It’s the end of January, and as much as we hoped we would stay on the wagon with all our New Year’s endeavors, I’m sure many of us feel a little worn down by the gloomy weather and daunting self-improvement we promised to do in 2018.
For writers, it’s easy to fall into a creative rut this time of year (or any time, really). However, if 2018 was the year you decided you would write your book, or simply improve your writing in general, have no fear.
Here are few steps to help you climb out of your rut and keep on creating:
1. Make deadlines for yourself
I know I have always done my best work under deadlines. A recovering procrastinator myself, I am self-aware enough to know that if I don’t have a due date for my work, I most likely won’t do it. Setting deadlines not only helps us stay accountable, but also visualize our writing process on paper. If you are working on major project—writing a book, perhaps—seeing a timeline of how it might actually get accomplished is essential. If you, like me, have a weakness for beautiful stationery, this is your excuse to invest in a quality planner and start setting those deadlines!
2. Set Habits, Not Goals
As writers, many of us are also chronic list-makers. We write down our goals in journals and on scraps of paper and in the notes of our phones. Whether you are writing down your daily to-do list or your long-term dreams, I challenge you to not only make goals but to make habits. When time passes and we still have not achieved our goals, we are left with feelings of shame and inadequacy and often dig a new creative rut.
But setting habits, tasks you complete in your daily routine, allows you to see progress toward your larger goal. Don’t stop dreaming, but make sure you allow yourself the opportunity to achieve that dream by working on it little by little. As writer Annie Dillard said, “How we spend our days is how we spend our lives.” Let’s spend them wisely.
3. Write!
This seems like an oversimplified step, but I cannot stress enough how important it is. When we feel writer’s block or a lack of creativity coming on, the best medicine to combat it is often powering through and writing anyway. I used to think writing meant sitting down in a cozy place with a cup of tea and watching the words flow when I felt inspired. And sometimes it is, if I’m lucky. However, most of the time it looks like sitting down to a computer at any given time and allowing myself to hone my skill, whether I’m feeling moved to do so or not. And so, I urge you to write when you don’t feel like it. Write when you think your writing is poor.
Write when you are ready to give up and there aren’t enough cups of tea in the world to make you feel like a good writer. Even if you end up not using the pieces you create when you are less than inspired, keep on keeping on. At some point you will be writing along and rediscover your spark, your voice, your breath of fresh air. And you will have at least gotten some practice in along the way.
We can talk and think about writing all we like, but until we actually start doing it, we can’t get out of the rut. Be generous with yourself, accept that you are a good writer, and let yourself do what you ultimately love to do, one small step at a time.
