After what can only be described has a hellacious week
, I found myself stuck in Debbie Downer mode. Sure, everyone has bad days, but as a writer my mood can make or break my daily writing. And, while the angst can work in my favor if the scene of the day is steering that way, it’s not exactly helpful when I’m working on a big romantic moment.
So, how do you break out of the blues bubble? How do you shake the outside demands and write about love when your heart is full of sadness and doubt?
Well, for me, it starts with a call to my mom. She’s one of the few people I can sit and spew all the crazy on who will listen without complaint. So, step one, rant, re-hash, complain and then it’s time for step two: find some quiet. Now this doesn’t have to be literal quiet. For instance, I need to turn off the television and stay off of social media, (those aren’t exactly unicorn and rainbow filled places). And, I find that it’s much easier to hear my muse when I embrace the silence.
After the first two steps it’s time for the final and most important: search out the joy. Where do I find it? Well, that all depends on the person. I find it in the simplest of ways; putting a record on (I have a rather awesome vinyl collection), talking a walk outside and a tour around my ever evolving garden (it’s almost blueberry time), and two of my most favorites, hugging my little dudes and snuggling with my cat. It’s the simplest things that bring me the greatest joy.
It may seem silly to put so much emphasis on something that seems simple, but lightening your heart and taking a deep breath on occasion are necessary steps to help you stay centered. Don’t lose sight of yourself or your goals when life starts closing in around you. Instead, try your own version of ‘steps’ and surround yourself with what makes you happy.
What about you? What do you do to break out of the cycle and find your joy?
With Nerds
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S to write every day. When I don’t, it’s like the entire day has been a waste. I had to remind myself that I’ve put out four books in two years, more than I ever thought possible, so why not take a break? Why not regroup so I don’t just write to write, I write a story I can by proud of?
There are days as a writer where the words flow to the point I forget to eat lunch and then there are those other days, the ones where you spend more time staring at the wall than actually getting any writing done. Those days are the worst. I read an article about writing by Kristan Higgins and she mentioned that one way to combat writer’s block is to stop writing for the day in the middle of a scene that way when you return to your work in progress, you’ll know exactly where to pick up. It’s good advice, but what happens when you’re ready to write the next book and the words won’t come. Or maybe the brilliant idea you thought you had turned out not to be so brilliant. What then?