Writing When You Would Rather Not

Being a writer is great...until it isn't.

With imposter syndrome, the way the world is going, work/life imbalance...it is easy to run out of motivation to keep writing. Been there, done that. In fact, if there was a prize for not feeling like writing, I would probably place gold, just saying. Some people say that writer's block isn't a thing, but I disagree. It totally is. Just because you may not have that experience doesn't mean it isn't a real and valid occurrence. Ranting aside...even when you feel great, sometimes you may not want to write.

Now that we have that out of the way, what do you do when those emotions hit? Do you just say, "Well, oh well?" I mean, you can, but if you do that often enough you'll never finish that novel. 

Here are some tips that I feel have helped me:

1. Free writing.

   1. For some people 5 to 10 minutes a day is enough. Just write whatever comes to mind. It doesn't have to have anything to do with your WIP (work in progress). 

   2. Free writing every day will keep your writing muscles engaged, making it easier to fight through those slumps we all have. 

2. Get the idea of writing "well" out of your mind.

   1. It doesn't have to be good, it just has to be on the page. That is what revision is for!

3. Know when to take breaks.

   1. Sometimes our brains need a mental recharge. We need to wind down and take a break. Writing is a job whether you're making a steady income from it or not. And with any job, you need some downtime. Schedule in some writing downtime so that you can recharge and not grow tired of your work.

4. Sprints!

   1. Instead of forcing yourself to sit and write for 3 hours a day all at the same time, try writing 15 minutes here or 20 minutes there. And if, while mid-sprint, you want to continue, do so!

5. Find a writing community that can support you. 

   1. We all need encouragement from time to time. Find a few folks, or as many as you like, to help push you. Maybe they'll write with you. You can chat about the woes of writing and share book recs and tips.

6. Gamify it!

   1. Give yourself a gold star every day that you write and maybe for every 10 gold stars, you treat yourself to a new book or to a movie night with friends. Choose prizes that you know would entice you and maybe have an accountability partner to ensure you don't cheat.

The important thing is to remember to give yourself grace. As I said, being a writer is hard. While it is fun and rewarding, it can also feel like a burden. If we want to prevent burnout, we have to take breaks and pace ourselves. However, we have to write in order to publish. It is definitely a balancing act on a scale that feels as though it is never in our favor. 

What are some other tips you can think of to help your fellow writers?