultivate for Everyday Inspiration

1. Generate Inspiration

Many telephone this “pre-writing,”—I see it nan intentional enactment of putting yourself successful nan way of inspiration. While productivity is often thought of arsenic an inherent trait, I judge it’s an predisposition and attack to life. It’s a measurement of looking astatine nan world pinch dream and optimism, knowing that each time is an opportunity to amplify nan inputs you return in. Because nan champion penning is precisely that: a relationship to and deepening of really you observe and acquisition nan world.

Elizabeth Gilbert shares a sentiment successful her book, Big Magic that summarizes this succinctly: “A imaginative life is an amplified life. It’s a bigger life, a happier life, an expanded life, and a hellhole of a batch much absorbing life. Living successful this manner—continually and stubbornly bringing distant nan jewels that are hidden wrong you—is a good art, successful and of itself.”

Again: this could person thing to do pinch your penning itself. (And likely, it doesn’t.) Ask yourself really you’re already starring a imaginative life—and really you tin nurture much of this vibrancy successful your each day.

2. Habit Stack Your Writing

It’s nary secret—we emotion habit stacking. By pairing a desired wont pinch 1 you already practice, nan behavioral method makes it easier for you to incorporated and build caller rituals into your life. And spoiler: penning tin beryllium 1 of them.

Take banal of nan habits you’ve already automatically incorporated into your day-to-day. Likely, these will beryllium truthful mini and elemental that they often spell overlooked. Making your bed, prepping breakfast, getting dressed for nan day, taking an AM walk, having your midday luncheon break, getting location from work, watching an evening show pinch your partner, etc. The database is endlessly permeable, of course, giving you nary shortage of options to building your ain penning rituals around.

But what does this look for illustration successful practice? Examples of wont stacking your penning rituals could include:

• After I make my coffee, I will return it to my table wherever I’ll ray a candle and constitute for 20 minutes.
• After I get into furniture astatine nan extremity of nan day, I will unfastened my diary and constitute 1 page.

Habit stacking yields a akin consequence to structuring a imaginative life. By designing routines and rituals astir your penning that are limited connected habits you already do, you make them much desirable and automatic. And erstwhile what was erstwhile difficult becomes ingrained, you not only do it more, but you tin use this caller power and inspiration to nan penning itself.

3. Write successful an Inspiring Environment

First, to reiterate: beardown penning rituals trust connected consistency. When we found a instauration for our imaginative actions and habits, we subconsciously orient ourselves to practicing them pinch regularity. This applies to nan beingness abstraction we constitute successful arsenic well. I’ve knowledgeable periods successful my life wherever my penning has been done successful hurried, stolen moments from random spots passim my day. (Long stretches of recreation will do that to you.) Having seen what that did to my style and output, I now prioritize and protect my treasured penning spot—a mini table successful nan area of my bedroom.

If you’re aesthetically driven for illustration me, past penning successful a beautiful situation is important. And no, it doesn’t person to beryllium lavish aliases over-the-top. Instead, first attraction connected what an inspiring situation looks and feels for illustration for you. In your journal, bespeak connected nan places you’ve felt astir energized and creative. Maybe it’s a favourite java shop, library, aliases workspace. How tin you use nan specifications and characteristics of that abstraction to your desk, office, aliases immoderate cozy area you take to constitute from?

And while different writers return a minimalist attack to their space, I’ve followed Camille’s guidance successful creating a vision board, surrounding myself pinch images and objects that clasp sentimental value. This helps substance your writing, grounding you successful nan gifts and position you bring to nan page.

4. Set Goals

I’ll stock a secret: location was a clip successful my life wherever I struggled to create goals. I had conscionable vanished college, and having near nan highly-organized, system world of academia, I was now free to prosecute my way arsenic I pleased. But I wasn’t judge wherever I wanted to live, what I wanted to do, aliases really who I wanted to be. (Who tin relate?) And if you constitute extracurricular of your 9-to-5, it whitethorn beryllium that your penning habits return connected a likewise absurd shape.

First, I tin consciousness nan expected resistance. Writing is creative, why should I connect outer milestones aliases rewards to my practice? Sure, a definite page count mightiness not motivate you, but I’ve recovered that erstwhile I’m actively alert that I’m building and moving toward something, it helps maine beryllium down to really do it.

It’s tempting to commencement by mounting a lofty goal. But… it’s besides easy to autumn short of that extremity and springiness up. Begin pinch small, bite-sized intentions. Maybe that’s 100 words each day, 5 pages each week, aliases a 30-minute free-write each morning. You’ll quickly find that showing up regular will toggle shape these mini goals into vanished drafts you tin look backmost connected pinch pride, excitement, and appreciation for nan journey.

The Takeaway

Our days move much mindfully pinch rituals we tin trust on. Ultimately, it’s our habits that build a vibrant life. And whether penning is your job, broadside “hustle,” aliases passion (or immoderate operation of nan three), your activity and words will use pinch powerful rituals successful place. Take this arsenic my invitation to romanticize nan process and savor nan journey. While a buttoned-up portion is an accomplishment, it’s nan path that’s yours to observe each day.