It's the first Wednesday in August, so it's time for the Insecure Writer's Support Group!
This month I'm not going to answer the optional question because my friend Chris Frey is doing a blog-hop in support of her book Keep Writing With Fey (I posted about it here).
It's a book about overcoming writer's block and depression and all those things that keep you from actually writing and she asked us to share how we deal with these things personally. So here goes...
I don't actually tend to suffer from writer's block. I get stuck, of course. I think all writers do. But I always have more than one project going, so when I get stuck trying to figure out something on one project, I leave it alone and move onto something else. Maybe a MS that needs revising. A short story. Editing or critiquing for someone else. Just something different. And generally, I find that by the time I've finished that work, I've untangled whatever was knotted up in the other story and I can move on.
My main problem is with finding the energy and brain-space to write. I write most of the day at work across a variety of things: press releases, government documents, webpages, newsletters etc, and by the time I finish at the end of the day, I find I don't have any words left for my own writing.
When I don't write, I get antsy, irritable and depressed because writing is the way I make sense of the world and my own feelings about things. So it's important that I do find the time to do it. If I'm feeling particularly frustrated, I sometimes take a couple of days off just to write and that's usually enough to get me back on track, re-set and able to use my hour or so of writing time in the mornings productively.
How do you deal with writer's block or other things that keep you from getting that butt in chair?
Catch the sparks you need to conquer writer’s block, depression, and burnout!
When Chrys Fey shared her story about depression and burnout, it struck a chord with other writers. That put into perspective for her how desperate writers are to hear they aren’t alone. Many creative types experience these challenges, battling to recover. Let Keep Writing with Fey: Sparks to Defeat Writer's Block, Depression, and Burnout guide you through:
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I like to use the multiple projects tactic, too. It's amazing how much easier it is to solve a particular problem with a story when I'm not actively trying to solve it.
ReplyDeleteI usually have multiple things going on, so I just jump to something else writing related whenever I get stuck. These days, I'm not getting anything done with any of my projects, so I'm kind of at an impasse. It's time to force myself to jump back into the ring and just start writing again. Being semi-retired is sucking more energy out of me than I realized. ;)
ReplyDeleteHaving other projects that you can go to when you get blocked (stuck) on your current WIP is the way to go. That has helped me in the past, too, because I wasn't burned out and could work on another story. I've also had it where that block (stuck-ness) is a wall and it won't let me work on anything.
ReplyDeleteFinding the energy is tough...especially this year. Relaxation and permission to not have the energy at the time is important.
I know exactly what you mean about feeling depressed when not writing. Writing is so much a part of who I am that when I can't write it does kick up my depression.
Thank you so much for sharing your story and for participating in my blog hop!
If things get really tough, writing-wise, I take a break. For as long as I need. The only time I was able to write was when my kids were at school. And now that ain't happenin'! And I'm not one to get up crazy early or write well late in the evening.
ReplyDeleteThat writing to make sense of the world thing really resonates with me. I never even thought of it that way before, and it's totally true. Thanks for putting words to it!
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ReplyDeleteI can see how writing non-fictional things for others kills the imaginative ones that could be hiding beneath them! I hope you are able to find and *make* the brain space for them!
ReplyDelete(Sorry for the previous delete--I wish there was an edit option. haha!)
Thanks for sharing your story. I too find that helping others helps me get through my own creative struggles. Time is my greatest enemey when it comes to writing, though. I just don't have enough time. If only I didn't need to work my day-job, but at least I finally have a day-job I like and feel safe in.
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