It is another new year.  This is the year when I will finally do it—get my house in order, clean out the storage room(s), get the perfect tracking system for my business, and . . . 

Begin the writing again. 

It is not always on the first of the new year that I do this.  Sometimes it is the beginning of a new season.  Or my birthday or the beginning of a new class—how many writing classes have I taken?  But here I am again.  And this time I built a ritual around it.  Candles, sushi, a great bubbly.  Quiet time without interruption. Ah yes this will be the time. 

These rituals are important.  They set the mood and help you set your intentions. So the candles are lit. John Coltrane is adding rhythm. I have read previous posts to remind me what this writing is all about.  All a good start.  And that is just it.  A good start. However what good is a good start if you don’t follow through?  I cannot promise that I will follow through and create a regular practice of writing these posts but today on this cold, dark January 1^st that is my intention. Do you find yourself starting over and over again?  Let’s explore some options that might help.

Why are you doing this?

Ah, that is a good question, I have always told myself that I don’t care in anyone reads this.  I am doing it for myself.  Ah, but that is not the truth.  I do care.  I am writing it for you.  You who have come upon this and are actually reading it.  I want it to be inspirational, entertaining and leave you wanting more.  A post like this does not give immediate feedback and that makes it a challenge.  So for now I will go back to the fiction that I do’t care if anyone is reading it.  I will continue with the candles, reading previous posts and looking for inspiration. 

Do you have your tools at hand?

I know, I know.  I have had plenty of lectures that it does not matter if you are writing on the back of an envelope.  The important thing is to just write.  However it sure does help to have your tools ready.  A table and chair.  Good lighting. Is your device charged?  Some people have a specific pen and notebook.  My handwriting was never all that good but lt has deteriorated so that even I cannot read it.  Therefore handwriting in a notebook is or that first thing in the morning journaling.  The kind of thing you will never have to look at again.  Writing you want to share does require being able to read it the next day.  So for me it is my trusty iPad.  I like that because it is more mobile than carrying a computer around with with me.  Your results may vary.

Have a search engine available

As I age, and even before that, I often suffer from brain fog.  What was that word, that location, that name?  It is amazing how much Dr. Google can help.  Sometimes I can look for a word that means the same thing.  Or describe the person to find the name. You may need to search your contacts or your friends list. What was that song?  What can you remember?  The first line? The artist? Can you describe the subject? This is not a matter of aging brain.  It has always been the case that my brain goes blank.  Sometimes it helps to just remember how long the word is and leave space to come back. 

Have a cheering team

It seems that many writers like being alone.  No need to share.  I am not one of those.  I need to share with my friends.  I need the cheer team.  Now the cheer team needs to be people who understand the craft of writing.  My cheer team is most often members of my writing classes or groups.  As these groups fade, I must find new ones. Writers gather. Especially for those of us who are social.

Set a regular time every day

OK, this one I have not mastered. It is my intention.  An intention I keep repeating.  This time I will actually do it. Julia Cameron of The Artists Way suggests morning pages.  Morning pages are not writing.  Morning pages are for only you. They clear your brain and help you get focus.  They are important like brushing your teeth.  But they are not actual writing—the stuff you want others to read.

Read what others are writing

This serves several purposes. It exposes you to different writing styles, gives you knowledge you can use for your own writing and sometimes just helps the brain to function. If find that it also helps me observe the zeitgeist-what are people reading? What are they talking about?  

Now as you may have guessed by now, these suggestions are not for you, the reader.  They are for me, the writer, or rather, the would be writer.  

Happy new year.  Hope to “see” you again soon.