Are any of you superstious? Are you skeptics? Or are you, like me, a sick twisted civil war between Carlos Castaneda and James Randi.
There are rituals. Things you do to honour the process... or use as an excuse to treat yourself. Like how every time I write a script for which I get paid, I buy myself a new pen. A nice one.
But there's also the deeper magic, the heavy mojo that happens. Where I write. How... I mean physically how... I write and... this I hesitate to share this with you. Not because it isn't bullshit but because it's bullshit that works and I'm afraid telling you will totally jinx it.
Fine... what the hell, for you, my brothers, my sisters, I will risk all by telling you: "The Secret of the Shower Gel."
The last five years of my life has been secretly shaped by soap... not just soap but other other hygiene products too. I cannot tell you how but I can tell you it's not the first time.
That was in 2004 and it involved a LUSH product, a body-wash I believe, I was using it one day when it said to me, "I'm almost done here. Start packing you're heading out west in a couple of weeks." Then again with a LUSH shaving cream: "Hey buddy, guess what? I've served you well but I need replacing, you've got a long trip ahead of you."
See that nearly empty tube of L'Occitane Cade travel-size shaving cream? It told me I'd be back in Vancouver by the end of April. And ta-da. Here I am.
But I'm not alone, right? You guys probably have all kinds of writers' supersitions that you're willing to share. Talking clipboards and what-have-you?
2 comments:
I don't write enough to have developed some habits or rituals that I need in order to write well, to feel like I'm really in the groove, in the zone. I hate writing (I'd rather gouge my eyes out with a rusty spoon), so there's very little I can do to make myself feel better. However, I recently learned that famed writer Neil Gaiman has some rather interesting quirks and rituals. For example, he writes everything in long-hand, in a notebook. Wow, that takes patience.
KJC
I write best facing South-East.
When in a meeting I always try and snag a seat in which I am facing South-East.
In this one small corner of the internet I will admit that libraries and bookstores have a strong laxative effect on me.
I met guy from Azerbaijan once who had the same quirk.
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