Writing Rituals - Tempany Deckert
Tempany Deckert
WEBSITE: WRITEANOVELCHANGEYOURLIFE.COM
WRITING SPECIALTY: NOVELIST
Whether you’re an author, journalist, playwright, screenwriter or copywriter – every professional scribe has a different set of rituals that help them put pen to paper. Hemingway would write from first light until midday, Didion used one solitary hour before dinner to go over everything she'd worked on that day and Maya Angelou kept a hotel room in her hometown just for writing. Our new Writing Rituals series shines a light on some of our favourite writers and the private ceremonies they engage in each and every day.
writing rituals
Spotlight: Tempany Deckert
Photo credit: Tempany Deckert
“My main vice is panic that I will not get my work done before I die. That’s a really good one to get you going. My less frightening vices are tea and poetry. I’ll read some Amy Gerstler, Thoreau, Blake or a passage from a good novel to get the fires roaring before digging in to my own work.”
Photo credit: Tempany Deckert
Writing is a process that every writer approaches in a different way – how would you describe your own process?
“I always start outlining/spit balling ideas with a notepad and pen – I find handwriting inspires more creativity at the beginning stages. I need complete silence and no interruptions, although having a dog, a husband, two children and several other professions can make that very challenging. Our house has paper thin walls, so I’ve resorted to hiding in our garage with an old metal desk shoved up against the wall. I can shut myself in and not hear anyone or be interrupted. A regular time to write is a luxury I don’t have anymore with small children so I just write when they are at school or my husband can watch them. I always thought I had to write at a certain time but now I realize I’m just lucky to get to write at all. But I do find it very hard to write late at night now, so it has to be morning or day to get anything done. I always have a pot of tea, a glass of water with lemon and a bowl of trail mix. I will write until I absolutely have to go to the bathroom. My goal when I sit down to write a novel is to get a certain amount of pages done. Recently my goal was a minimum of 6 pages, but I managed to pump out 10 every day. I write five days a week if possible and if I can grab the time, I’ll write for at least five hours. I like to write the first draft in a few months so that the story is alive and fresh. Then I’ll spend months editing.”
Do you listen to music while writing?
“No. I cannot listen to music and write at the same time; it completely messes with the tempo of the book.”
Are there set times of day in which writing or even editing feels more natural?
“Writing the novel has to be done in the day; I’m too tired in the evening. But I can edit at night. I find it like putting a puzzle together – little pieces being moved here and there, and it doesn’t take as much energy.”
Name a handful of vices you use to get going each day…
“My main vice is panic that I will not get my work done before I die. That’s a really good one to get you going. My less frightening vices are tea and poetry. I’ll read some Amy Gerstler, Thoreau, Blake or a passage from a good novel to get the fires roaring before digging in to my own work.”
Many writers find it hard to sit in a chair and stare at a screen all day. Do your writing rituals include anything physical to help discover or build ideas?
“I definitely find walking helps with ideas, but I’m usually so limited with time that when I do get a chunk to be by myself and work, I just sit in that chair and don’t move. I’ve never really had a problem with ideas – they seem to be endlessly on tap and annoyed that I’m not letting them out fast enough.”
Finish this sentence: When I get stuck or feel frustrated writing, I…
“Write ten possible writing fixes quickly. I scribble them down and always start with the word ‘maybe’. I.e., maybe they get stuck in a cave, maybe they have driven the wrong way, maybe the neighbour gave them the wrong directions, etc. Eventually I’ll hit on the solution I need. The trick is to not be worried about it and just allow ideas to surface. One bad idea usually leads to a good one if you give it enough time. It’s the snowball effect.”
Does your writing routine or the rituals you perform remain the same each day or does it vary from time to time?
“As I’ve gone through different life stages it’s changed a fair bit. Now I just get to work whenever I get the chance. Before I was more monastic and ritualistic about how things went down. I had lots of things that ‘had’ to happen before I could really concentrate and write. Now I realize that was all just procrastination techniques. Now all I need is quiet and time.”
Are there obstacles you face each day when you sit down to write? How do you try to overcome them or avoid distraction?
“Focus is my main obstacle. As I write, it inspires thoughts about certain things I’m interested in and that will try to coerce me to google and read up on that particular thing. So, I have to force myself to ignore those impulses and keep writing. I don’t allow myself to research or edit when I’m writing the book. I’m only allowed to do that in the editing process otherwise I’d never get any work done.”
What’s the first thing you do when you see a blank page?
“Smile. It’s so exciting. Then I write the title and my name and it’s a thrill every time. I’ve never had problems starting to write.”
Do you have a writing quote you live by or that inspires you each day?
“Nike’s ‘Just Do It’. And it’s the truth. The inspiration and the content come when you are right in the middle of the work. It doesn’t come before. Don’t wait. Start writing, start warming the creative fires by just tapping away – it will take a while to get the right tone and concept so just start writing and eventually it will all fall in to place.”