Novelists don’t have to commute to an office, report to a supervisor, and sit through marathon meetings in order to write. Instead, they have to rely on their ability to push themselves to begin the long, lonely, process of writing and revising. It’s a hard job and each writer handles it differently.

Follows are five writers who employ weird work habits in order to make sure they put ink on paper. These odd habits aren’t for everyone, but they may inspire a few procrastinators.