Ever get stuck in a writing rut? Need help to dig yourself out? Welcome to the club! Here's where I struggle, and how to fix it!
You know that moment where the will is there but it's hidden behind layers and layers of procrastination? Sometimes, I find myself at my computer or sitting with my notebook in front of me for two hours straight, thinking, ok just one more cute baby youtube video. Spoiler alert: it's never just one more video. I just spent five minutes on tumblr before I got to this sentence. See? It's a sickness.
Here are the top ten things that keep me from writing, and what to do about them:
- Social Media. So this is naturally number one. I'm on Twitter, Tumblr, Pinterest, etc. and usually all at the same time. Social media is awesome, but it's also a time-sucker. Try to limit yourself, and then stick to that time frame. I promise, there is always another status to read.
- Work. To all my 9-5ers, kudos to you for trying to start a writing adventure. I'm currently working up to ten hours a day, five-six days a week; and I'm not going to lie, it's exhausting. Welcome your weekends. Perfect writing time. And if you can manage to spend an hour or two writing on the weekdays, you'll be better for it.
- School. Homework, projects and papers. Don't you love them? To all of you college people, embrace that time. Aside from classes, college typically allows for a flexible schedule. Just stay on top of your school work, and then get busy with your writing time.
- Sleep. One of my favorite things! Sometimes, if you don't get enough, any time you have for writing will come from a super sleepy brain. So my advice? Get plenty of sleep. Your writing will thank you.
- Other People. Let's go get dinner! Let's go out! Let's go to a movie! Sound familiar? Friends are awesome. The best, in fact. Give yourself permission to be a loner sometimes though, and keep your writing on track.
- "Writer's Block." I use quotes because I don't believe this actually exists. You may not feel that you have any ideas, but should that stop you from writing? No. Just scribble down some words and let the ideas flow.
- Over-planning. This happened to me a lot at the beginning of the novel process. I had all of these ideas of where I wanted the novel to go that I neglected the actual writing part. Planning is good, but there needs to be a balance. Always write.
- Relax writing. If it's been a long day, I like to write in bed. Lounge writing, you know? This never works out well, because guess what? I fall asleep. So get dressed in the morning, get to a desk or a table and get working.
- Too much talk, no action. There are plenty of people who call themselves writers or say they want to write a book, but often, they don't actually follow through with it. So don't be a talker. Write!
- Writing. Didn't see this coming did you? So for any freelancers or bloggers, this is especially important. Don't let work writing get in the way of creative writing. Keep it organized!
I hope that you found this helpful, and that maybe you're a little closer to a little distraction-free writing. Learn how to make time to write here.
Discussion Time: What are your top writing pitfalls? What's keeping you from your goals?