1. Dedicate time to foster relationships with other writers.
As writers, we need relationships and engagement with other writers—not only for the sake of critique, but also for the sharing of ideas, literature, and compassionate human understanding. No one can quite understand the writing life—the stressful time lines, the difficulty of identifying the right metaphor, or writing fatigue—in the way that other writers can.
How would your body of work or your personal well-being benefit from dedicating 15 minutes per week to exchange emails with a colleague or meeting once a month to discuss a piece of literature that inspired you?
2. Read more, judge yourself less.
The lives of writers are beyond busy, and we don’t always carve enough time to stay current on writing trends or to read what interests us. It’s easy to put yourself down, thinking, “I SHOULD read more.” You may even ask yourself, “Why am I not committed enough to read more books or collections in order to improve my craft?” One way to kick reader’s guilt is to work with the life you have and to make adjustments gradually.
How can you marginally increase or change your reading habits? For example, can you commit to reading 15 minutes each day? In 15 minutes, you could explore a chapter in a novel, a short story in a collection, a series of poems, or a flash essay. After you’ve established a rhythm, increase your time gradually through additional or longer reading session. Another tip: Try out different reading times throughout the day to discover which time and environment allows you to immerse yourself the most.
3. Read or research something different!
Dip your feet outside your comfort zone by switching genres and topics often. Is there a topic—unrelated to your current work—that find yourself drifting toward? As writers, we seek connecting ideas and images. You’d be surprised how an essay on 17th century shipwrecks could feed into a personal memoir. Likewise, a collection of Southern ghost stories could inspire your poem about motherhood.
If selecting new reading material overwhelms you, ask local bookstores for recommendations about interesting topics or browse small press’s social media pages for book review or recommendations.
4. Commit to building a better relationship with social media or electronics.
Most of my days begin and end with my phone. When I wake up, I turn off my phone alarm off and scroll through various feeds in between snooze buttons. At night, I check social apps, YouTube, work emails, on an endless loop before trying to sleep. In an attempt to build a better relationship with social media, I’ve removed all social media notifications and committed to turn my phone off one day a week. During those days, I tidy up my head-space enough to write or experience the immediate world buzzing around me.
However, disconnecting from social media or electronics doesn’t have to equate to ripping off a Band-Aid. It’s less about disengagement and more about building a healthy relationship. What would your daily routine look like if your put your phone away at 6:00 pm or during designated writing hours? If you feel you can’t make those changes on your own, consider using apps like Flippd or asking someone to help keep you accountable.
5. Don’t Write! Switch creative outlets.
I’m a firm believer that creativity feeds creativity. If you feel stuck in your writing, switch to another creative outlet. In everything we do, our personal themes and motifs follow. At one of my lowest writing points, I spent two weeks (crudely) drawing self-portraits. During the creative exercise, I realized my views on my body had shifted, which then prompted reflection, which I later fleshed out into a poem about self-portraiture.
You don’t have to be multi-talented to switch projects. You can cook a new dish, fiddle with an instrument, or fill a page with mindful doodles. If you prefer to flex your writing skills, switch to diary or journal entries to focus on reflection or daily details. Whatever outlet you choose, when you return to the page, you may unravel new ideas on arranging your story’s timeline or discover a metaphor worth expanding.
Related Articles: