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Natasha Lipman's avatar

Thank you so much for sharing your rituals, Elle. This came at a perfect time for me. As a chronically ill writer, I've really struggled with finding the energy to scratch my writing itch (and y'know, do my work) without making myself unwell. I literally had to sit down with my husband at the weekend and come up with a plan so I can work more sustainably. It can be really challenging when your brain and your body just forces you to stop, but you kind of want to push through to finish what you're working on.

This week I'm starting to go back and experiment with routines and rituals that are flexible enough to me to work for when I'm not able to produce much at all, and I found a great deal of comfort and inspiration in reading about your routines. Thank you.

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Dumpster Diver's avatar

Love reading this. I'm a process/systems type, so always get frustrated when writers who publish are like, "I write, you know? For like hours." Not helpful.

Know what you mean about the 1st draft. Read something from Terry Pratchett, is that the 1st draft is you telling yourself the story. Blew my mind, and immediately made the initial drafts on subsequent scenes that much easier to do.

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