A while ago I shared here that while I hadn’t written anything new in a while I was focusing on other creative pursuits–things like knitting and gardening. I am happy to report that while my garden has been thriving in the hot weather we’ve been having, so has my writing. I finished and submitted a short story and have gotten back to work on the end of my novel. Green growing time, indeed.
It’s hard to put my finger on the difference between a stagnant (or dormant) time and a green, growing, creative time, but I’ve noticed a couple of things that get my creative mojo going:
- I can’t spend too much time on social media. Sometimes I have to take a complete break. Scrolling breaks my brain.
- As I mentioned above, it helps to do other creative things. Some of the things that get my brain spinning on the right wavelength are time away from other “brain work,” playing the piano (or other instrument), keeping the radio OFF in the car (difficult for me, but I think more when I don’t listen to music), doing something with my hands (this week I relined my kitchen drawers with lemon-patterned contact paper), knitting/crocheting, working in my garden…all of these things share an element of letting my brain run free while my hands are busy doing something else.
- Take baby steps getting back into a habit. I started with writing with a pen and paper, with no goals. Then I tried to rework a scene. Eventually I got to work on a goal I had to finish a short story in July. I did that and then jumped back into working on the end of my novel. Every little bit helps.
- Don’t discount your other priorities. It helps me to remember there is a good reason why I don’t spend hours every day writing or doing writing-related tasks. I have a full-time job. I am a mom, and a wife, and I have dogs and laundry and all the other stuff that clutters up a life with good things to do. I like to talk to my husband, and I want to answer my kids’ texts and phone calls. When my dog gives me her puppy dog eyes and asks to go outside, I don’t tend to ignore her. When it’s my turn to cook I don’t like to leave it to the last minute. All good stuff.
So if you are stuck in the doldrums of a dry time, go outside and weed your garden. Do that house project you’ve been putting off. And let your brain start dreaming again, away from all digital distractions. Enjoy!
