The Right Writer Rites

Learned yesterday that my old-mate-turned-professional-writer David Bishop has had some well-deserved recognition for one of his short film scripts. Woo-hoo!

He'd also got me thinking a little earlier in the week about the rituals and superstitions writers observe when they finish their projects - his post from the previous day mentions his own job-done celebrations.

Sad to say that I don't have a 'smoke one cigarette once the manuscript's complete' rite for when I complete a job ... which makes me feel like I'm letting the profession down a little.

Perhaps I've never cultivated a signing-off process because finishing a job isn't as significant to me as starting it: it's easier for me to complete a job once I've been given it than it is to be given it in the first place. But then that would mean the closest I get to a writing-related tradition is the ludicrous whooping, dancing about and other child-scaring behaviour I do when I get commissioned for a project ... If you'd been around our suburb on Thursday morning, you'd have seen it first hand.

Hmmm. If any of the other authors who drop by here (you two know who you are) fancy sharing their writing rituals, feel free to pop up on the comments page with the details. Maybe I'll get some ideas for one of my own.