After watching the first round of the U.S. Open Golf Championship last year, a thought popped into my head. Scary, I know.
No matter how difficult or easy the shot, every golfer went through a pre-shot routine of lining up the ball, talking with their caddie, practicing a few swings, and lining up again. This got them ready mentally and physically. Only after all this prep did they stand over the ball and hit it. Then—like being struck upside the head with a 3-wood—my pre-writing routine came to mind.
I’m not sure when I first started my routine, but over the years this ritual has become as much a part of me as breathing. I sit in the same spot at my branch office, order the same drink every time, set my screen at the same angle, find a concert video on YouTube, and put in my ear buds. Only then am I ready to write.
Peter DeVries, an author and editor, once wrote, “I write when I'm inspired, and I see to it that I'm inspired at nine o'clock every morning.”
You might not write at 9:00 a.m. every day. Whenever you start your writing session, be mentally ready to write.
Have you thought about a pre-writing routine? Or do you plop into a chair and start pounding away at the keyboard? Either can work, and the key, as with many things in writing, is that you find what works best for you.
Your assignment: Figure out a pre-writing routine that will help you get in the “mood” to write. Try this routine for three weeks. Tweak as necessary to maximize your writing time.
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January 27 Assignment 5 -Storytelling Your Life Lessons
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It's Not What You Know; It's Who You Know - Assignment 4
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Stay on Track with a Writing Schedule - Assignment 3
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Assignment 2 - Finding Speaker Topics
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IMAGERY–WHEN THIS IS LIKE THAT
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2018 Writers Charge
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Last Chance - Assignment 7
2/11/2018 7:00:00 PM by: Cindy Sproles
An Adjective Safari - Assignment 6
2/4/2018 7:30:00 PM by: Denise Loock
Get in the Mood to Write - Assignment 5
1/28/2018 7:10:00 PM by: Larry J. Leech II
Getting Rid of “I” Disease - Assignment 3
1/14/2018 9:37:00 PM by: Andrea Merrell
Curb Your Adverb Addiction - Assignment 2
1/7/2018 7:30:00 PM by: Denise Loock
Appropriate Emails - Toe[email protected] - Assignment 1
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WHO ARE YOU? - Writing Your Bio
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WRITING IN A PICKLE
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THE NaNoWriMo CHALLENGE
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BRINGING YOUR CHARACTERS TO LIFE
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DON’T LET SPEAKER BEATS RUIN YOUR MANUSCRIPT
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HOW TO CRAFT GREAT DIALOGUE
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AVOID REPETITION AND WRITE TIGHT
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ELIMINATE THE EXCLAMATION POINTS – ASSIGNMENT 1
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MAKE THE MOST OF YOUR 15-MINUTE APPOINTMENTS
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THE BIO – THE FRAGRANCE OF WHO YOU ARE
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THE PAIN OF UNSOLICITED
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REDUNDANCY: AN EXCESSIVE, OPPRESSIVE, PERVASIVE DISEASE
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MAKE THE MOST OF YOUR 15-MINUTE CONFERENCE APPOINTMENTS
8/20/2016 3:36:00 PM by: by Cindy Sproles
WHY SHOULD I ATTEND THE ASHEVILLE CHRISTIAN WRITERS’ CONFERENCE?
8/17/2016 3:47:00 PM by: by Cindy Sproles
YOU NEED A PLATFORM – LIVING A STORY- ASSIGNMENT 3
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THE ONE SHEET
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OVER-EDIT?
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