How are you feeling? Warm, cold, comfy, hungry? Is it bothering you, stopping you from concentrating? Or have you found yourself in that wonderful state of being called, ‘just right’?
There are so many things that can get in the way of writing, but few are as intransigent as our propensity to distract ourselves with excuses.
‘I’ll sit down to write when I’ve cleaned my desk.’
‘If I have something to eat, I’ll have more energy to tackle the editing.’
‘I can’t really write if it’s too hot outside.’
‘My concentration goes if I don’t have lots of cups of tea.’
‘My work is better if I write when I’m inspired, not because I have to.’
‘I haven’t got the ending so I can’t write the middle bit.’
These are all excuses I’ve used to justify my habit of distracting myself instead of doing the thing I love: writing. Perverse, isn’t it? Writing is my passion, my joy, my reason to get up in the morning. But I do so many things to thwart my own success as an author.
Of course, there will be a good piece of psychology to explain this as there are many creatives who have the same problem. Sometimes it’s called writer’s block but that is taken to mean a complete absence of ideas. What I’m talking about is more of a writer’s funk, where you’re frustrated with yourself or your work so it’s easier to blame something else rather than deal with the issue on the page (or, stuck in your head).
How do we get past it? Try some of these ideas to get you unstuck:
• Put your pen on a page and move it. You don’t have to create words, just make movements with your pen. If words come out, great. If they don’t, give it time and let your mind wander. You’ll be freeing up your thoughts for when they’re ready to pop out.
• Try a pencil instead of a pen. It may feel gentler, less permanent than a pen or a keyboard.
• Use voice notes. Let your thoughts emerge through your spoken voice and then play back the voice note to find the gems.
• Take a nap. Set a timer for 20 minutes and, as you are falling asleep, think about the writing challenge you want to address. The moment you wake up, write down whatever thoughts are in your head.
• Copy out a favourite poem, leaving a line between each line. Go back to your favourite words or phrases and copy them into the spare line underneath. Choose the word or phrase that inspires you the most and incorporate it into whatever you are working on.
• Acknowledge how you’re feeling. Become aware of all the physical sensations (e.g., heat, cold, pressure, aches, irritations, comfort, tension…) and emotional ones (e.g., frustration, hope, exhaustion…) and give those sensations to one of your characters. How does it change their interactions with the world? Write the next part of their story influenced by the sensations around you.
Your aim as a writer should be to write every day. It should be enjoyable, and it should be a discipline. Like a concert violinist, you need to practise and to push through the tricky parts, not give up when it feels like you’ll never get it right. Writing is a creative craft as much as it is a talent. So, when you find yourself contemplating painting the kitchen instead of sorting out your plot holes, put pencil to paper and start from the basics: just write.
