Seasons, Nature, and Writing Rituals by Alan Anderson

 

Daily Ritual to Begin My Day

Before breakfast or anything else my wife and I begin each day with morning prayers, Scripture reading, and brief meditation from our Orthodox Saints. In our faith walk this is a constant never missed unless because of illness or an emergency. If one of us is ill the other carries on with our morning ritual while the other listens and prays.

 

My Morning Writing Ritual

My writing, “ritual,” changes from time to time, even from day to day. Here is the reason. I mentioned in my blog post of February 20, 2021, my challenge with extreme obstructive sleep apnea. https://www.blogger.com/blog/post/edit/37258556/1460840901707753563 This challenge continues to this day although my memory and concentration improved somewhat since I began using a C-Pap machine.

 

A diagnosis of sleep apnea has given me a relief to know what has been going on with me. I am now aware of how I can maximize my writing energy to be productive and lucid. These days I may write anywhere from three to five hours in a day. The earlier in the morning I begin the more I can concentrate. Through self-experimentation I have found if I neglect to use my C-PAP machine my writing energy is lower. The lesson? Use my C-PAP machine every night.

 

 

Part of my ritual when I write is to do so for thirty minutes then take a five-minute break. This helps me minimize distractions like when my mind tries to lure me to another project. Okay, here is where it might strike you as odd. I do a lot of self-talk when I write. Yes, my secret is now out. I talk to myself when I want to make sure I use the correct words for a sentence or paragraph. For instance, as I was writing this paragraph, I had a little argument with myself to decide whether to let out my secret. Not a giant tiff, just a wee discussion before I continued.

 

 

For the most part I focus on poetry. As I wrote in my Feb. 20, 2021, blog post, “I find poetry is easier to focus on. While concentration continues to be a struggle, I can write at least one poem draft per week. I turned to poetry in hopes not only to sharpen my writing skills but also aid in my concentration.” This is still the case although my concentration is better than in early 2021.

 

 

Nature & Writing Ritual.

I am blessed to live in an area surrounded by mountains, farms, the Fraser River, and flocks of wild birds. I can access all this nature by walks on the dike five minutes away. This is natural relief for writer’s block or when my mind needs a break. Walks on the dike mean I can formulate or even rewrite poems in my head. My concentration is more like a friend when I walk the dike.

 

 

Spring/Autumn and My Writing Ritual

I love spring and with this season my writing ritual goes into high gear. I do not know what it is about spring, but with its appearance I feel energized even more to write. I also love autumn and its soft caresses as breezes become a pal to hang out with.

 

 

I thank God for the words I write. I thank Him for the ability to write. I thank Him for my rituals of writing. May my words be eager to care for and bless the world.

 

 

Alan lives in Deroche, B.C. with his wife, Terry, and their poodle, Charlie. He contributed stories to Good Grief People by Angel Hope Publishing, 2017; Story by Story: The Power of a Writer, Unstoppable Writers Publishing, 2018; Easter Stories & More by InScribe Christian Writers’ Fellowship, 2021. He is currently working on a book expressing the grief of grieving grandparents entitled, Hidden Poetic Voices: A Reflective Work of Grief, Faith, and Poetry. Alan periodically writes articles for FellowScript Magazine. He has written posts for our InScribe blog since 2015. Blog: https://scarredjoy.ca.

Creative Ritual by Carol Harrison

My first thought on reading this month's prompt was, "Daily creative ritual, you mean I should have one?"

I've read and heard about carving out a dedicated time to write many times. Mark it on your schedule. Treat your writing like a business. Make appointments for writing, editing, other creativity and treat them as important. Yet I never seem to actually try doing something like that. 

However, there are things that work better for me than others do. 

Writing in the morning feels like the most productive time of day for me to write. However, I realize I need to be ready to jot down ideas whenever they show up so I don't lose them. 

Other creative endeavors, such as scrapbooking, card making, or making junk journals I leave until later afternoon or more often in the early evening. Weekends provide more time to play with paper. These creative endeavors allow a space to journal family stories as well as allow the imagination to take flight. 

Reading for pleasure occupies moments of time or provides a longer escape when I'm tired or lack focus to continue on writing projects, editing, or even continuing with other creative play. 

Do these loosely held time frames constitute daily creative rituals? Not really but they seem to be the way that works best for me. There are a few things I continue to do but they don't fit into what I consider the creative ritual heading. Yet I find them necessary in my writing process. 

The wall in front of my desk space and my desk itself may seem cluttered to some, but to me it provides inspiration. The pictures are done by family and friends and are a reminder of the creativity of others I know. The bits and pieces adorning my work space include things that I like, are gifts, or reminders to believe and pray. 

I like notebooks and journals and the store aisles containing them are dangerous to wander along if I don't want to add to my stash. Yet I like jotting ideas into notebooks. It is a step up from when I would simply grab any piece of paper and write them down, often losing the paper in the clutter on the desk. Yet my notebooks, although they corral the ideas, don't have a system for easy retrieval. Sometimes what I write becomes a reference for a book or story. Other times I simply journal events, thoughts, and feelings as a way to process everyday life. But even journaling is not a daily event. 

Taking the time for other creative endeavors such as playing with paper and especially

making junk journals helps break mental writing blocks and overcome frustration. Of course reading also helps give me a break from obligations, deadlines, or those frustrating parts of life. I've never needed much of a reason to curl up with a good book and get lost in the story someone else has worked hard to bring to life. 

Continuing to learn is another key element of my writing process. I have so much still to learn and others who are further along in their journey share important facts and ideas through posts or books they've written on the craft of writing. Attending workshops, conference, being part of a writing group, and sharing ideas with others helps spur the creativity and improve my writing. 

I can't say I have a daily creative ritual but I have found ways that make the creativity and writing journey work better for me - at least most of the time. It may change over time as I learn and grow but I doubt it will be time I schedule on my calendar. I just know that I need to be obedient in stewarding well the gifts and abilities God has given me no matter how that looks on any given day. 

 

Carol Harrison lives and writes from her home in Saskatoon, SK. Writing and playing with paper go hand in hand as she allows creativity to bloom in her life.