For the last two weeks, my four children and I have been stuck at home trying to extricate ourselves from the evil clutches of the dreaded “stomach flu.” One by one we came down with it, and its effects have been long-lasting and producing vast quantities of laundry. We are bored with television and lazing on couches. We are weary of toast.
Thankfully, at this point in my life, I don’t hold down a typical nine-to-five career, which means I don’t have to take sick leave when we’re unwell. But as a writer and editor I still have commitments to keep up with, even if there’s flexibility in terms of timing.
When life gets (literally) messy, I’m exhausted from sleepless nights and struggling to even manage the basics, I still try my best not to give in to the temptation to let everything go. It’s not about pushing through the pain and forcing myself to continue being productive; it’s about acknowledging that I feel worse if I don’t maintain at least some level of interest in my writing.
For accomplishing that, I have a few strategies I’ve used over the years. I call them foolproof because you simply can’t mess them up. There’s no right or wrong. Even if they take you absolutely nowhere, they still help you maintain your creativity—with very little effort.
Jot down keywords.
My husband always says I have more notes—both handwritten and computerized—than anyone he’s ever met. True, but I also never run out of ideas. No matter how bad things are, if you can commit to writing just a few keywords for every creative idea that pops into your head, you’ll know those brilliant ideas will be waiting for you when you feel better. Use a notepad, a note app on your handheld device, or a virtual sticky note on your computer to record keywords for short stories, poems, articles, novels, revision ideas, and so on. For example, if your idea is to write a post like this one, you might write the keywords STRATEGIES CREATIVE SLUMP. Without going into any detail about how you’ll flesh it out, you’ve at least held on to it so you can develop it later.
Engage your ears.
When you’re sick, or depressed, or simply overwhelmed, sometimes the physicality of trying to read a book feels too much like work. When this happens, I listen to audiobooks or short story podcasts. The reading is done for me and I can close my eyes and just listen, which is so relaxing. In the event that even focusing on a storyline is too difficult, I listen to classical music. Engaging my ears never fails to generate further creative ideas (which, of course, I jot down in keywords).
Talk it out.
Chances are good that if you have a cell phone, you can record your voice on it. I also have a dedicated handheld voice recorder I use for taking audio notes. When I’m feeling totally sapped of creativity, I make a point of carrying my voice recorder in my pocket or purse wherever I go. When I get a private moment (maybe downstairs in the laundry room, or in the bedroom with the door shut, or when I’m driving somewhere on my own), I’ll turn on the recorder and just start talking about whatever comes to mind. Similar to freewriting, this strategy may result in a whole lot of gibberish; but I promise the more you do it, the more often you’ll come up with gems to use in your writing.
Get poetic.
I’m not much of a poet, but a very simple creative strategy (with little pressure to produce a certain word count) is to write a poem. A poem can be just a few words long or half a page or however long you want it to be. It doesn’t have to rhyme, and since this poetry is for your eyes only, it doesn’t have to make sense to anyone else but you. If you’re in the middle of working on a book-length project but feel uninspired and overwhelmed by it, try writing a free-form poem about a particular scene, a relationship between two of your characters, or a central conflict in the story. Essentially, you’re condensing many, many pages into something much smaller and more manageable.
Each day brings new circumstances that threaten to derail our writing efforts, but for me the key is “Something is always better than nothing.” A rough idea is better than no idea. A few words scrawled on a page are better than a blank page. Holding on to those small things can prevent despair and maintain your creative spark for when you’re back in working order.
This will, sadly, be my last post for Writer Unboxed. I’ve loved being a contributor to such an amazing community for the last several years, but these days I’m blogging less and spending more time on my professional writing and editing. Thanks to everyone for the kind words and support you’ve offered along the way. I’ll always be right here alongside you as a faithful reader.
Photo courtesy of Brian Henry Thompson via Flickr
About Suzannah Windsor Freeman
Suzannah Windsor Freeman is a Canadian freelance writer and editor whose work has appeared in The Writer, Sou'wester, Grist, Saw Palm, Anderbo, The Best of the Sand Hill Review, and others. She is the managing editor of Compose: A Journal of Simply Good Writing and Writeitsideways.com. She lives in Ontario with her husband and four children.
Completely agree on the audiobooks. How much easier does it get than that? Listen to one of your favorite authors. Get her words in your head, and let the rhythm and story keep your own writerly instincts simmering in the background.
Yes, Carmel! Listening to stories read aloud is great for understanding rhythm.
I wrote a poem just a day or two ago. Out it poured, and it reminded me — after a long break from writing — why I love wordplay. So here’s to that advice! :-)
Also, Suzannah, thank you again for all you’ve brought to WU over the years. Your articles are always full of smart advice, and I’ve personally been a fan of your approach, and your own site for writers–Write it Sideways–for a long time. Please do come back when you can, and never shy away from reaching out for a guest post slot.
All the best to you!
Therese, it’s my absolute pleasure. Thank you so much for your kind words! And I will definitely take you up on the guest post offer in the future.
Listening to audio books IS a great alternative! I’m such a visual and tactile person that audio never occurred to me. While reading, I hold a book in one hand and a pen in the other to make notes on the pages.
Thank you!
Tina, I’m sure you’ve heard of Audible.com, but if not you’ll have to have a look. The audiobooks aren’t overly cheap if you buy them individually but are more reasonable if you purchase a subscription. I happened to win a year’s subscription in a contest, which allowed me to download 12 audiobooks for free. Each book I bought is at least 10 hours long, so that’s enough audio sustenance to keep me busy for a long time. I find I bounce around between them and re-listen to certain parts over and over.
I like the keywords suggestion. It’s brief and therefore less threatening than what I do. Will give it a try.
All the best in your future endeavors, Susannah. I don’t always comment, but I’ve enjoyed your posts.
Thanks so much, Jan. I’ve also been a quiet lurker around your posts, and always find them enjoyable and informative. All the best with your own writing in the future!
Suzannah
Windsor
Freeman
You have a lovely name.
You are to be commended
for all that you have done.
May you be blessed
in all
of
your
future
endeavors
as a wife
mother
blogger
editor
and
writer.
You will be missed at Writer Unboxed.
Barbara, thank you for your very kind words! So thoughtful :)
Useful to have those suggestions brought together. Unconsciously I have used most of those at ‘down’ moments.
When I had my first back multiple sclerosis attack – double vision, total exhaustion, dizziness etc – I was confined to bed for weeks. But I listened to a number of audio books, including a wonderful BBC telling of “Lord of the Rings” – inspirational.
Also a poem that I wrote/scribbled ten years ago has spawned a whole world of short stories and novels…
If only I could drag myself out of my pit of inactivity, then I would finish them.
Better go and listen to some stirring music.
Roland, I’m so glad to hear that audiobooks have been helpful to you in the past. I can imagine they would’ve brought you great comfort while you were unwell.