As I write this, the last thing I want to do is create a blog post. It’s late on Monday night, and I don’t feel like writing anything. Why? Because it’s late on a Monday night! As writers, we love creating and sharing those creations with the world. However, we also know all too well what it’s like to want to do anything but write. Some days you’re just not feeling it.
But some days you don’t have the luxury of taking time off. Maybe you have a deadline coming up in a few days. Or, you’re trying to meet a weekly goal. Whatever it may be, as adults in writing, taking a day off isn’t, and shouldn’t, always be an option. A wise person once said: “Writers write.” While that’s a great saying, I think the way it should go is: “Writers write, even when they don’t want to.”
Below I’m going to share a few tricks I use to get work done when it’s the last thing I want to do.
Write a little bit
If you don’t feel like writing anything, try and get a few hundred words down on the page. That’s it! You’d be surprised what that small amount of words could do towards your greater goal. Often, what I’ll do when I get an idea is write a little bit on the topic, i.e., an introductory paragraph or something on the subject I’m trying to develop.
Remember my post on beating writer’s block (if you haven’t, totally check it out)? Some of the info from that article comes into play here. How? When you write a few hundred words, you start something or continue an ongoing project. Regardless, you are taking something in a particular direction. However much you do, when you write, then stop—you give your mind a chance to think about things while you’re living life.
Next time you sit down to write, you will have thought about what to say next. You might’ve even done a little research on the topic itself! Whenever I use this method, I not only make progress, it often gets me out of areas in stories that I’d otherwise spend hours trying to brainstorm.
Try it! Make your starting goal 200 words.
Write in small bursts, and take breaks
Sometimes we don’t have the luxury of writing a little bit, then returning to it another day. Sometimes, a lot of times, we are under strict deadlines. If that’s the case, and your writing muscles don’t want to move—create in small bursts!
The idea here is to trick your brain into doing more than it thinks it is. Start by writing a sentence or two, then stepping away to go to the bathroom, have some water, etc. Come back and maybe write three more sentences—then take a break. Do some research on Google, have a snack, watch a video on Youtube! Keep doing this, and before you know it, you will have accomplished a lot.
Correct grammar and revise what you have!
When I’m unsure of where things are going in the middle of a novel I’m writing, I will go back and revise previous chapters. Why? Because accomplishing large tasks is about breaking them into smaller, more manageable achievements.
When you correct and revise stories (or anything really), your mind will often develop new ideas for future improvements in whatever you’re growing. I’ve come up with revisions that change the entire foundation of projects. Does that mean more work? Yes. But, when I make those changes and take my artwork in that new direction, it tends to be better, and I also always smash the segment I had so much trouble writing.
If you don’t know how to revise your work without outside help, start by questioning yourself! Is this character okay? Is that scene needed? Does this paragraph belong here? It would be best to ask yourself these questions because their answers will sometimes expose a weak link in your piece.
