Writing Rituals as a Mom

How they change, and what stays the same

@Natasha asked: I was curious if you have any rituals that help you jump into or focus on your writing time? I know especially as parent, we have that limited window to dive in. Best to you, the Frenchman, and Cricket!

This is a fun, quick question! Thanks, Natasha.

I’ve had mostly the same routine for…well, forever. I make a cup coffee, I pull on fingerless gloves, and then I sit and work. Usually in silence, unless I’m brainstorming, in which case I’ll put on a project-specific playlist.

And that’s it.

Or…that is mostly it because yes, becoming a mom has changed things: namely I really have to be somewhere the toddler is not in order to get creative work done.¹

This doesn’t mean I can’t slip into writer mode in a variety of places (I actually love working on a plane or train), but after 2 years and 9 months of motherhood, I have accepted I cannot do creative work if my daughter is in the same building as I am.

Even if someone else is watching her, like my husband or a nanny, I struggle to …