get in the writing mood

Soundtrack: Go Zombie by Zombie Girl. If you're writing a zombie book (although it would've been much more unexpected to say, if you're writing a heartfelt romance) you might want to listen to this band. It's about zombies--gosh, you don't say! Cool songs but... a little creepy.

Words: big fat zero. I've been plotting--does that count? No, didn't think so.

It's August 22nd and I've only posted 4 times this entire month.

WHAT IS THIS MADNESS?!

So today I thought I'd share my ways to get in the "writing mood". First and foremost, having something to write about helps. But other than that, what helps you write? What gets your Word Processor shaking with excitement? Man, that sounds weird...

ANYWAYS! There are a few things that I like to have around me in order to write write write with few distractions. Here you go, Erika's FIVE STEPS TO GET IN THE WRITING MOOD:

Step 1: Boil water for tea. Preferably Earl Gray. Bonus points if you have a tea kettle that you put on the stove top--the kind that screams when the water is boiled. That TOTALLY WORKS if you're writing a thriller :)

Step 2: Put on your fuzzy slippers. Bonus points if they're shaped like animals--mine are hedge hogs named Phineas and Dumbledore. This way you can write in style and comfort.

Step 3: Light some candles. Bonus points if they smell like something delicious. I don't know about you, but when I'm staring at the computer screen, trying desperately to fill the blank page, I am ACUTELY aware of my surroundings--including the smells. My house smells funny. It smells like the type of house that contains two cats, two teenagers and one very smelly dog. Hence the need for DELICIOUS SMELLING CANDLES!

Step 4: Select a soundtrack. Some days I can't get any writing done if there's music playing (if it's something really catchy, I find myself typing the lyrics instead of what I'm supposed to be working on)--other days, it seems too quiet without itunes blaring in the background. Do you listen to music while you write? Or do you need COMPLETE AND UTTER SILENCE?

Step 5: Adopt a British accent. When I was little, I thought all authors had British accents, regardless of their ethnicity. When I read my writing out loud, I almost always use a (bad) British accent. It just makes my writing sound so much... fancier :D Triple extra bonus points if you happened to actually BE British--in which case, hello!

There you go. My ways to "get in the mood". Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha.

Happy Sunday,

Erika

PS: CAPITAL LETTER OVERLOAD? NO WAYYYYY!