I'm going to make a goal of regularly posting on this blog, so for those few followers (my wife, my brother, the dog, etc...), please check back frequently and feel free to comment.
It's been rough writing for the past year or so. I've learned that as a writer, you may go through periods of not wanting to write. The guilt that happens during these periods can be substantial, but I've come to realize that sometimes the creative part of your brain needs to step back and pause for a while. I've also learned some tricks for reducing the time your brain needs to recharge. This may seem obvious, but in case some of you haven't experience this problem, I'm going to list them here.
1. First and foremost, read. Read books you truly love. Ones that inspire you and make you remember why you wanted to be a writer in the first place. Enjoy the break your brain is giving you and indulge yourself here.
2. Refresh, reorganize, revitalize your workspace. It's kind of like when you were a kid and you reorganized your room. It feels new and fresh, and makes you want to sit in your chair and work.
3. Research. If you have a book idea in mind, and you find the topic or subject matter interesting, immerse yourself in it. Don't worry about trying to force the information into plots, scenes or settings for your book. Just enjoy the learning.
4. Read inspirational books on writing. A Courage to Write by Ralph Keyes, Take Joy by Jane Yolen.
5. Relax- Take a vacation, even if it is sitting in a lounge chair in your backyard. Writing is work, and if we don't allow ourselves a break, we will burn out.
That's all for now. I promise it won't be over a year before I post again!
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I'm not your wife, brother, or dog, but I'm commenting anyway. Glad to see you are back up and running! These are useful tips. I also think it is useful to remember that we all go through seasons--for whatever reason--where writing is harder or easier. Hard ones are hard (duh!) but keep in mind that "this too shall pass."
ReplyDeleteI have so much more writing time now than I used to just because my kids hit the age where they sleep in in the summers. I'm a morning person and a morning writer, so now I have many more hours of writing time on weekend mornings when everyone else in the house stays in bed until 10:30 or 11:00 (or in my son's case 2:00).