School's back in, and the house is quiet. Time to start writing!
... soon. After I finish painting the kitchen cupboards. Boy, that floor needs to be washed. Perhaps I should attend to my neglected garden. Oh, look! A new Deadpool musical on YouTube. I bet I don't need to tell you that's NSFW!
It's tough getting back into the writing groove. I had a busy summer away from the computer, and just putting my butt in the chair isn't working. So how do I reignite my fire?
After spending way too much time reading articles about this, here are five of my favorite suggestions:
1. Rid yourself of the guilt. I have so much I need to do, and I'm immensely behind schedule. But it is a schedule I set for myself. There is no deadline I have to meet except the now clearly unreasonable ones in my head. It's okay. Time to reset my goals. Time to be kinder to myself.
2. Clear out all the things that are drawing you away from writing. Do those chores, turn off the TV and internet, make sure you have a chunk of time when no one is interrupting you.
3. Read, read, and read some more. Stories inspire me. Reading always gets my juices flowing. Even if it isn't about my book particularly, I'll happily travel to other worlds and play with the possibilities there. Those can then help lead to story ideas for my own work.
4. If you can't get into the story via your word processor, get into it in another way. Look up inspirational images on Pinterest, research your protagonist's job, browse possible book covers, or do silly character interviews. Get that fire burning with other types of fuel.
5. Writing is a habit, and it will take some time to get back into it again. Last school year, I had a schedule. I was ready to write by the time the afternoon rolled around because my mind and body knew that's when it happened. Even if I don't write the new story, just sitting down at that particular time and working on old stories or writing blog posts about getting back into the groove *winkwink* will help.
How do you get back into the writing groove?
Lots of great advice! The first point is something I'm always having to remind myself, since I tend to feel terrible whenever I miss a self-imposed deadline. Learning to be flexible and less harsh on yourself is so important, for sure.
ReplyDeleteAnd love how you mentioned silly character interviews. Those are the best! XD
Anyway, best of luck getting back into a writing groove! I'm sure you'll have that fire reignited in no time!
Thanks, Heather! I'm pretty hard on myself and that doesn't help at all. Yet I'm slowly finding my groove again.
DeleteAll that extra stuff can clutter and fill the time. Just have to drop what's not really important and set a time to write.
ReplyDeleteAnd that clutter can really weigh you down. Thanks for popping by, Alex! :)
DeleteYes on being kinder to yourself and to reading! Give yourself some time to get back into the groove, set up a new/better schedule for yourself.
ReplyDeleteI'm working on that new schedule. I did manage to get some writing done yesterday afternoon. :)
DeleteI typically have to leave the house to escape the guilt of not doing all the cleaning. But I like the idea of exploring the story through different venues. I like to draw and digitally paint ideas from my story, and it helps get me in the writing groove.
ReplyDeleteHope you find your groove quickly!
Thank you, Loni! That is cool. Your drawings are awesome.
DeleteAll excellent tips. When I have a hard time starting, I set a timer and force myself to work on my WIP for 15 minutes. Sometimes I can shut it off and keep on going with no problem. Sometimes I have a few false starts before that happens. But it has always worked for me within a few tries. It's the actual making myself start that is often the most difficult thing of all.
ReplyDeleteYes, that's the same way with me. I can give myself a thousand excuses, but if I can just get going, I'm good. :)
DeleteI've had too much to do lately, including watching the Deadpool musical you referenced, so my writing has suffered. But it's time for me to jump back into that saddle again. I'm glad to see you're still posting this summer. Seems like a lot of other bloggers are taking the summer off.
ReplyDeleteHope you find your groove! I noticed a lot of bloggers took summer off too. I haven't been posting a lot nor visiting many, but I try to say, "Hey, I'm still here!"
DeleteHi Christine - being a Mama isn't easy ... chores, the kid to ensure he's ok (he obviously is with the two of you, life in general - holidays et al ... all take you away from your Mojo - it'll return I'm sure ... take care -cheers Hilary
ReplyDeleteThank you, Hilary! It's slowly coming back.
DeleteClearing out chores is super helpful to me. Otherwise, I think about them instead of writing.
ReplyDeleteYes, they nag me too! :)
DeleteI use the 8-minute writing habit to get back onto the groove. I need to utilize it today... but have I? No.
ReplyDelete