Writers are no different. Many of us have writing superstitions that we believe will help us produce great writing.
Take John Steinbeck, author of Grapes of Wrath and East of Eden. He wrote his drafts in pencil, so he always kept 12 perfectly sharpened pencils on his desk. Truman Capote who always laid down when writing, never began or ended a piece on a Friday.
But none is stranger than German poet, Friedrich Schiller's. He kept rotten apples in his desk drawer, claiming the smell helped him find inspiration. It can be argued that the methane gas that rotten apples produce made him light headed -- hence more productive (kind of...I'm not a scientist), but hey, whatever it takes right?
Unfortunately, I don’t have any weird habits but I do have small things that I look to when in need of inspiration. There’s this necklace I bought a few years ago that has a four-sided pendant. Each side has a different name. One side has my nickname, while the other side has the word “dreamer.” My writing alter ego is on the third side (I know! An alter ego. Do I sound like a nutcase?) “Writer” is on the fourth side.
When wearing the necklace, I was always more inclined to write when the “writer” side showed. I know it was all in my head. Still is. But I can’t help it. Superstitions never lie!
