Writing Dry Spells

Some useful techniques to deal with those times when the words just don't come

Sometimes you may reach a point in your creative path where the ideas just don’t come, where you stare at a blank page, waiting for the words, the inspiration, and there’s just…a void.

Other times you might be brimming with ideas, but when it comes time to do the work, you just aren’t motivated, or you feel that others will never want to read it, or you say to yourself, The Earth is going to hell, so what’s the point?

Some call this phase “writer’s block,” but I prefer to call it a “writer’s pause.”

You cannot expect to be productive all the time. Marathoners are told to wait months after their last marathon to run long-distance again. Weight lifters do not do legs Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday. They alternate days, so they do not injure themselves. Why should writing be any different?

There will be slow days, slog days, days where all you do is put in a comma in the morning and take it out in the afternoon. I used to beat myself up when I reached these pauses. I thought I didn’t have what it takes to be a writer. I felt chewed up, dried out, and I despaired.

This was unhealthy, not just for the negative self-talk, but because it’s a distortion of the truth. Like physical muscles, the brain needs rest too. Sometimes you may find that the brimming energy you had just last week seems to be gone now. Where did it go? Who knows, but the answer isn’t self-criticism (which I’ve done), or self-medicating (which I’ve done more of). Both of those will lead to toxic outcomes and diminishing returns. The answer is acceptance.

You have to accept that you won’t always be productive, that the tides of creativity ebb and flow, that the verve you have today may not be there tomorrow. And when the inspiration ebbs, here are some things I suggest doing:

1. Most importantly: accept yourself. Be kind to yourself. You are human, not a machine, and you cannot always be churning out 2,000 inspired words per day, no matter what that best-selling author of door-stoppers tells you.

2. Rest. Sleep. Reduce your caffeine. Avoid alcohol and drugs. Give your body a break from stress.

3. Exercise. (Once you have enough rest). Go for a walk or go to the gym. Get outside and away from that keyboard.

4. Eat healthy. This goes with the rest and exercise, but if you’re constantly snacking on junk food and soda, this will certainly have an effect on your mood.

5. Get out of your own headspace. Sometimes our ego is our own worst enemy. Walk in nature, or go see a movie, or read an immersive book. When we stop thinking about ourselves for a while, a lot of those troubling thoughts vanish like smoke.

6. Make plans with a friend you haven’t seen in a while. Talking to them might rekindle old feelings and inspire new ideas.

7. Keep an “inspiration pile.” I use this more for my 3D art than my fiction, but I keep a folder on my computer with images that inspire me, and when I feel unmotivated, I look at those images and often get new ideas. What works of art do you find yourself returning to again and again? Keep them close at hand and refer to them when your motivation is low.

8. Step away from the work. Sometimes we get too close to our creations, or we have too much emotional energy invested in a work, and that energy prevents us from completing it. Step away for a while and work on something else. When you come back to it, it will usually feel fresh.

9. Travel. If you can, go someplace you have never been. Just being in a new place, with new people can cause the creative fires to rekindle in our brains. I’ve gotten dozens of story ideas from places I’ve visited.

10. Keep a journal. Write a daily log of your feelings. A lot of times our anxieties are subconscious, and only by writing them down can we see what’s really on our minds. And sometimes, writing down what’s troubling us can offer a new perspective and alleviate some of those anxieties.

11. If all else fails, talk to someone. There’s no shame in that. We are social creatures, and writing is an isolating pursuit. If you have the privilege of therapy, I highly recommend it.

The absolute worst thing you can do when motivation is low is beat yourself up for it. Accept that it’s a natural part of the creative cycle, and before long, usually sooner than you think, the ideas will begin to flow again, the motivation will return, and you’ll be back before the keyboard churning out words by the hundreds.

---

Thanks for reading! If you enjoy these posts and would like to support my work, check out my novels Queen of Static and King of Shards, or you can read a lot of my short fiction here.