Follow:

Get Out of Your Writing Slump {find the root of the problem} + free PDF

We’ve all had it.

You just stare at the blank screen, the cursor blinking, trying to remember how it felt to love writing. To feel the inspiration, the motivation.

And the thing is, you don’t feel so into writing anymore.

What’s wrong? You want to love writing. You don’t want to give it up. You want to write. So why haven’t you been motivated to write lately? Like, at all. Maybe even, for a long time.

In my opinion, a writing slump is just a serious case of writer’s block. And it’s one of the worst things to experience as a writer. If you’ve had it, you know. It’s a terrible thing when suddenly a passion for a hobby dims. Or extinguishes.

Despite the feelings of despair, there are ways to get out of a writing slump. And even prevent it. A big one is writer self-care. Check out my post about that. But beyond taking care of ourselves as creative beings, there are some questions you should be asking yourself when you’re in a slump or dealing with writers block…

  • What are you feeling about writing right now? Dump all your thoughts, however coherent or not, onto a piece of paper. What does writing mean to you? What do you feel about it at this moment?
  • Why do you think you don’t want to write right now? It’s okay not to know; that’s usually the case.
  • Is it your current project you’re not feeling motivated about, or just writing in general? This can help better pinpoint the problem, making fixing it a lot easier.
  • Have you been taking care of yourself lately? Physically AND mentally? As a writer? A creative being? And just as a human? This goes beyond drinking lots of water and exercise.
  • Do you set yourself up for success when you sit down to write? Do you remove any and all distractions? Do you have a playlist for your WIP you could be listening to? Are you letting your mind wander instead of staying focused?
  • What was the last time you did a, shall we say, “creativity refresh”? Don’t give me that look. This is a legitimate thing that people need, and especially people in a creative line of work. That means you. You need to refresh even if you don’t feel like burning out.

And that’s a big important thing: refreshing before you’re burnt out. 

Why wait until you’ve lost all interest in the thing you love, feel like you’ve been run into the ground, or inspiration seems to be a thing of the past?

I believe in preventive medicine. 😉

So I made up this ‘creativity cleanse’ thing. It lasts for about a week, or longer if you need it. Here’s what it looks like…

 

Day 1.

Stop writing right now.

Spend the day doing other things you enjoy, whether it be reading, crafting, listening/playing music, but DO NOT WRITE. Just relax and b r e a t h e.

 

Day 2.

Try something new.

Pick up a hobby you haven’t enjoyed in years, or try something you’ve never done before. Trying new things often sparks inspiration in our creative brains. 🙂

 

Day 3.

Get working!

Spend today creating your own workout routine. This is an essential part of taking care of yourself. Find exercises for chosen areas (I like leg and ab workouts) or find just a general workout or cardio exercises. Getting your blood pumping can often lead to motivation. (and keep working on that new hobby)

 

Day 4.

Journal.

Dump all your thoughts and feelings into a journal. Everything you think and feel about life, writing, your struggles, your accomplishments, dreams and goals. Keep this up every day.

 

Day 5.

Take a look at your writing.

Don’t write. Just read over a few of the last paragraphs your wrote on your project. Gauge how you feel and how you’d think about starting again.

 

Day 6. 

Write a bit.

Don’t go full-blown. Set yourself up for success by removing distractions and playing your WIP’s playlist. Write for 5-10 minutes and then gauge how you’re feeling.

If you’re still not feeling motivated about writing, keep repeating these days until you feel ready. Don’t be discouraged if it takes longer that you expect to get out of your slump.

 

Day 7.

Get back into it.

If yesterday’s test-ride went well, get back into storytelling! I can’t stress how important it is to keep up the other self-care steps you’ve taken. Keep exercising when you can, trying new things, journaling, taking breaks, and so many other things that help keep you inspired, motivated, and ready to go.

