Just wondering if there's anything special you people do before you write(procrastinating for two hours does not count). I personally get myself a hot drink to sip on in those few moments I remember to. It's a personal challenge to drink the cup before it gets cold.

I wake up very early in the morning (4 AM) when the house is still quiet. I get some coffee and try to edit my pervious day's work for a half hour.  Then, when my mind is spritely enough to write I do that.  I write for about 3 hours (hopefully enough for 1 chapter) and the go to work.

I found if I tried to do it after work I was too tired to write and just not in the mood.  Thats why I wake up so freaking early- to give myself the time and space to write, when I am freshest for the day.

90% of my writing is done between midnight and 4am.

It's an old habit I picked up in highschool. I'd go to bed at 10 and write myself to sleep, typically around 1am. I started doing it so often it became a habit.

1. turn on computer

2. close the door

3. put on earphones

4. start my Writing Music playlist on Spotify

Going on forums or something to answer questions as a writing warm up and to wake up my brain for writing. Sometimes a cup of tea.

I like to watch streams that have natural 'breaks' or parts I am not as interested in.

An example of this is Dota tournaments. I watch the games themselves but not all the paneling, drafting all that between games. So I watch a game for 40 min, then go write hardcore for 30 min and then watch another match. Then between series, the break may be longer and I also use that time to write.

Another example is Among Us streams. I watch imposter games and skip most crewmate games, so I just look over if it is an imposter game, and if not I keep writing. If it is I take a break.

Hello, I'm Elecham and I'm procrastinator. Deep in my soul, all I want to do is stare at a blank wall and put off writing until the crows eat my eyes and sand scours the flesh from my bones.

All my rituals exist to try and curb this behaviour. I wake up early, make coffee, head for a tiny attic room with a flimsy table and an uncomfortable chair where the internet can't get and start writing. The only rule is that while my laptop is on the table I have to be writing. No side activities allowed, no staring out the window. 

I do this for most of the morning and then come down for breakfast/lunch. Editing follows in the afternoon.

I don't have a set routine, but I make a habit of changing what I'm doing for a bit before I start working on anything and do that for a bit. If I'm sitting, I'll stand up and stretch, if I'm standing, I'll sit down. Just to break what I was doing, because chances are I was procrastinating. Then I'll get back to my keyboard.

It works. *shrug*

Block access to distracting websites + Coffee and Coffee and Coffee and Coffee and Coffee and Coffee and Coffee and Coffee and Coffee and Coffee and Coffee and some more Coffee.

I guess I also try to change what I'm writing with a bit, changing it up from laptop to desktop to phone, I think that probably has some use preventing any problems sitting in the same position for ages.

I also don't mind cold coffee op, but then I use a lot of sweeteners which makes it taste pretty good cold

I just put Sigur Ros on full blast and write.

I have to have some down time (helps more if its alone time) and put on songs that are relevant to the characters or scene I'm working on. They're on repeat so they fade into sort of a background buzz for me. That seems to force my brain to think about writing/editing.

DrBuller Wrote: Just wondering if there's anything special you people do before you write

Take a trip to an alternate dimension and back to become spiritually woke asf



I think.

It's a very important ritual one must undergo before a letter of the English lexicon is typed. Without thinking, you cannot write. Unless... you write without thinking, which is also okay, but I recommend thinking.

Quite a useful trick, y'know?

I don't necessarily do it before writing, but when I get stuck I play a chess game. 

I take a minute to collect myself and write out a few bullet points detailing the goals for my session/chapter and what my intentions are. 

If it’s a POV I haven’t written in some time, i’ll do a quick writing exercise detailing some of the aspects and beliefs of the character. 

I slap myself and then listen to music while I write.
So finding a song is kinda a ritual.
I also get a drink(usually soda or chocolate milk), and sometimes some food.

I also turn my lights off(I hate bright things. Like daytime, I hate daytime.), put my headphones on, put on my jacket, and then I put up my hood.
It kinda helps me concentrate and not look off to my sides as much. 
So that too.
 
Then I just sit for hours and write.
Or I lay in my bed and write on my phone.
Otherwise, I still do everything else the same.
Unless I'm not at home, in which case I wait until I'm bored and start getting lost in my head.

If you're looking for a weird thing that my ritual does....
I put on two pairs of headphones and listen to multiple songs simultaneously sometimes.
It helps me think about multiple things at the same time. One train of thought for each song, kinda.
If I don't, one of those trains of thought will drift off somewhere else and distract me.

I first like to put my son down for a nap, or perhaps distract him with his Lego and some animal crackers. :) 

More seriously, I once wrote an essay on things you can do to promote a better writing experience. I might have to dig it up and post it in the Guides forum. The topics were:

• Wear "work" clothes (whatever that means for your writing; if it's weird, make sure your webcam is off). 
• Have a dedicated writing space, such as a home office or a favorite cafe. 
• Write with other authors in the room or on webcam (just don't wear the suspicious hot dog costume)
• Use music soundtracks or white noise to set up an audio-space. 
• Stick to a schedule. 

Some other concepts might be to never write on an empty stomach. My personal editing productivity goes way down if I'm cold, so I currently have a small space heater going next to my feet. The moment someone starts talking to me, I can't concentrate on what I'm editing, because it uses the same area of the brain, so making certain others know I can't be disturbed is also important. 

I used to only ever write in complete darkness, and still end up doing that a lot. It’s just easier to get into the story when the outside world is out of sight and out of mind. 

I'm the worst. I play music with lyrics in my headphones, I keep my social media tabs open, I get distracted and do other things, I write multiple stories at once, I even zoom call with people while writing (though they're writing, too, typically).

Wrote almost 400k words last year, though, so something's working.