WHAT'S YOUR WRITING ROUTINE?

[slytherincesss.livejournal.com]

I was about to sit down and do some writing, and I went through all my little rituals that I do before I start writing, and I realized that there are things I have to do in order to be in the mood to write! I wondered am I the only one with an established routine? Surely not. How do you get set up to write? What do you need to have surrounding you in order to get into your writing groove?

My routine is pretty established. First, I have to make sure I don't have anything outstanding that will weigh on my mind while I write, like unpaid bills or unreturned phone calls. I have this one pillow that I have to prop behind my back when I write, so I make sure I have that. I sit on my couch when I write; I don't have a proper computer desk -- just a little tray-style cart that I keep my laptop on. I have to make sure it's clean. I have to have my beverage (Diet Mountain Dew or milk for me; I know it's unwriterly to not consume coffee like whoa . . . ) and my external hard drive hooked up, so I can save as I go. I do my best writing between 7 a.m. and 1:00 p.m. typically, so that's when I try and hit it. Sometimes I get a song stuck in my head about the fic so I have to put that on repeat on iTunes while I write. I'm big for needing background noise, so if I'm writing and not listening to music, I might put on one of the HP movies (or, lately, it's been the Lord of the Rings trilogy) for background buzz. And then, finally, I have to have on some kind of aromatherapy. Usually it's Aura Cacia's Heart Song essential oil in a diffuser. I also have to be wearing comfy clothes.

Also, do you write in Word or HTML, or something else?

I myself write in straight HTML, including manual tags. Then, later, I make a Word copy. This if for fan fic. For original fiction, I write in Word.

What about you all? What are your writing habits or routines, if you have any? I'm always interested in whether other writers have quirks too!