As the long winter months stretch before us and I am gearing up for some short days and long nights ahead, I started thinking again about a concept I read about earlier this year. The concept of Hygge. This is a Danish idea that basically translates into English as the art form of creating feelings of cozy, warm contentment and wellness.

And of course, that started me thinking about what hygge means for a writer. 🙂 What are the cozy things that we writers do that help us along in our writing? What are the little routines and such that signal to our brain that it is time to write? Those rituals are important and many famous writers had them.

For me, I like to make sure that I am sitting either on my bed or the couch (somewhere soft) with minimal distractions. I carefully choose my writing music and then dig in. Often I make sure to gather all my notebooks and papers beforehand so that I don’t have to move around too much if I have a plot or research question and break my train of thought.

How about you? What are your writing rituals and routines?

Here are a few things I thought of that can help create a cozy writing atmosphere –

• Light some candles! (Preferably something with a nice scent.)
• Have some tea (or coffee or water or whatever your beverage of choice is)
• Write with music (or write in silence if that is your thing)
• Be conscious and aware as you write (imagining yourself as your characters can go a long way to telling an authentic story)
• Enjoy the chance to write and tell a story
• Have a snack ready when you are done writing (am I the only one who always wants to eat after a writing session?!)
• Try taking your writing outside (or inside for a change if you normally write outside)
• Surround yourself with things that inspire you as a writer and take the time to enjoy those things

And if you are interest in reading more about Hygge and what it is, here is the wonderful book I read. Enjoy these cozy winter months ahead!