How I Prepare for a Writing Sessions

It's about time I talked about this, yeah? I always talk about what I do in my writing sessions, but I think there should be a "prologue" to the session. AKA, me prepping. Are we ready?

First

I decide where I want to write. For this season, that place has been in my bedroom at my desk. I finally have all my notebooks and pens there, so it's been lovely to sit down, crack the window, and write.

Then

I start cleaning it. My desk doubles as my nightstand, chaos gatherer, bookshelf, and dresser when I need it to. So, I'll put on the music from my book and start putting away all the rando things I've collected throughout the day (which usually involves a few shirts, six or seven notebooks, and thirty-two cups of tea).

After that

is when I usually remember that I like tea, so I'll fill up the electric kettle and get that to boiling while I wash the mug remnants from my desk and select the correct tea. (Lately it's either been Stash's Licorice Spice or Traditional Medicinal's Stress Ease.)

When my tea is ready,

I'll gather together all the notebooks and pens and markers I need. I cannot seem to write a story without at least three notebooks and a clipboard full of random papers which makes it f-u-n when I just want to write, but at the same time, I love having papers spread out around me with their scribbled plot points and roughly-sketched-out maps.

Now for my favorite part-

I pull up whatever playlist I'm vibing with for each project, slip on my headphones, and start getting into the headspace. I'll open my notebooks and pull out a few things:

• my characters profiles

• a printed aesthetic sheet

• the summary of the story

• the sheets of paper (or notebook) I'm writing in

And then,

before I even start writing, I light a candle, lay my hands on my papers, close my eyes, and pray over my writing. Jesus is my best friend, and when I get to invite Him to write with me, I'm always shocked at the outcome. I don't rush this part, either. I'll pray over each and every character, side thread, stubborn plot hole, you name it. Sometimes I'll have certain verses I pray (my favorite one as of late had been Psalm 19:14: "Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in thy sight, O LORD, my strength and my redeemer.") or a chapter of the Bible I read. Then, when I've fully surrendered my story and my writing session to the Lord, I open my eyes. Take a gentle sip of my tea. Reread the last little bit of what I've written, maybe glance over my plot or summary. Then I finally lift my pen and start writing.

That's all for today, friends! I know it's rather short and a bit out of the norm, but I hope you enjoyed it nonetheless! 💙

What does your "pre-writing routine" look like? Do you have a favorite place to write? Is there a specific verse you ever pray over your writing? I'd really love to know! <3

Cheers!