Writing as Ritual

or using ritual to help you write.

I have long been interested in ritual. Maybe a result of studying religion and spirituality for many years or maybe because I am fascinated by where the sacred and the profane (or non-sacred) meet, crossover and merge. I even considered writing a non-fiction book about the importance of ritual in so-called secular lives. I believe it holds a vital space in keeping us connected to ourselves and to others.

So, it will probably come as no surprise that I believe that having rituals around writing can be incredibly helpful, nourishing and important for writers. Rituals don’t have to be anything big or fancy. For example, having a time of day when you write and always showing up counts as a ritual, lighting a candle before you start writing and blowing it out at the end can create a ritualistic space, brewing a coffee or tea before you start can add a lovely sensory dimension to your writing space. A friend recently told me that her morning journaling smells like coffee. That’s a wonderful way to find joyful associations with your writing.

One of my very sacred rituals is writing as the sun comes up with the mighty London Writers’ Salon.

Rituals in writing can forge something close to the feeling of devotion (another thing I am fascinated by). I won’t go into this too much here as I already shared some thoughts around this in a previous newsletter but it serves to repeat, that in committing to something we set it and ourselves free, which is the ultimate devotion. I have watched mentoring clients become free(r) of their inner critique the more ritualistic their writing becomes.

And, rituals become even more important when we are struggling to write or when what we are writing is causing deep emotional reactions in us. Without creating a sacred space, we can take those feelings into the rest of our day, whereas if we use ritual, we can forge a distinction between where the writing ends and daily life begins again.

Some ideas for creating ritual:

• Go to your favourite café, order your favourite drink (or get it to go), find a comfortable place to sit, and write your heart out. When you shut your laptop or notebook, imagine the story staying within that enclosed space.

• Take a shower after writing and imagine the energy of the words sliding off you with the soap suds, or take a bath and envisage the emotions you don’t need to hold onto circling down the drain.

• Have a special treat that you enjoy after writing and take your time over it. This can be especially helpful if you have something tricky and/or boring to write. (I am big into bribing ourselves with treats and rewards…our creative self is childlike).  

• Light a candle, dim the lights, put on some incense or infuse the space with your favourite smell, add some music or sounds that feel good, then set a timer, write for thirty minutes. When the timer stops, get up and dance to your favourite song, shaking out your body. Take three deep breaths in through your nose and exhale making any sound that comes…let the feelings go. Blow out the candle and go about your day.

I could go even more ritualistic and esoteric here, so feel free to reach out if that interests you and you would like more suggestions. I would also love to hear any rituals that you have with your writing.  Please feel free to hit reply or pop them in the comments.

Recommendations

A few things I have enjoyed recently

Article: I read this a while back, but this piece On Endurance for Writers, Jessie Burton speaks so honestly about the reality of writing a novel and actually getting it finished.

Spoken Word: This spoken word piece by Kae Tempest, that a dear friend kindly sent my way, gives me goosebumps.

Book: I really enjoyed Sankofa by Chibundu Onuzo. The prose is sparse and delightfully rich in what it doesn’t say. A story of identity, belonging, race and family, I loved resting into every carefully considered word.

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Mentoring

I delight in mentoring writers. There is something truly special about watching the writers I work with grow in confidence, rebuild their writing muscles and quieten that inner voice that tells them they can’t write.

Writing is magic and I truly believe that in writing we are trying to answers the questions we have about life on the page. I am so grateful when I can be a conduit in guiding my clients back to their inner storyteller.

If you would like support with your writing, please get in touch or book in for a free twenty minute consultation, to see if I am the right person to help you.