Sorry to be absent again last week. I’m only just now starting to feel better.
So, since we’ve been out of the routine for a while, it seems only fitting to post a few tips for when you feel stuck, or when you’ve been out of it. How do you get it back?
I know I’ve said this before, but probably the number one tip to break you out of your dead spell is don’t believe in writer’s block. Don’t label your funky little phase as a debilitating condition. Writer’s block isn’t real. Ask yourself what you’re really feeling and what you really need.
Tired? It’s okay to take a break. Be patient with yourself. When you notice you feel like you’re banging your head against the wall, maybe it’s time to step away for a minute. Maybe you just need some food, sleep, and a shower. Or maybe you need a few days to clear your head and regain some inspiration. The danger here, of course, is that a few days becomes a week, becomes a few weeks, etc. Set a schedule for getting back your creative flow. It’s okay to take a week off, but make sure it’s only going to be a week. During that time, maybe you’re not focused on your own work. Maybe it’s time to absorb other people’s work. Read, read, read!
Perhaps you need some other forms of inspiration too. Draw. Sing. Dance. Try something new you’re not good at. This will help when it’s time to write again, so remember how it feels.
When the time comes to sit down in front of your pages again, take a deep breath. Read over what you already have. Give yourself permission to write crap. Remember when you did that new thing just for fun, even though you weren’t good at it? This is kind of like that, right?
Reward yourself for putting new words down. Seriously, even if you think they were all terrible and you don’t want to keep any of them. Even if you delete them all later, you still made progress. Reward yourself, because you could have just sat there thinking, “I’m no good, I have writer’s block, I’ll try tomorrow, or maybe next week…” Instead, you made the gears in your head turn again, which isn’t always easy. If they sit still too long, they start to rust. So go get yourself some ice cream!
So, since we’ve been out of the routine for a while, it seems only fitting to post a few tips for when you feel stuck, or when you’ve been out of it. How do you get it back?
I know I’ve said this before, but probably the number one tip to break you out of your dead spell is don’t believe in writer’s block. Don’t label your funky little phase as a debilitating condition. Writer’s block isn’t real. Ask yourself what you’re really feeling and what you really need.
Tired? It’s okay to take a break. Be patient with yourself. When you notice you feel like you’re banging your head against the wall, maybe it’s time to step away for a minute. Maybe you just need some food, sleep, and a shower. Or maybe you need a few days to clear your head and regain some inspiration. The danger here, of course, is that a few days becomes a week, becomes a few weeks, etc. Set a schedule for getting back your creative flow. It’s okay to take a week off, but make sure it’s only going to be a week. During that time, maybe you’re not focused on your own work. Maybe it’s time to absorb other people’s work. Read, read, read!
Perhaps you need some other forms of inspiration too. Draw. Sing. Dance. Try something new you’re not good at. This will help when it’s time to write again, so remember how it feels.
When the time comes to sit down in front of your pages again, take a deep breath. Read over what you already have. Give yourself permission to write crap. Remember when you did that new thing just for fun, even though you weren’t good at it? This is kind of like that, right?
Reward yourself for putting new words down. Seriously, even if you think they were all terrible and you don’t want to keep any of them. Even if you delete them all later, you still made progress. Reward yourself, because you could have just sat there thinking, “I’m no good, I have writer’s block, I’ll try tomorrow, or maybe next week…” Instead, you made the gears in your head turn again, which isn’t always easy. If they sit still too long, they start to rust. So go get yourself some ice cream!
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