Halfway through any big project is (for me at least) when the slump hits.
Whether it’s an email series for a client, a blog post for myself, or (hi November!) trying to bang out 50k words for NaNo in the midst of all my other work… hitting the halfway point stinks.
For me, it’s not so much an issue of writer’s block as it is writer’s overwhelm-ment. I think too much about the BIG PICTURE and I freak myself out.
I have to finish 3000 words today.
I need to write 3 sales emails by tomorrow morning.
I have no idea what to put in this blog post.
Sometimes thinking about the big picture is good. It gives me goals to reach for, it keeps me on track. Other times… I get so focused on where I’m supposed to end up that I can’t even make myself start.
So I’ve developed a new tactic for dealing with writer’s slump: I tell myself I only have to write one sentence.
That’s it. One sentence. Not thousands of words. Not a giant project that my client is waiting for. Not five blog posts that need to be scheduled before I go out of town. One sentence.
And one sentence is easy, right? It doesn’t even have to be good. It just has to be there.
And it works.x
Because any writer knows: it’s easy to tell yourself to write a paragraph and end up with three words. But it’s also impossible to write one sentence and not want to keep going.
An idea will spark. Your brain and fingers will do what they’re trained to do: write. And the pressure’s off, isn’t it, because you already accomplished what you set out to do. That one sentence was your goal. After that, it’s easy to just keep going.
*****
Today is November 15th, the halfway point in NaNo. So for anyone who needs it, read on for a little motivation.
How to Write When You Feel Like Death. Whether you’re sick, overworked, or, like writer Andrea Hannah, days away from giving birth, writing when you don’t feel 100% can feel like the hardest work out there. But she’s getting making it happen, and has a few tips for how you can too over at The Secret Life of Writers.
Butt in Chair, Hands on Keyboard. Writing is always work. But sometimes, writing is going to feel like Work with a capitol W. And those are the times you just have to sit down, unplug, and make yourself get it done. Over at Pub(lishing) Crawl, Susan Dennard describes her BICHOK method for getting it done.
8 Proven Ways to Get in the Mood for Writing. There are distractions everywhere. Whether you work another job, or have a family to take care of, or are in the middle of traveling… it can be hard to switch on your “writer’s brain.” Steph over at The Book Salon has a great list of ways to get “in the mood” for writing.
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