Ten little things you can do to revive your excitement for regular writing

Mastery Den, Tuesday Edition, 4-min read.

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Feeling a bit stuck and fed up? Did you forget why you got into writing in the first place?

Well, pull your finger out your nose and take a look at these little ideas to help you see what’s possible again.

Start a new thing.

I always say the ideal is to start and finish one thing before moving on to the next. 

But if you’re stuck, and it feels like there’s no way through, and you’re frustrated, stop. Start a new article or chapter fresh. 

Good writing is more about maintaining momentum than sticking to ‘good’ behaviour.

Forget planning, discipline, systems, calendars, time blocks and productivity.

Systems are super when they help you feel better and more driven to work. 

But if all these things feel like an obligation, a weight to carry, and something a part of you wants to rebel against, drop them for now.

Creativity thrives where there is a big gaping absence of self-pressure. Drop the plan and write like you’re free.

Write like you’re talking to a good friend in the pub.

I come across many, often new writers, who get stuck in their heads when writing. 

They follow plans, structures and frameworks, and it feels like they are fighting through thick forest weeds. 

They forget why they started the damn piece in the first place. But everything gets easier when we think in terms of having a conversation. 

Good writing is essentially a transcription of a good, engaging conversation with someone you care for — tidied up, of course. 

Imagine introducing your solution to a friend bit by bit — how would you tell them in the most fascinating way?

Freewrite like an excited badger who just escaped prison.

So many skip the mysterious and enlivening phase that is open to us before writing a single word for a post, article, or book chapter.

Freewriting gives us an excuse to write absolute trash without fearing the consequences. The cool thing is that the best ideas migrate to the surface when we write loose like this. There is rhyme and reason in this nest of chaos. And most miss this opportunity. 

Freewrite to find your ideas and the best way to present them. Then, writing the real deal thing becomes a synch.

Stop being miserable.

These days, I’m quicker to realise what’s missing when I lose my passion for the craft: my sense of fun.

I’m taking my work too seriously, perhaps because I’m fixating on making money or looking impressive. Blerg to that. Your reader cares about neither of these things. 

Most of all, your creative spirit dies when you try to appear ‘professional’ and avoid looking goofy. We write stuff that’s like everyone else’s and wonder why we’re depressed. 

Choose fun, and decide to write like no one else.

Write a bullet outline.

Writing anything is nearly impossible if our objective is to write something really good. 

In trying to be good, we’re inadvertently making it harder. The road to good is marked by various milestones. 

Your first milestone is to develop a good idea that solves a problem. Then, you want to outline your thing. An outline is a more bite-size first step. Then, you expand on each point. 

No one step in the process needs to feel like you’re rowing against the current.

Get off the laptop.

There’s something magical about introducing tactility to a previously purely digital process. 

Pull out your favourite notebook and pen and get to scribbling. Brainstorm, sketch, doodle, and write lists and outlines. Heck, go hogwild and draw up a spider diagram. This is a very different experience from typing. 

This is why I carry around my own notebook and often start my new projects by first physically writing down all my ideas.

Read for a burst of inspiration.

I find it doesn’t take long to relocate my enthusiasm after poking my nose in a good book. 

Non-fiction, fiction, short stories, whatever. 

Even a couple of paragraphs can yield an insight that you can transfer into your next piece of writing.

Set up a badass little dedicated writing space.

Create a cosy, inspiring little corner just for writing. 

Writing deserves respect and careful nurturing. Sprucing up your environment increases the likelihood of enjoying the process. Make your writing spot somewhere you look forward to being. 

Surround yourself with things that spark creativity, like plants, your favourite books, and artwork.

Join a writing group or community.

Connect with other writers through local groups or online communities. 

You can also join a class or sign up for an online course, which often has an attached community you can join. When you do, you may find yourself more motivated to write consistently. 

Because now, you’re in the same boat, you feel connected, and you’re getting inspired and supported by others.

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