I'm sitting here at my desk trying to write and wondering how one types well with cold fingers. It is 1 C outside and I am dreading when it hits -30 c. Right now it is cold enough. I have a sweater on and a big fleece blanket wrapped around my shoulders. A mug of herb tea sits steaming at my elbow, its spicy aroma filling the room, and the keyboard of my laptop gets warm when I type, so eventually my fingers will become more nimble. Now if I could only find a way to make my brain more nimble.

Truth be known, I've been looking forward to this time of year. This summer I tried writing, but even though I accomplished a lot, it wasn't the same. I wrote my first book this way, herb tea and blankets, so every time I try to write anything else, I feel like I need that blanket over my shoulders. It's like the blanket holds in all those crazy thoughts and confines them so they have no escape except through my fingers.

I hear about other writers who have odd little habits to help them write. There are those who listen to certain music, play a game of solitaire first, or surround themselves with objects related to the thing they are writing. Some say having rituals can be limiting. They might prevent you from writing whenever you can. I am training myself to write anywhere in any amount of time (Friday night it was in a little notepad during the intermission of a play), but my serious writing happens in front of the laptop with my blanket over my shoulders. So what are your writing rituals? What helps you get into the writing frame of mind?