However much you enjoy writing, there’ll be times when you just aren’t feeling it. 

Whether it's just a really busy week, a roadblock in your plot, or a disappointing setback like a rejection letter ... something's knocked you off course and you simply don't feel like writing.

So what can you do about it?

#1: Take a Proper Break From Writing

Quite honestly, sometimes writers need a break! Perhaps you've been pouring lots of time and energy into your work-in-progress ... and you need to step back for a bit to give yourself a chance to rest.

It's fine to take time off from writing. I'd suggest giving yourself a set amount of time (perhaps a week or two) and having a "restart" date in mind. Otherwise, it's easy for a couple of weeks off to becoming months of not writing.

#2: Read Something You Enjoy

One of the things that often makes me feel inspired to write is reading a great book. Although I might feel daunted at how fantastic the author is (and worried that I could never measure up!) I do end up feeling much more in the mindset of stories, characters, and plots.

Reading anything – a poem, a blog post, a biography – can help spark new thoughts or give you new ideas.

#3: Go Back Over Your Past Work

When you don't feel like writing, it can seem like you'll never have another good idea, or you'll never be able to complete anything. But by reading back over your past work, you might find yourself surprised by just how much you've already accomplished.

You might want to look through this list of writing milestones, too, to see how many you've reached (and to figure out what to aim for next).

#4: Get Organised

If you're taking some time off from writing, you might want to spend it organising your writing space (whether physically or virtually). 

Simply tidying up your desk and making sure you've got everything you need to hand could give you some fresh writing energy. On a virtual level, you might look for ways to organise different files to make it easy to carry on with your work-in-progress.

#5: Do Some Brainstorming or Planning

During busy times or times when your energy levels are low and you can't face drafting fresh material, you might try spending time doing some brainstorming or planning.

For me, this stage of the writing process doesn't seem as daunting as "proper" writing, and I don't feel nearly so much resistance to it. And yet, once I've got a plan in place, I often find that the drafting part no longer seems so difficult.

#6: Try Writing Prompts or Exercises

If you've ever learnt a musical instrument, you probably had scales or exercises that you did, perhaps as a "warm up" or to train your hands how to move fluidly.

Writing prompts and exercises can potentially be the start of a fresh piece of work ... but they can also be very valuable in themselves, as a way to warm up at the start of a writing session, or to train your writing muscles.

#7: Experiment with the Time and Place You Write

If you feel exhausted at the idea of sitting down to write at the end of the day, could you get up 15 minutes early and write at the start of the day instead?

If you can't ever seem to focus while you're at home, could you go to a local library, or write at a friend's house, or even try using a different room in your home for writing?

#8: Talk to Other Writers

Hearing about other people's writing can be so helpful for rekindling your own desire to write. Perhaps they've got a great routine that you want to try out. Maybe their success inspires you. 

Or perhaps they're going through a tough writing patch too ... and they can completely understand how you feel. They might not have any advice (you might not want advice, anyway), but they can come alongside you and be supportive.
 

Writers' Cafe: Open Until Fri 24th (Just $5 for Your First Month)

If you feel like you don't quite have the energy, focus, or enthusiasm that you'd like to have for your writing, then maybe Writers' Cafe can help.

Writers' Cafe is my online community for writers, and we have lots of things to help you regain your writing spark:

• Weekly writing prompts to help inspire you (use these to kickstart something new or to help you find a new angle or idea for an existing piece of writing).
• Weekly writing hours so you can have a virtual space to write, at the same time as others, with the structure and gentle accountability that provides.
• Other writers to talk to! You can post any time to let us know how things are going, and I'm in and out of the community every day to answer questions and offer encouragement and support.

If you might be interested, now's a great time to join. 

Right now, your first month is half-price ($5 instead of $10). We'll be closing the doors at the end of Friday, so make sure you check it out and join before then.

You can get all the details about Writers' Cafe here:

aliventures.com/writers-cafe

Happy writing,

Ali

P.S. If you missed last week's Aliventures blog post, here it is:

Five Different Ways I Use Timers to Stay Focused When I’m Writing