“Sometimes I write using a pen, but I try not to get attached to any one pen. I’ve done that before. The pen was discontinued and I bought the last 24 pens in stock and I horded them away in my sock drawer for 10 years. That’s just not right.
“The other day, I got on the bus, and was pretty excited to find a seat by the window. As I was about to sit down a woman says, ‘You don’t want to do that,’ so I go and stand by the rear doors thinking maybe someone had peed on that seat or something. Maybe thrown up on the floor. A couple of blocks later we pull over and the driver makes everyone get off the bus. Apparently some guy was sitting in that spot by the window before I got on and he was covered in ants or lice or bed bugs and it took a few blocks for the bus driver to think, ‘Well, that’s just not right.’
“I like my time daydreaming on the bus, but I’m not so connected to that process that I would pass up an opportunity to drive a car or stay home and sleep. No matter the space, time, medium, or vehicle, the story will get written eventually.”
***
On Ritual at Big Other
Is it true, dear writer? Do people in all walks of life find that “starting off with a simple, ordered routine establishes a mindset which helps get any job done”? Questia claims it’s so (August 2009). I remain on a mission to prove or debunk the notion.
Help me. Jot down your writing ritual (or not). We’ll discover–and let readers know, finally and forever–if rituals really do pay off.
- 300 word limit.
- Rolling deadline.
- Recommend others.
- Reply with a pic of you–in your workspace or in outer space.
- Replies, questions or comments: stacymus@gmail.com
Previously ritualized: Emma Straub, Marcy Dermansky, Nicolle Elizabeth, Gabriel Orgrease, Michael Leong
*Some responses may be eligible for posting at American Short Fiction blog, where I began the On Ritual series.