We all get stuck. It happens. You fall into a routine and can’t get out.
Many authors don’t believe in writers block. As an author it’s your job to write, so that’s what you do, but often it’s not as simple as that.
I live in Canada, and that means January and February are cold. The weather is bleak, most of the time the sun stays hidden, and unless it’s recently snowed everything is grey and gross. Talk about SAD. Actually, yeah, let’s talk about SAD Seasonal Anxiety Disorder, fitting since we recently had Bell’s Let’s Talk Day. I believe I suffer from SAD. Every year around this time I get a little down. I go through long stretches where I don’t leave the house, and who could blame me, it’s freezing out there! But my hibernation comes with a problem, lack of inspiration which equals a poor daily word count, like almost non-existent.
A author friend of mine, Hazel Hughes, maybe you remember her, she was my first #AuthorSpotlight, and she wrote the contemporary erotic suspense novel featuring a male ballerina (if you haven’t checked it out, I recommend this book. Alexi is seriously hot!). She’s decided to focus on an achievable goal, 100 words a day. You might say, aw, that’s nothing! Often she goes over that word count, but having a small, manageable goal ensure that she sticks with it each day. (You can check out Hazel’s blog post here: Join the 100 word challenge!)
Despite my goal of keeping up with Hazel, I’ve continually fallen off the wagon. So how can I set about beating the winter times blues?
Generally they say get moving, but it’s cold out, so maybe I’ll try hopping on the treadmill for a bit each day. Although if I’m struggling through 100 words a day I doubt I’ll find the motivation to get on the treadmill. 😛
So far I’m keeping in mind the things I’ve already accomplished this year. I finished the 3rd book in the Unexpected Changes series, I’ve started work on the 4th and final book in the series, and I’ve written a 10,000 word short story that we can expect to see sometime this summer. Really, I don’t think I’m doing THAT badly so far this year.
But I still need to get moving on Kevin’s book. I’m lacking the motivation and inspiration. Should I wait around until spring, when the weather starts to warm up and the birds and bees start to come back? NO!
Maybe the key is in starting to blog a little more frequently. Get some type of words on the page. That’s a good start I think, but I still needs a little more.
I’m going to take a page from my successes in January, put the novel aside, and instead focus on some short stories. There’s a few submission calls out right now, maybe I’ll focus my energy on that. Once the juices get flowing again maybe I’ll be able to keep it up and get some work done. Whether they end up published or not at least I’ll have something in the vault and maybe, just maybe coax the muse back where he belongs. (That’s right I said he! 😉 )
