The NOT Writing Habit and How to Break It

by Dee Scully

I gotta be honest. I’m struggling.

Image courtesy of Write NOW http://instagram.com/deescullyromanceauthor/

For a while now I’ve had little to no time to write. At first it frustrated me, because of all people, I should be able to schedule time to write. I mean; I’ve blogged about goal setting and committing to those goals too many times to count and I truly believe in what I wrote, but…

Over the last few months, I’ve come to accept the lack of time as the norm and now, now that I actually have a few moments to write, I don’t even know where to begin.

Worse yet, is the fact that I’m actually a little afraid to open my work-in-progress (wip) and get stuck in and I don’t even know why!

What’s wrong with me? 

 I seem to have lost my mojo.

While trying to figure out why I can’t seem to get stuck back in to my wip, I’ve found ten tips that may help others find their lost mojo.

TIPS TO FINDING LOST MOJO

Image courtesy of Google Images

1. Write anything. Write a letter to a friend or to one of your characters. Write a hook to an upcoming chapter end. Write your train of thought. Just get writing. Once the proverbial writing ball is rolling, you’ll find it a lot easier to get stuck into your wip again.

2. Be honest with yourself. Why aren’t you picking up that pen or opening that laptop? Figure out what’s mentally barring you from writing and make the necessary changes to get yourself writing.

3. Review your writing goals. Be SMART about it—are your writing goals:  Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, AND Timely?  You might find that one of these was lacking and threw you off-track. Revise your goals with SMART in mind and it will be a lot easier to not only get stuck back in but to keep going in the first place.

4. Imagine your story. Find a comfortable place and let your mind roam around the crevices of your imagination. Really visualize your characters and your story. Feel what they feel. See what they see. Hear what they hear. Make your story real inside your mind and it will seep into your muscles and get those fingers tapping on the keys in no time.

5. Remember why you write. Is it your passion? Do you have stories that need to be told? Do you just like the freedom of putting your thoughts on paper? Has your reason for writing changed?

6. Think about the consequences. What would happen if you never wrote again? How would you feel? What would happen to your story, to your hopes of publication, to your self-esteem?

Image courtesy of Write NOW http://instagram.com/deescullyromanceauthor/

7. Engage in story housecleaning. Get your house, or in this sense, story in order. Review your story outline. Revise your synopsis. Outline an upcoming chapter. Re-engage with your story by cleaning up the story basics.

8. Change where you write. Change is as good as a holiday. Ok, so that may not necessarily be true but it can sometimes be motivating. If you usually write at your desk, go to your kitchen table. Maybe go to a café or write at the park. Change your scenery and you just might change your perspective.

9. Connect with a writing friend. Write, email, text, call, do coffee with a writing friend and talk about your struggles. Getting it out in the open might be what you need to move past it and who better to discuss it with than someone who’s probably been in a similar position at some stage in their writing career.

10. Compliment yourself. Yes, you heard me. Compliment yourself. You are a writer. You create stories in your head and commit them to paper (often but not always) in order to share them with others. You are creative and hardworking and generous. Breathe that bit of honesty inside you and let it refresh your writer’s soul.

Funny…after writing this blog article (TIP #1) and being honest with myself (TIP #2), I realize that my writing goals weren’t completely SMART (TIP #3). So, I’ve sat myself down, revamped my goals and really visualized my story (TIP #4), which has reminded me of why I write (TIP #5) in the first place and what the consequences of not writing would be (TIP #6). I’ve engaged in a bit of story housecleaning (TIP # 7) to refocus and re-engage with my characters and story. I’ve changed up my writing space (TIP #8) and here I am…connecting and commiserating with you, my romance writing/reading friends (TIP #9).

Thank you for allowing me to share my frustration and struggles and for helping me to find my writing mojo again.

I love to love…finding inspiration in the world around me. The cockatoos that frequent my front yard inspire the characters that populate my books.

Image courtesy of Google Images

I love to laugh…at the things that I used to think were difficult. With time and experience, they don’t seem so large or painful.

I love to learn…from my friends. They have taught me so much! (LOL—yes, even some things that they shouldn’t have!)

What do you do when your mojo seems to be lost?  Do you have any tips or advice to share?

Until later...happy writing/reading!

D

Dee Scully

Historical Romance Author

Breathless Blogger

Instagram:  https://instagram.com/deescullyromanceauthor/

Facebook:  http://www.facebook.com/deescullyromanceauthor

Twitter:  @DeeScullyAuthor

Google+:  https://plus.google.com/u/0/+DeeScullyRomanceAuthor/posts/p/pub