By Kait Carson

Writers are a superstitious lot. There’s no getting around it. We’re the ones in the restaurant tossing the spilled salt over our shoulder without a second glance. As a group, we seem to think that our rituals will ensure our success. Not financially, but something even better than that. Success in pouring out the words. Something to make a blah writing day a bright writing day.

 Ernest Hemingway wrote each morning just after dawn and continued until he came to a place where he knew what would happen next. Then he stopped and tried to make it through the rest of the day. His early morning start time makes one wonder about the truth of his allegedly voracious appetite for drink. But then, maybe that’s why he stopped when he knew what was coming next. The buzz was wearing off. Suddenly his writing advice of “write drunk, edit sober” makes perfect sense—for Hemingway.

Kurt Vonnegut was another early riser. His workday began at 5:30. He stopped for breakfast and then pushed on until 10, when he went for a walk and started his day job. Vonnegut had a DAY job. Impressive.

Fellow Mainer Stephen King claims he begins his writing day with a slice of creamy cheesecake he refers to as ‘brain food’. Why do I think King’s tongue was firmly in his cheek when he told that to an interviewer? Maybe because Bangor, Maine, for all that it’s a lovely place, is not exactly known for its cheesecake. Now, a Whoopie pie, okay, I could believe that. On the other hand, his author son Owen claims he plumps for crème brûlée before he hits the keyboard. I ask you, who are these people?

At the other end of the foodie spectrum is Joyce Carol Oates. No morsel of food touches her lips until she’s finished writing for the day. The interviewer didn’t specify her rising time, but Oates says that on good writing days (thank you for admitting you have some not so good ones, too) she doesn’t get breakfast until 2 or 3 in the afternoon.

Victor Hugo wrote in the buff. He famously instructed his servant to hide his clothes so he couldn’t leave the house until his writing work was done. Guess that’s one cure for writer’s block.

My ritual is cleaning. I can’t write if I have “stuff” on my desk, including dust and cat hair. I can Facebook, Instagram, and Thread, read and comment on blogs, and e-mail, but don’t ask me to write creatively. Paper, notebooks, sticky notes, and more unrelated to my current project instantly suck the creativity right out of my head. So, before I settle in for a good writing session, all the “junk” hits the floor. Not too far away, I never know when I might need it, but beside my chair out of my line of sight.

As rituals go, mine is tame. I think I should zhush it up a bit. Maybe have sherry in a yummy Waterford glass before I commence creating. Something with a little class. Oh, wait, my writing day begins at 6:00 a.m., and I can’t even handle a glass of wine with lunch. I’m doomed. Best I stick with the tried and mundane. Want to help me clean the desk?

Readers and writers-what’s your ritual and when does it call you?