Some of my recent work has been a lemon. A dud. An abject failure. I’ve been in what can only be termed a “writing slump.”
Other writers experience them, too. They keep writing, but the words just aren’t at their usual capacity or ability. What do they do in those moments? What do I do when I’m in a writing slump?
Seek Feedback
I’m fortunate to have a boss who doesn’t hold punches. If my writing sucks, he tells me. He doesn’t say “suck” – he’s nicer than that – but it’s the gist of the message. My writing is too technical, too negative, too [insert adjective]. He tosses the work back to me and says to try again.
I do. I do my best to listen to what he said – usually after I’ve taken a few, deep breaths and managed to stick my perfectionism back in the corner where it belongs – and start again. I aim for friendly. I seek to make the complicated accessible. I ask myself, “What does my reader want to get out of reading about this particular topic?”
Find the Real Issue
Many times, my writing slump is related to something happening in my life. Some of those things I can control; some of them I can’t. I still examine what the issues are. Maybe I’m lonely. Perhaps I’m tired. Maybe I have too many projects and activities and need to remove one of them.
The issues I can change, I do. With the others, I pray the prayer for serenity. I give those things to God and ask Him to care for them. He knows my needs and aches. He is with me in them.
Once I’ve done those things, I get back to work. I don’t quit writing. I push myself to stay the course, both because I know quitting in such a moment is the wrong thing to do and because, most of the time, I have a deadline to meet.
Image: Alyssa Miller (Creative Commons)
[…] I need to take a long, hard look at myself and consider where I went wrong. When did I become complacent? How did I become content with excuses and rationalizations? I know better. I expect better. […]