Writing Rituals and Baubles

Whether you think about it, everyone has a ritual they have when it comes to working. Maybe it's getting coffee, or organizing your desk. Or not organizing your desk!

So I thought I'd share some rituals about my writing process.

1. I need bauble-y things nearby. 

That's a hand-boiler on the left. (You hold the bottom and the blue liquid boils up at the top). It makes me feel like I have paranormal powers — a nice trick when you're struggling in a very human way to revise the same darn paragraph for the fourth time. On the right is a 15 minute hourglass. I use it to set intervals of time to write and not look at email, Twitter, etc. It doesn't work, but by god, it's pretty. Behind it is a tiara. No idea how that got there. I certainly don't don it and scream "I'm Queen of the World!" I don't. I swear. (No, I really mean it. I don't.)

2. I need to wear baubles too.

Every time I commit to a new project, I put on a bracelet that symbolizes the project. Here, the moonstone symbolizes CODE, the sequel to CONTROL that I'm working on right now. (There's a reference to the moon throughout the book.) The acorn is for a new sci-fi I'm going to write this year, and the lotus flower is for a fantasy novel I'm finishing up. After about five months, the strings wear away and break. It forces me to look back on what I've accomplished.

3. Sometimes when I'm typing for hours on end, I'll wear a huge cocktail ring. 

This one is fake, but it makes my tired fingers feel very purty when I wear it.

4. I abuse Post-It Notes.

I also wear fingerless gloves to keep warm,
like the chunky pair in the upper left I got for Christmas.
Sometimes they get into a fight with the cocktail ring.

5. I have to listen to the music playlists specific to my books. I listen to them over and over again. My poor family. Their ears are so tired of my playlists.

Well, that's just five but the other five would make you think I'm really nuts, so...there you go! What sort of rituals do you have when your write or work?