Your goals fell by the wayside when you got sick in February. You stared at your keyboard for five minutes three mornings in a row before the kids woke up a full hour earlier than usual. In the car, you tap the steering wheel at a red light feeling the world is mocking your lack of progress on your manuscript. Are you in a slump? Or is this just a season? Can you figure out how to get out of a slump—or are you just stuck?
Sometimes I click along with my writing, hitting my weekly goals like a boss, submitting articles and posts early, and feeling like I need to invest in some confetti cannons.
Then there are weeks like this one.
The word count is down.
I’m writing far closer to deadline than usual. (Or missing deadlines—gasp!)
I can’t seem to untangle a critical chapter in my novel.
I’m interrupted with new certifications or assignments at work that wreak havoc on my writing schedule.
And I begin to slip into self-defeating talk, telling myself that I’m not as good as I want to be and why would anyone want to read this and … (See? Stop it.)
It’s easy for an off-week to slip into what feels like a slump. Suddenly I turn around and what seemed like a couple days off turns into six weeks. Does this happen to you?
When I’m in a slump
I can tell I’m in a slump if I’m talking more about writing than actually writing. If I stop making even small progress toward my goals, I might be in a slump. If I haven’t touched my active manuscript in two weeks and I’m not in the hospital, I’m definitely in a slump.
How to get out of a slump:
- Stop negative self-talk. (It doesn’t help and only makes you feel worse.)
- Write a little. (Even if it is three sentences.)
- Repeat. (Even if it is three sentences.)
- Celebrate the end of your slump.
- Build back up to the schedule that is in line with your goals.
That’s it. Too often, I think I need a four-hour-rain-dance-hoodoo-ritual-tea-cleansing to get out of a slump. I don’t. All I need is a pen and paper. Or the notes in my phone. A slump means life has gotten in the way for a minute, and I need to refocus and invest in my writing again.
What if it's not a slump?
Sometimes though, it’s not a slump. Sometimes, life gets in the way of my writing goals, and there’s nothing I can do about it.
Maybe we’ve made a move and I’m buried in 254 boxes. Or you are a caregiver in a particularly demanding time of service. Maybe I’ve just had a baby (which hasn’t happened in almost fourteen years, so I can’t claim that one this week). Or you are enduring a flare up this month due to chronic disease. Maybe it's finals week and you have two papers due. Maybe I just need to switch gears and rest because I haven’t refilled my emotional, spiritual, and creative wells.
These breaks are not slumps when they are marked by circumstances that rightly require our utmost attention. It is a matter of recognizing that while writing is still important to me, my health and relationships need attention. I call these seasons.
What’s a season?
Truthfully, we're all in a season right now. It might be a productive season or a resting season. It’s a period of time when I change tempo to nurture or rest a part of my life.
As I’ve gotten older, I’ve seen more and more how life ebbs and flows in seasons. Not just the weather, but relationships, work, and writing.
I can’t always choose a season, but I can certainly recognize them and adjust. When fall shifts into winter, I don’t get to decide which day it changes, but I do get to choose to wear my coat when I feel cold. (Or more appropriately today, turn on the AC because the South doesn't seem to believe in spring.)
What do I do in a season?
- Acknowledge that you are in a short season where your priorities need to adjust.
- Stop the negative self-talk. (It doesn’t help and only makes you feel worse.)
- Engage in self-care. (This is especially important if you are caring for others, whether it is an ill family member or small children. Small investments in your health and well-being benefit everyone around you.)
- Adjust your schedule and expectations. (If you’re like me, you can’t just stop writing, even in a down season. However, we can shift how we approach writing. For example, I might journal more or simply list a couple things I’m grateful for each evening.)
- Know that seasons change and be ready to re-engage.
Slumps and seasons mark all our lives. Recognize which one you are in and take the action you can. Being a part of a writing community like Becoming Writer can be a great encouragement through a slump or season. But whatever you do, don’t give up.
Do you have any advice for how to get out of a slump? Let us know in the comments.
PRACTICE
Take fifteen minutes and put a character in a slump or a season. Will he or she whine? Withdraw? Explode? Slumps and difficult seasons are ripe with conflict for characters, because so often we feel helpless. How will your character react? Share your practice in the comments and encourage each other.
