From all the reading I’ve done on writers and writing (in the interest of procrastination), one thing I’ve learned: writers use rituals to help them write.

Some writers have to write in a specific notebook (Moleskine seems popular among writers), while others have to use a specific pen (with fountain pens the preferred utensil). Some have to write first thing in the morning, and almost all need their coffee. I suspect many have lucky shirts they wear every day (and unlucky roommates). I myself compose and revise on the computer (as my doctoral mentor taught me,) and do not believe in lucky shirts, but I always drink coffee.

The purpose of ritual in writing is not to court luck, but to court the Muse. The Muse, the whisperer of wildness in one’s blood, the source of inspiration, the bringer of strange harmonies. The writer courts the Muse, but never captures him*.

Tomorrow, I will be starting a new novel, without having any of my previous novels accepted by agents or publishers yet. I will begin this with my favorite ritual, which is spending a couple days out of my usual milieu (this time at a nearby park cabin). Because the middle of nowhere in this case has Internet, I may update occasionally. This is where I will seek the Muse** over the next couple days. 

* The Greeks’ Muses were female. I’m not Greek. Therefore …
** I am in search of a Muse. Duties include intriguing, enamoring, and occasionally bewildering the writer. Please send applications to lleachie@gmail.com.