A Writer’s Evening: Tea, Cats, and Creating Atmosphere

 

Good evening my lovely friends, come in, ooh isn’t it just dark out there, wet, windy and beautifully eerie? What can I get you? Tea, lumpy cappuccino, a glass of wine perhaps?

I hope that you had a lovely weekend, I’ve been curled up with Lady Cora Cat on my lap and a book in my paw, but I have been contemplative too. Why the reflective mood? Well, it was a conversation with a friend on Friday night. A simple question out on the balcony led me here. The question: What does a writer’s evening entail?

Twilight Whispers: Entering the Writing Sanctum

 I am a chronic insomniac, and my writing takes place at all hours. There isn’t really a set time… I write when the characters decide that I need to transcribe their story onto the page.

Some writers have ritual of opening the laptop and rustling through their outlines or chapter outlines. What I do is, I have pen, a silver body with Tempus Militibus Series engraved on it, with ink as black as midnight. I am very fussy when it comes to notebooks. I write in an A5 hardback with feint lines. I have smaller notebooks, (Often picked up on city breaks) for each protagonist.

In these books, I describe the character, what they look like, their style, aftershave or perfume, their hobbies. What books they read, what music they like, if they play an instrument.

These little notebooks are invaluable when it comes to a large series, particularly one as large as the Tempus Militibus Series. Why? They help me maintain continuity, and avoid giving characteristics that they don’t have, and to remember important details like if one has blue eyes and likes pasta and if the other has a limp or is 300 years old instead of 30. Relevant dates.

Then the PC is switched on, and I open the last piece that I worked on. If it has been a while, as in a couple of days, then I read back three chapters or I transcribe from my notebook.

 

The Alchemy of Tea: Brewing Inspiration, One Cup at a Time

It’s no secret, I love tea. Some would say my insomnia is fuelled by my love of the leaf. Leaf tea, or more specific, loose-leaf tea. It is a ritual from down the centuries of quiet alchemy, and one that I follow to a ‘‘T’’.

Sometimes I work downstairs in the dining room, so I am close to the kitchen and brew up whenever I need a cuppa. Upstairs in the scriptorium, I have a travel kettle on a little tray and when I am on a roll, it’s too much effort to leave my writing sanctum so I make a pot of tea, and sit at the desk and allow the steam, and the aroma to become part of the inspiration.

  The Feline Muse

Of course, all artists have a muse. Lady Cora Cat is mine, that brave fearless feline that sits, (usually on the keyboard or notes) and judges with a philosophical twitch of her nose or a professor’s flick of the tail, if something is not to her standard.

Her purrs are comforting and her presence is inspiring.  She is the quiet companion of the Scriptorium, offering approval or a gentle critique as I write or just sip my tea.

Where Mood Becomes Story: Enchanting Your Manuscript

Being an insomniac, means I write a lot at night. The light is soft, and the shadows cast wide within the scriptorium. The music, depending on whether I am writing an epic scene or a romantic interlude threads the library.

As a gothic fantasy writer, the atmosphere of the room seeps into the story. The glow from the desk light, the flicker of shadows, the purrs from the cat, even the steam from my tea, they all find their way into manuscript. Weeks, months are spent there refining the story until it is polished and ready to be set free.

Evening Magic: Crafting Your Own Rituals of Creativity

Every artist, every writer has their own rituals for creating. That’s one of the most exciting part of being creative: It’s a world you step into long before a single word hits the page

After 20 plus years of writing professionally, my rituals have evolved but the essentials still remain the same: tea, a cat, notebooks and music.

I’d love to hear what inspires you, what rituals you indulge before you sit down to write, or create a visual piece. How do you create your own magical evening.

Until next time my friends, keep the home fires burning and the creative juices flowing.

Slán leat,

Anna xoxo