Claire slummed down on her chair. In her hands was the cape to her super hero costume. In the past few weeks, the joy of saving the day, made her less and less happy. “The Enigmatic Blue is losing her flame.” her said to herself. Before, being a super hero was hobby, but felt like a job. Giving it some thought, she didn’t recall the last time she wore normal cloths. Villains have been showing up one after another. It was draining both physically and mentally. Thankfully, things have calm down. So, she mostly dealt with common thieves and thugs. “Maybe I should take a vacation.”
Love this idea of a super hero needing a vacation. Thanks for sharing your practice!
Your welcome.
Good post Sue! Writers do need to reassess now and then. And life definitely gets in the way sometimes. Can’t punish ourselves for that – just got to get through it and then “restart.” I know, easier said than done. Best of luck to you 🙂
Thanks for chiming in, Julie!
This is a very timely post for the story I’m working on. My WIP is about my main character recovering from a serious slump in her mental health. As it happens I’m in a similar spot, and my writing does a lot to help. Reviews are always appreciated!
The bell over the door tinkled as I entered. Gayle Marshall herself smiled at me from behind the counter. “Alex, hey there!” A middle-aged black woman with an easy smile and a colorful scarf knotted over her twists, Gayle was the proprietor and occasional barista of the coffee shop. She was also my landlady.
“Hi Gayle.”
“What can I get for you?”
“Ah – an English breakfast tea to go, please?”
“Coming right up.” She kept chatting over her shoulder as she fished a tea bag out of its tin. “How’s the apartment treating you?”
“Good.”
“I saw you taking the U-Haul back this morning. All unpacked and settled in?”
“Getting there.”
She laughed. “It’s been awhile since the last time I moved house, but I remember the feeling. And how do you like Briar Creek?”
“It’s nice.”
“Bit of a shock to the system after the big city, huh?”
“Something like that.”
Gayle popped a lid on my tea. She plunked it down on the counter, and looked me over, chewing her lip thoughtfully. “You doing anything next Wednesday?”
“Not that I know of.”
“We have little events here in the Brew a couple times a month. Music nights, talks, that kind of thing. The next one is Wednesday. You should come, it’s a good opportunity to mingle. I’m a transplant from Boston myself, a long time ago now, but I know what it’s like adjusting to the provincial life.”
I nodded, handing over some cash. “I’ll try to make it,” I said, lying through my teeth. “Thanks for the tea.”
I left the shop and circled around the building to the back door where I let myself in. I climbed the narrow staircase to the door of my apartment.
My new place was a luxurious one bed, one bath, combination kitchen and living room with a washer and dryer wedged into a closet. The tiny space was made even smaller by the boxes occupying it. I had been there for a couple weeks by that point, but so far the most progress I had made was opening some boxes of clothes and moving them to the bedroom. And unpacking my books, of course.
I picked my way through the maze of packing cases to collapse onto the couch. I set my cup of tea on the coffee table next to The Mysterious Affair at Styles. I have three great literary loves: Shakespeare, Poe, and Christie. Hercule Poirot was an old friend, with his waxed mustache and fastidious intellect, restoring order to the universe with every case solved. With the way my life had been lately, I needed a little order. When all else failed, my books were reliable. The words on the page would never change.
Love this! My family moves a lot for my husband’s work, and I can identify with that maze of boxes, the difficulty engaging new places, and like your protagonist, I usually retreat into Agatha Christie books and Murder She Wrote reruns to make it through. Thanks for sharing.
Great article! I’m currently going through a bit of a writing slump now but it’s all just down to being busy and tired. But this advice has really helped me because you’ve reminded me that even a little bit of writing can motivate you and renew your passion.
I hear you, AW! I’m at the end of the school year, and it seems like a revolving door of events that in turn leave me exhausted. Glad you found the article helpful.
Great post. I don’t like going through slumps. I feel like in those moments, nothing will snap me out of it. But the tips you provided will help. I think my thing is making the time to write, which isn’t always easy.
It’s true– in the moment, it feels paralyzing. I think the more often you write through it (even in tiny increments), it gets a bit easier. Thanks for stopping by.
love the message here!
Thanks, Ellie! Good luck with your writing.
Thanks so much for this great advice!