Productivity/Motivation

How To Cope With The Inevitable Dry Spells Of Daily Writing

This is why putting pen to paper or fingers to keyboard is a win, win, win every time you do it!

Starting a writing habit can be a labor of love or a means to an end.

Sometimes, it’s both.

I started for a couple of reasons: I loved writing and wanted to rewrite a book I’d had ghostwritten. It was a personal challenge and something fun to pass the time.

Since I’m always telling people what I think anyway, I thought, why not write it all down and release it into the ether. I didn’t really think I’d make any money. But when two articles unexpectedly went viral pretty early on, the money became a motivating bonus.

For months, I said what I had to say and never ran out of what I thought would be helpful ideas. But at a certain point, my brain felt like it dried up, and I wondered, is this something that happens to all people who pursue daily writing?

I used to wake up every day brimming with ideas. I’d write so fast my fingers would be flying, my body would be buzzing. My brain conjuring metaphors with ease.

But after about a year, I started feeling a little “dried up,” like I’d said everything I’d wanted to say. I think anyone who pursues daily writing can go through this.

Whatever it was, it probably has to do with the added goals I’d set for myself at that time.

I just released a book. A little labor of love, a pet project.

It’s an homage to my writing journey, a 30-day writing challenge. A journal with 30 days worth of articles and writing prompts for people to sharpen their writing skills and tap into their own wisdom.

I want everyone to be able to experience that joy and release.

But after releasing it, I felt stuck. I didn’t feel able to mine my soul or tap into my experience the way I used to. I still wanted to write, but I wasn’t sure I still could.

But here’s the thing about writing: It’s a skill you need to work on to improve, and it doesn’t really matter if everything you write is a masterpiece, so the trick is to just keep on truckin’.

So I revisited my own advice, and that’s what I did. I kept on writing.

Guess what? It helped!

Writing every day and putting out my best effort despite my stuck feeling got me going again. I even managed to develop some decent new material for my next book.

I also tried not to judge myself because I had to acknowledge that I don’t necessarily know what someone else would find helpful. I wrote a couple of pieces that I thought might be slightly off the mark. But, I got feedback indicating they’d been meaning to others, which was a good reminder.

So if you feel a bit tapped out, remember to keep going. Plow through. Don’t stop, and never despair. Just…keep…writing.

If you need a spark, look for a book. There are loads of prompted journals out there, lots of books on writing, lots of inspiration, and it’s all there. You only need to find one that resonates with you.

Because writing is more than just a job or commodity. It’s a way of life, it’s healing, it’s stimulating, it’s soul-affirming.

So keep swimming. Keep writing. Keep producing.

That’s what I’ll do today, tomorrow, the day after that, and the day after that…

I’ll do it with enthusiasm, I’ll do it with joy, I’ll do it with no expectation of perfection.

I’ll look at it as a lesson in perseverance until something happens to kickstart the next chapter in my writing journey.

So, this is my message to you.

If you want to do something? Just do it.

If things get tough, keep going.

If you get stuck, keep working.

If you feel like giving up, think about what you’re getting out of it, and if the joy outweighs the struggle, you have your answer.

And don’t forget…

If giving it up seems like a permanent solution to a temporary problem, don’t despair. There is no such thing. As long as you’re alive, every turn you take in life is just a detour.

Nothing is so impossible that you can’t steer your ship back on course. If you have a problem, you can fix it if you just get to work.

I don’t think anyone has a shelflife when it comes to writing. You may take a break to regroup and unwind, but that doesn’t necessarily mean you’re done — not by a long shot.

Even if you decide you’re done, you can reverse that decision in a heartbeat.

If you thought you could never even start, you could just as easily decide that you could.

Because the great thing about life is that there’s always tomorrow, and even if you don’t play your best hand today, tomorrow will still deal you a new one.

The great thing about a daily writing habit is that you can also decide at any point to start.

You can never be too old, young, tall, short, wrong gender, ethnicity, or religion (or non-religion) because your experience is valuable and important.

You’ll always have your own brand of wisdom to mine and helpful ideas to share, and the more you write, the better you’ll get, and the better you feel about your writing, so you’ll want to write more!

As you can see, with this logic, any time you put pen to paper or fingers to keyboard, it’s a win, win, win!

So even if you feel uninspired or finished, don’t worry, you can start again tomorrow, today, or even right now!

Thanks so much for reading!

Upgrade your free Medium membership to a paid one here and for just $5/month you’ll receive unlimited, ad-free, stories from thousands of writers on a wide variety of publications. This is an affiliate link and a portion of your membership will go directly towards supporting my endeavors. Many thanks!

✨Or start your own common sense revolution with How To Be Wise AF Guided Journal For Women: A 30-day guided workbook for empowerment, strength, and resilience through good old-fashioned common sense and optimism.

Read one short chapter every day and answer the writing prompt designed to reframe your experiences in a positive, helpful light. Delve into your past, the good, the bad, and the ugly to revisit and rewrite old narratives.

If you’d like to read more by me, please check these out:

Also, don’t forget to check out more great writers on Illumination. Or better yet, share your voice, experience, and wisdom and come on board as a writer, you’re always welcome at Illumination!