Christen Krumm

Writing Rituals. I have heard so so many authors recommend you have writing rituals—to get you to “that place” when you’re ready to start writing. While I understand their points, and while it may work for them, I heartily disagree (besides the fact they don’t really work at all for me).

For one, I don’t think they work because I am completely ADD (self-proclaimed) I constantly have to change it up (just recently I moved my desk/”office” from the kitchen to a corner in the living room). Also, I’m a busy mother of two crazy, lovable littles. I don’t have time for rituals. My rituals will quickly become theirs—lucky pen? They will steal it and hide it never to be found again. Special hat? It’s now their special dress-up hat. Fuzzy socks? I’ll lose them (the wash would eat them). Have to type? My computer will break. I just don’t have time for rituals. Most days if I want to write, I have little snippets of time that I can jot a scene down on a napkin while the kids are eating lunch. Or, what’s been working the best recently, scribbling out a scene on the notepad I’ve taken to carry around while I stand in line at the postoffice or at the bank. I can’t have a certain pen or place because more then likely it would change from day to day.

As my favorite author, Lauren Oliver, said:

“I try to train myself out of writing rivals because I find that if you can only write when you have this pen or at home at this computer, it gives you all these excuses to indulge in not writing . . .”

My point precisely.

What about you? Do you have any writing rituals? Do you agree with them?

So I’m reading this book (I know. . . big surprise right?) Pen on Fire: A Busy Woman’s Guide to Igniting the Writer Within. So far I’m liking it, like a ton. There are lots of different writing exercises at the end of each short chapter, and for once I’m actually doing the exercises (most of them anyways).

One of the exercises encourages you to find little pockets of time to write, so I started making a list of the little pockets of time I could steal to write (a little soon adds up to a lot!)

*Kids’ bath time - since this is normally the time I straighten up the living room (no worries the bathroom door is almost straight across from the living room so I can keep an eye on them at all times) I plan on having the kids help me clean-up before they jump in the bath. That way I can take my notebook in the bathroom and write while they play in the tub.

*While the kids play out side – generally I just take whatever book I’m reading or play/work on my phone, but this is a perfect time to scribble out some words!

*While driving – if I’m riding (Andy driving) I can free write some words, if I’m driving, I can use my phone and Suri—I need to use her more.

*Waiting in line at Target and Aldi’s – really these are the only places I generally shop. And let me tell you. . . that Aldi’s weekend line is a doozy. It’s also a good idea to pick the longest line—I can use all the help I can get!

*Eating lunch – since moving my “office” from the kitchen to the living room I don’t actually eat at my desk/while I work anymore (bad habit of mine). Now I have an extra seven minutes to write out some words while the kids chow down on their PB&Js.

*Making dinner – a little here, a little there.

*While watching T.V. – I don’t really watch a lot of t.v., but sometimes Andy and I will get into a show on Netflix (currently it’s Fringe season one. There are four seasons, and we’re LOVING it. . .it’s so strange!) Anyways. I can’t always concentrate very well while watching t.v. and trying to write, but I hate sitting still not doing anything, so even if I only get a paragraph written, it’s a paragraph written.

*If D or E wakes me up early – lately D has been waking up early (thank you canine teeth . . .), but this weekend it was E (our first accident bedwetting. . .she’s been going strong for four weeks, so. . .) I was woken up. Since it wasn’t a simple “Here-is-a-mimi-go-back-to-sleep” type waking up, I was awake, awake. Perfect time to get up and get some writing done. Quiet house. And since it was 4 AM it’s a good 3-4 hours of peace and quite to write—or write until I get re-tired and curl up on the couch and sleep for a couple before the kiddos wake us.

*After I put the kids to bed – this is what I have been doing. It hasn’t been working out so great lately because I have been completely zonked or so behind in work so I either crash or get caught up on work—hence the fact I haven’t been getting any writing done whatsoever.

So that’s the plan. I’d still like to get 1,000-ish words in a day, but some days I can’t hold myself to that. Somedays I have to realized that I also have a household to run, a husband to love, kids’ noses to wipe. But on those days. On the days I’m completely over-whelmed with life, I will just stick to getting something down on paper. A sentence. A paragraph—anything is better than nothing and a little will soon add up to a lot.

When do you steal little bits of time to write? I’d love to know—always looking for more ideas! 

More ideas on my post Finding Time to Write