My yearly horoscope from Astrology.com says that “If you’re a writer, this is by far your most prolific year. Words easily just spill right onto the page.”
I hope the stars are correct, because from a writing standpoint, last year seriously stunk.
A variety of personal and business-related factors meant no new books were published by me last year. The books I had planned to write didn’t happen.
In fact, I changed some things around so that I didn’t even have to write articles like this one anymore. I was creatively burned out and felt like I needed a break.
The good thing about my big break from writing was that it showed what you can do if you have a huge body of content you can repurpose. The bad thing is that writing less got me out of the writing habit.
During this creative lull, I experienced first-hand why so many of my clients have trouble finishing books. Once you stop writing, it’s difficult to get yourself to start back up again.
First you should figure out why you’re not writing. In my case, lack of writing output is for one (or more) key reasons. Here are a few thoughts on how to get back in the groove, based on my experience.
Lack of Ideas
Stressful events can cause your brain to shut down. Right now many people are dealing with financial stress because of the never-ending recession. (Pundits keep saying it’s over, but many of us just aren’t seeing it.) Here are some ways to jumpstart your creativity, even when you’re not feeling creative at all.
1. Check out online writing prompt sites. Do a Google search for writing prompts and bookmark a few sites. Pick a prompt and try free writing for 15 minutes.
2. Use a random word generator site. I did that today. The word was “blasting,” which led to the title for this article. Sometimes coming up with a title is the hardest part!
3. Read articles or blogs on topics you normally don’t follow. If you spend all your time reading the same blogs about marketing, for example, you stop engaging. (The other day, I mentioned that when I read Seth Godin’s blog, sometimes I find myself mentally going, “yeah Seth, be amazing and remarkable and fabulous…we get it okay!”) If you find yourself sort of blandly nodding your head, it’s time to surf elsewhere. Get out of your marketplace and avoid your typical online haunts for a while. You might try reading something random like the Yahoo “weird news” for a couple days and see if it sparks new ideas.
4. Associate two unrelated ideas or concepts. I’ve read this tip as a way to come up with article topics and sometimes it works when you’re feeling stuck. For example, take a movie you like and combine it with another topic. I did that with an article called Dare to Be Great in Writing and Business which took quotes from the movie Say Anything and related them to business.
Lack of Motivation
As noted, for various reasons, last year was really depressing. Being creative when you’re depressed is difficult and honestly, sometimes completely impossible. Massive life changes like death or divorce can throw you for a loop. How are you supposed to get anything done when all you can think about is the Big Thing that’s taken over your world? Here are a few thoughts:
1. Practice extreme self-care. In the midst of crisis, it’s difficult to do things like eat right and exercise, but that’s probably the time it’s most important. No matter how bad things were last year, my husband and I made yummy food. Over time, nourishing your body helps nourish your soul too. Obviously if you are truly clinically depressed, you should also get help. Don’t try and go it alone.
2. Get motivational materials from the library. I have found that if I’m depressed about business, going to the library can help. Thousands of great books bursting with business advice are just sitting there waiting for you at your local library. During my creative crisis I also got books on — yes, you guessed it — creativity. If you’ve got a case of the blues, visit the self-help aisle. Feeling financially trapped? Visit the money aisle.
3. Don’t fall prey to “shoulds.” I had a problem with “shoulding all over myself” last year. The word “should” is a motivation killer. People are always telling you what you should do. “Write every day” (from the blogger clique). “Write authentically” (from the live your truth clique). “Never be negative; negative thoughts lead to negative vibrations” (from the Law of Attraction clique). Sorry folks, I don’t write every day, sometimes my writing feels kinda forced, and sometimes {gasp} I’m not gleefully happy. So sue me. Let’s face it, when you write, you aren’t going to please everybody. The writing also may not always be good. Perfectionism doesn’t get you back into the writing groove. But writing something is definitely better than writing nothing.
Lack of Time
A lot of people who don’t write say they don’t have enough time. I’ve often said that to you don’t find time, you make time. When you’re having trouble writing, look for ways to fit more writing into your schedule. Here are a few ideas, but a lot depends on when and how you write.
1. Batch your writing or write more regularly. As noted, I’ve read the “write every day” advice for years. A friend of mine posts to her blog every day and was thrilled to realize she just posted her 1,000th blog post. That’s fantastic, but I’ve found it doesn’t work for me. I just feel guilty for not writing. The reality is that I tend to write in bursts. Some days if I’m feeling cruddy, I don’t want to write. But I have been known to write 4 or 5 articles in a day. If you’re like me, maybe designating one day a week would work. (Writing Wednesdays anyone?)
2. Create external deadlines. Last year, I had no external deadlines for my writing and that was a mistake. Find a an online or offline publication that needs content and offer to write for them. (Make sure you retain all the rights, so you can reuse it later.) Knowing that there’s an editor tapping her food waiting for your peerless prose can get you off your duff.
3. Look for and eliminate distractions as much as possible. For me, this is a never-ending struggle. Email is distracting to me. If a customer is having a problem, I tend to drop everything to try and help. If I were a better person I would turn off my email when I write. The good news is that I don’t publish a cell phone number, don’t have a Blackberry, and never text anyone. Being too available can kill your writing. If it helps you get away, you might try writing at coffee shops or libraries.
Finally, here’s probably the best advice I can offer: when you feel like writing, write. If the writing muse strikes you, run with it! Even if it’s only once a year, like I said, writing something is better than writing nothing. The more you write, the easier it is, so I encourage you to keep trying.
As for me, I’m hoping that my horoscope is right and this is the first of many articles to come!