Vivian Faith Prescott: Good Writing and Good Luck

Many traditions around the world include rituals to ensure good luck in the coming year. The New Year is celebrated in Scotland with a four day party called Hogmanay, which includes bonfires and ritual house cleaning. So in the tradition of my Scottish relatives, my husband and I cleaned house, especially our offices, in preparation for good luck in the New Year. Americans seem to enjoy the New Year’s kiss at the stroke of midnight. The midnight kiss is alleged to bring good luck. In Norway, rice pudding is cooked and served with a single almond inside and whoever gets the almond is the lucky one.

As writers we can be a superstitious bunch. I’ve heard of writers lighting candles before working on a project, or starting a new novel in a brand new notebook. Some writers wear favorite slippers or drink their favorite coffee from a “special” mug. Victor Hugo took off all his clothes and wrote naked. Myself, I live on a Coast Guard base with a lot of neighbors surrounding me, so I don’t think Hugo’s ritual would work for me. In fact, it might bring bad luck.

H.G. Wells must have figured that he’d write better using “special” pens. He carried two different pens with him: a short one for writing shorter works and a longer pen for longer works. William Wordsworth’s ritual included a daily walk with his dog. I’m up for that. Though, evidently his dog was quite the critique partner. Wordsworth would recite a poem to his dog and if his dog barked or appeared distressed he figured the poem needed revising. Now why didn’t I think of that? We’ve all heard the term “lucky dog.”

There’s nothing wrong with believing in luck. My Finnish ancestors believed in luck. Our ancient fishing and hunting rituals were based upon luck. I’ve been known to spit on the herring dangling my hook before I drop my fishing line in the water. I learned that one from my father, who likely learned it from his father.

Whether you spend an hour or hours every day writing, creating a new ritual for the New Year is a good idea. It can spice up your writing life and maybe bring you some luck. My new talisman is a Northern Lights Fairy. She’s a felted fairy given to me by the teen writer that I mentor. Her mother made it and was inspired to name the doll “Northern Lights.” I thought it was a sign since my middle-grade fantasy novel Keeper of Directions features northern lights.
I also keep a handful of seaglass in a large clamshell sitting on my desk. It’s not that I can’t write without seaglass glinting beside me. I can, but I’d rather not. The seaglass is the symbol for the beach, my greatest muse.

I think it was Alaskan writer Nancy Lord that told me that a successful writer is one who’s persistent and never gives up. That may be true, but maybe there’s some luck involved. Maybe this year I’ll be both persistent and lucky.

If you’ve been in a slump or need that extra push, maybe it’s time to find a new talisman or a new ritual to bring you luck. Think about it. What could it be? Or maybe you have a tried-and-true ritual that’s been working for you for years, something that gets you in deep into the muse. I’d like to hear about it. Well, maybe you shouldn’t tell everyone that you’re writing naked or sharing your prose with your dog while you walk. Unless, of course, you’re out naked walking your dog while reciting your prose.

May you have good writing and good luck in the coming New Year! After all it’s 2012, and I heard a rumor that the world is ending at the close of this year—we may need all the luck we can get.

Vivian Faith Prescott is a fifth generation Alaskan living in Kodiak and Sitka, Alaska. She recently received an MFA from the University of Alaska. Vivian’s poetry has appeared in Yellow Medicine Review, Tidal Echoes, Cirque and elsewhere. She’s a Pushcart Prize and Best of the Net nominee and was recently awarded the Jason Wenger Award for Literary Excellence. Vivian’s first book of poetry, The Hide of My Tongue, will be published by Plain View Press in the spring of 2012. She also writes young adult and middle-grade fiction under the name L.K. Mitchell. Keeper of Directions, a middle-grade fantasy novel, will be published by Euterpe on January 6th, 2012. She blogs here and here, and she also tweets (@poet_tweet and @planet_alaska).