3 ways I’m finding my way back from a writing slump

I mentioned in my 2024 highlight reel post that I accomplished very little on the fiction writing front last year. I got pretty discouraged about that, even though there were some good reasons why I didn’t write much. This month I seem to be finding my footing again. I have a 24-day writing streak in Online Writing Log, and I’m finding easier every morning to sit down and start writing. So how am I finding my way back from a writing slump? Let me count the (spoiler alert: 3) ways. But first:

This post is part of the Insecure Writers Support Group (IWSG) blog hop. On the first Wednesday of every month, we IWSG-ers share our doubts, fears, struggles, and triumphs. Our awesome co-hosts this month are Joylene Nowell Butler, Louise Barbour, and Tyrean Martinson. Stop by and leave them some comment love.

Each month our fearless leader (Ninja Captain Alex J. Cavanaugh) gives us an optional question to answer. This month’s question: Is there a story or book you’ve written you want to/wish you could go back and change?

The short answer is no. The longer answer is that I haven’t been writing fiction for all that long (about 10 years) and haven’t written all that much, so there isn’t a lot to go back and revise.

Now, let’s get back to the 3 ways I’m finding my way back from a writing slump. Here they are:

1. Overcoming resistance
2. Keeping the streak alive
3. Being kind to myself

Overcoming resistance

Productivity experts talk about overcoming resistance to doing a task. Search the concept online, and you’ll find lots of articles and tips. I’ll share with you the one that works best for me: Break the work down to a level that makes you able to overcome your resistance.

So what does that mean? Here are a few examples:

• Can’t get motivated to work out? Consider working out for just 15 minutes. Still resistant? How about 5 minutes? How about putting on your gym clothes and driving to the gym? You can sit in the parking lot if you want, just go there.
• Can’t get yourself to put your phone down and read a book? Consider reading just 5 pages. Too much? How about 1 page? Still too much? Open the book and read a paragraph.
• Can’t get motivated to write? Promise to write for just 10 minutes. Too much? How about 5 minutes? How about you sit at your desk, open your manuscript, and write one sentence?

You’re probably thinking those tiny actions would be pointless, and if that’s all you ever did, yeah, they might be. But here’s what often happens, at least for me:

• I end up working out for 30 or 40 minutes and feel great afterward.
• I read a whole chapter, maybe 2 or 3.
• I write for 20 minutes or 45 minutes or 90 minutes and make real progress.

The hardest part for me, is getting started. If I can get over that hurdle, I’ll usually get in the zone and keep going and have a great time doing it. And if I don’t, hey, I can quit after 5 minutes or one sentence or whatever and try again tomorrow.

Keeping the streak alive

If you’ve tried learning a language with Duolingo, you know all about streaks, and you may know how motivating they can be (fun fact! I have an 888-day Duolingo streak, learning Spanish.) Habit trackers use this method too, usually with some kind of graphical gimmick like links in a chain. Do your habit that day, and you add another link. Fail to do it, and you break the chain.

Awhile back, Online Writing Log added a streak feature. It’s a little flame that you keep alive each day you write. Here’s mine:

24 days, baby!

For awhile I ignored that new feature, but then I decided that if streaks motivated me to learn Spanish, maybe they could motivate me to write. And they have!

My new rule is that I will write every day. Doesn’t matter how much. I’m ashamed to say one of those days in that streak, I wrote for a whole 3 minutes. But then I wrote for almost 2 hours another day, which for me is pretty good. And I usually manage at least 20 minutes on weekday mornings and 45-90 minutes on weekend mornings. I’m not Stephen King, but I’m making progress.

I’ve found 3 big advantages to this kind of daily practice, no matter how short:

1. Like I mentioned before, I usually end up writing for a decent amount of time.
2. I stay engaged with my story. Even if I only write for 5 minutes, that’s enough time to get me back into my story, enough to cause me to think about it as I go through the rest of my day, enough to put my muse (the drunken floozy¹) to work on new ideas (if she’s sober enough to show up).
3. I build a writing habit. Every day I write makes it easier to write the next day. Every day I skip makes it harder to write the next day. Absence makes the resistance grow stronger.

Being kind to myself

I’ve talked about this concept before on here. I’d never talk to a friend the way I talk to myself. I’d encourage the friend, but I tell myself I’m lazy and I’ll never amount to anything and I’m a talentless hack and… yeah. I’m working on that. It’s actually easier to sit down and write when I haven’t been beating myself up about my writing. What a concept, huh?

The memery

Just in time for Valentine’s Day:

If you know me in real life, you don’t need me to tell you I’m the green heart.

Fun Valentine’s Day fact: sweetheart candies are gross. Engrave some cute sayings on chocolate, and I might be interested.

It’s me. I’m that one friend.

And finally, I’ll apologize for this one up front:

And on that ridiculous note… I’m outta here. Happy Valentine’s Day to those who celebrate! And for those who, like me, celebrate the day after: Happy Half-Price Candy Day!

---

1. My muse, the drunken floozy, is my version of Stephen King’s Boys in the Basement. Spoiler alert: he got a better muse. When they were handing out muses, he was in the front of the line with a VIP pass. I got lost on the way to the Muse Distribution Center and ended up with the one passed out behind the dumpster. She makes occasional appearances on this blog; her first appearance was in my 2019 NaNoWriMo brag post. I wonder if Uncle Stevie would swap me one of his boys for her tequila-soaked self. C’mon, Steve-O. Share the wealth, will ya?