Every writer has those special things that they do before writing: whether it is to get them in the proper inspired mood or if it’s just something to make the experience special.
Today I am going to share my special routine/ritual that I do before writing. Every writer has their own routine, and I’m sharing this so you guys can get an insight into my process and also maybe to inspire you to create your own routine as well!
Location
I always write in more or less the same spot: my desk. I write best in the evening when it’s dark but I don’t want to be staring at a bright screen when my surroundings are dark, so I turn on a small lamp that I have beside me and it lights up the space pretty well.
Lights/Atmosphere
I have LED strips going around my closet doors, and each colour represents something different. Normally I know what type of scene I’m going to write, so that helps me decide what kind of lighting I should put. Turning on my LEDs is the first thing I do in my writing process.
Red lights are put on for battle scenes or arguments: any time when anger or very strong energetic emotions are at play.
I use green light (or sometimes light blue) for calm, nature-y scenes. Green is for when the emotion is relaxed and serene.
However, dark blue light is for sad scenes: death, or moments of vulnerability, or anytime when there could be tears.
I use a variety of different colours depending on the moment: yellows, oranges, purples, but the three on top are the most common light colours I use. (I rarely ever use the rainbow function on my LEDs… maybe for celebration/victory scenes? That’s an idea…)
Music and Sounds
I use two different platforms for my auditory atmosphere. I use YouTube as well as Ambient Mixer.
YouTube has a bunch of different classical/ambient playlists that can last from a half-hour to over ten hours. My favourite channel is called nobody and they have lots of playlists that range from energetic to white noise, and I love it. My current listen is called ‘you’re listening to the moon sing for 10 hours, 17 minutes, and 10 seconds’. I’m about halfway through, but paired with Ambient Mixer soundscapes, it makes a truly great experience.
My next step after this playlist (or any other YouTube playlist I’m using) is to put on an Ambient Mixer soundscape. Sometimes these soundscapes have music, sometimes they don’t. Another thing that’s great about Ambient Mixer is that if there’s one particular sound (for example, a scraping of some sort) that you don’t like, but everything else in that soundscape you do like, you can change it out for something else, or even mute it! You have complete control over what sounds you hear, how often, and even how loud or soft certain sounds are! It’s also completely free to use.
My current favourite is called ‘Sleepy coffee shop on a rainy day’.
Food/Drink
I typically don’t eat while I’m writing but I do make sure I’m fed. I enjoy drinking tea while I write but sometimes if I forget the tea is there and I’m absorbed into my writing it can get cold faster than I’d like it to…
A small update on Scarred:
The publication date is set to April 15th! I will share the cover design as soon as I can but from what I know so far it is super cute!
And that’s all! Thank you so much for reading! Subscribe so you can see future posts as they come out, and leave a comment and tell me what your writing routine is, if you have one of course! 🙂
Life is a story. How will you write yours?
Until next time,
Catherine Khaperska
Catherine Khaperska 