 

Now, I can’t be 100% percent positive that if you do this refresh process, you will get out of your writing slump. Every person is different, so the method you use to refresh yourself will be different. But I do hope this does work for you. 🙂

And to make it easier for you, I’ve created a PDF that you can download and print off for use. Just snag that below and enjoy. 😉

 

 

Write on,

NEW BLOG SIGNATURE

Get your PDF here, or click on the image below.

Get Out of Your Writing Slump-pdf graphic.png

blog signature new (3)

How do you deal with burnout, writing slumps, and writer’s block? What steps do you take for self-care? 


Get Out of Your Writing Slump-PINTEREST GRAPHIC.png

Previous Post Next Post

You may also like

12 Comments

  • Reply kassieangle

    This was great advice, Jenna!! Something that almost always helps me when I get “stuck” on my story is to write ahead…usually I run out of inspiration in slow parts so I’ll jump ahead to an action scene! And walking my dog and writing in my journal are huge for me. 😁

    April 27, 2019 at 8:34 am
    • Reply Jenna

      Thanks for reading, Kassie! I don’t think I’ve heard of people writing ahead before, that’s interesting. Maybe I should try that because I don’t do so well with the slow parts either. 😉

      April 27, 2019 at 10:51 am
  • Reply S.F. Dekreel

    That’s great advice!
    By the way, I hit the button to download the PDF, but it just subscribed you to the newsletter instead. As far as I know there wasn’t another button in my email. Do I have to click the button again since I’m subscribed>

    April 27, 2019 at 5:24 pm
    • Reply Jenna

      After you put in your information in the first landing page, it should take you to a second with the button for the PDF. If that doesn’t work, I can always email it to you separately, just let me know. 🙂

      April 27, 2019 at 6:42 pm
  • Reply Merie Shen

    Writer’s slump is a big pain! This was pretty helpful. 🙂 Right now I’m busying myself outlining two other major projects while taking a break from my Camp NaNo draft (even though it’s not finished…). I need to break from fantasy for a moment. xD

    April 27, 2019 at 11:33 pm
    • Reply Jenna

      I’m glad you liked it, Merie. 😊 That’s nice that you’re taking a break and playing with two other stories; that’s always so much fun 😉

      April 28, 2019 at 12:04 am
  • Reply Chelsea R. H.

    This is great advice, Jen 🙂 I’ve been in a really bad slump all month, mostly just because I’ve been really busy and every time I’ve sat down to write I’ve thought of something else I should be doing. And then gone on Pinterest or Spotify.
    Like kassie said though, walking my dog is a really good inspiration booster and helps get my blood pumping a bit. And I just got back from an Agriculture camp over the weekend and even though it didn’t have anything to do with writing, it really refilled my creative tank and got me excited to work on both a new project and several of my old ones.

    April 28, 2019 at 8:57 pm
    • Reply Jenna

      Thanks so much for reading, Chelsea! 🙂
      That’s great that walking your dog is something that boosts your inspiration. <3 And that's awesome that you have refilled your creative tank! That's so important. ;)

      April 29, 2019 at 10:45 am
  • Reply Nicole Rose

    I very much needed this THANK YOU 🙂

    May 8, 2019 at 6:45 pm
    • Reply Jenna

      You are so welcome! And thanks for reading! Let me know if you have trouble getting the PDF; I’ve had someone contact me about that. Just lemme know! 😉

      May 9, 2019 at 9:48 am
  • Reply Jenna Terese - The Creative Tag | Jenna Terese

    […] I kind of have to gauge whether or not I just need to push myself and keep creating or take a break. Usually the case is that I need to take a break, so I’ll take one. During that break I will probably enjoy my other hobbies and just generally refill my creative cup.  […]

    March 24, 2020 at 10:02 am
  • Reply Jenna Terese - Burnout on a deadline?|I Answer All Your Productivity Questions | Jenna Terese

    […] Get Out of Your Writing Slump [+free PDF] […]

    October 8, 2020 at 10:04 am
  • Leave a Reply