For the month of December, I was holed up in a wonderful home in Salt Lake City, Utah, working on my next book. Some of the writing days were magical. Words flow smooth and cool downstream from my heart and imagination. On other days, though, every word feels like a labored breath-painful and uneasy.
What’s the best response to a bad writing day?
- Keep writing. If the goal of the day is to write 1000 words or even 250 words, don’t stop until you’re done. Even if what you write is terrible, terrible, terrible. And you had to become repetitive and write icky sentences to hit your goal.
- Go for a walk. A short walk can clear your head, stir the imagination, help thoughts and images flow more easily.
- Read great writing. Dive into a chapter by your favorite author and allow someone else to breathe life and beauty into your soul.
- Spend time editing. The same days that are the worst for creativity often prove to be the best for critical analysis. Spend some time proofing your own work.
- Stay away from the kitchen, PS3, and your favorite Internet store. Bad writing days make us look for comfort-comfort foods, comfort in blowing other people to smithereens, and comfort in shopping (among other things!). If you’re not careful, you’ll consume the remaining box of cookies, whittle away hours gaming, and spend way too much money on items you didn’t really need (again).
- Write a blog. That’s right! Write a blog and find out how other people respond to their bad writing days. Seriously. Any suggestions?
What tips do you have for those experiencing bad writing days?
*Photo courtesy of here
