5 power tools for powerful writing

Most writers have rituals and personal quirks to seemingly enhance their creativity and productivity. Unusual habits can run the gamut, from certain writing positions to superstitions and odd behavioral patterns. Charles Dickens always slept facing north. Agatha Christie chewed on apples while taking baths and examining gruesome crime scene photos for inspiration. Virginia Woolf wrote standing up at a tall desk to feel equal to her sister who painted standing up. And Lewis Carroll only wrote using purple ink.

Maintaining a ritual that you believe fuels your artistic engine and signals that it’s time to focus on writing is one of five power tools that can help optimize the entire endeavor. Maybe you light a special candle, listen to the same genre of music, or, like I do, play one particular song in the background on repeat. Perhaps you write with a special pen, sip coffee or tea from your favorite mug, or wear a specific outfit when in your writer’s den (Victor Hugo wore a large gray shawl and locked up his clothes so he’d stay home to write).  

Find your unique ritual—and you can maintain more than one—and let it inspire your process.

Here are four other power tools to consider:

A sacred space: Where do you like to write? Wherever your chosen spot is, make it conducive to your creative process and flow. I’m not the type to sit in a busy coffee shop with my laptop or work from the comforts of bed but for some, those settings are ideal. I’ve heard of writers who love closets, garages, tree houses, and backyards. You don’t need much—a sacred writing spot could merely be a corner desk in your favorite room at home. The only rule here is to designate the place where you’re the most focused and do your best writing. Keep the space protected from distractions and interruptions, and think about what resources you might need available, such as the internet and other books (see next tool).

A library: Surround yourself with books, from kindred spirits in the same genre you’re writing to classics and titles deemed “best books” of the year or decade. Also be sure to have books you can use for reference or that you might need as a resource for technical aspects to writing. Examples of such books I like to keep on hand include the latest editions of The Chicago Manual of Style, Self-Editing for Fiction Writers (you’d be surprised how useful this book is even for nonfiction writing), Woe Is I, Dreyer’s English, and The War of Art.

A placeholder for blanks: When you reach a point in your writing process where you don’t know which word to use, what scene goes next, or which subject matter you need to cover, don’t call that writer’s block. Use an editing mark long beloved in publishing and journalism: “TK.” It means “to come” and we use is to tag a spot that needs our attention later or that’s missing material. We use a “K” instead of a “C” because “TK” is a more striking visual combination that you can also search for easily when you need to go back and fill in that blank. Think of “TK” as shorthand for “I’ll return to this spot later.”

A habit of editing ruthlessly: It’s cliché but true that writing is about rewriting. And that rewriting process is one of endless editing. I marvel at how manuscripts get transformed through the editorial process once an original draft of a manuscript is done. Wearing both your writer’s and editor’s hat at the same time is challenging. Take breaks in between the two tasks. You have to respect both processes with equal measure and at different times in the craftmanship of your book. Allow yourself to write freely in the first draft but be willing to get that machete out when you turn your editorial eye on and consider editorial feedback from others.

Now write on!