Writing Rituals

When we moved into a two-bedroom apartment back in September, I was excited to finally have space for an office! But it takes a while to get settled and organized in a new place. Nearly six months later, our office is finally more than the "junk drawer," as my sister called it, that it was for the first several months of our residence here, and I now have a little room of my own in which to write fiction!

Well, half a room, anyway. I do have to share it with the Aussie, after all.

My corner:

(Isn't it sweet! The black square beside the chair is one of those ribbon boards--kinda like a bulletin board, but w/o tacks. I'm gonna hang it this weekend.)

His corner:

(He doesn't use it much.)

Our shared corner:

(Love that chair!)

The corner yet to be tackled:

(We have a bit of work to do yet.)

So...why the pictures of my personal space? Because I want to discuss writing rituals, and it's in this space that the writing happens.

My writing life has picked up over the last couple months. Writing is becoming a priority and a part of my weekly schedule rather than something that happens if I'm lucky. I've noticed lately that I have developed a few writing rituals--things I must have in place while I'm writing.

First, I always have a candle burning on my desk.

Second, I have cup of tea in my cute tea cup, poured from my cute tea pot.

Third, I always use the light on my desk rather than the overhead light. The desk lamp casts a soft warm glow.

With these elements combined, I've been enjoying many fruitful writing sessions lately.

What are your writing rituals?