Simple Saturday Sessions

Saturday starts with simplicity: brewing coffee and watching the steam rise from the cup. I’m on the couch while the dog begs my wife for her breakfast. The TV is on — Man United vs. Nottingham Forest. I’m already anticipating Game 7 of the World Series tonight, but it’s also November 1, and I’m starting my 50,000 words on my novel. Solo this year — no NaNoWriMo. My plan is to charge my laptop, head to the library, and do my pre-writing ritual: read a novel for five minutes, pick a song at random from the story’s soundtrack, open a Google Doc, name the doc after the song, then put down the word count for the day. Then repeat that for the next 29 days.

Today I was exhausted, and on the drive to the library I thought, “Why not listen to a song now so I’ll be ready when I get there?” I hit shuffle and “Whole Lotta Love” played — and it was a good thing I did that, because I forgot my headphones. 😅 That didn’t stop me from finishing my session today.

Question for readers: What simple ritual helps you start creating even on the days you’re tired?