A Writing Spiel

Hi friends!

Here is a random spiel about where I am writing-wise this year (specifically the writing I do for fun, although I do quite a lot of writing for one of my jobs) and some tips I use to get back into the ~vibe~ after undergoing a writing slump of sorts. 

While I have been writing recreationally more frequently than I was last year, I can definitely say that I am not in 'top form', so to speak. There once was a time I wrote thousands of words' worth of fiction or poetry every week, on top of prayer journaling by hand, three to four pages, 5-7 days a week--if you know how tiny my handwriting is, you understand how much that is! There was even a time I wrote ten chapters while juggling full time work and acting in a community theatre production--who was I then??? Haha. 

But as often happens, life got more difficult to balance: I transitioned to new jobs with more unpredictable hours, swings of anxiety and depression became more erratic. Then the pandemic hit and my focus became on doing what it took to survive the day to day, which meant my creative energy and mental bandwidth was zapped to zero. Around this time I also entered a reading slump, which I find often correlates with a writing slump. 

Last year, despite still being in a pandemic (as we still are now), I was able to break out of both slumps. Maybe it was the 'reset' of moving to a new city, or finding creative inspiration in the TV shows my sister and I discovered. I finished the story I had started in March 2021 and started a new one in May...only to falter again for the rest of the summer, the fall, and the winter until I finally wrangled a new chapter this past February and another this past March. Not an ideal situation, but I am improving, and I want to share how with you because chronic oversharing seems to be the vibe of this monthly blog. 

I don't know if these 'tips' or whatever you want to call them will be helpful to you; every writer is different and I don't believe rules work for everyone's process. I'm sure I'm not the first (or the hundredth) person to make any of these suggestions either! But they are what I have to offer, and you are free to take or leave them at your leisure.

1. If banging out a chapter, story, or even just a paragraph in one long go feels overwhelming, don't. Take down thoughts as you have them and then sew them all together later. 

Most of my writing ideas come to me in inconvenient places--right before I go to sleep, when I'm in the shower, during the workday. I have random notes, ideas, snippets of dialogue, reminders for myself and potential questions to consider in my phone notes, on the notes application on my computer, and even scrawled on a bunch of post-its next to my bed. It can feel like detective work to suss out where exactly each piece fits or how to incorporate everything into the piece(s) I'm working on, but I enjoy that kind of thing much more than either pushing myself to write when I'm not in the mental/emotional place to do so OR relying on myself to remember later and then having the idea lost forever. 

2. Music helps. 

Controversial, but I listen to music with words while writing. I know, I know--the rule is generally instrumentals or nothing (movie soundtracks if you're fancy), but I don't have a problem with hearing words sung aloud and writing different ones--if that's an issue for you, I suggest listening to music in a language you don't speak (my favorites are Spanish and Korean). With all the ambient noise that comes from living in an apartment with loud neighbors and a window facing a busy street, music offers the combined benefits of cancelling out annoying noise with noise that evokes a mood/puts me in the vibe I'm trying to capture in a scene; sometimes the rhythm of the song also spurs me to continue on instead of overthinking every single letter I type. I also am a fan of listening to the same song (or 2 or 3) over and over until I'm done with that scene (either entirely or "for now"). For example, while writing this blog post, I replayed "Somebody's Gonna Love You" by The Wldlfe about 30 times. Annoying for some people, but works for me. 

3. Write something every so often, even if it's not the thing you want to write. 

This blog has been perhaps the most helpful tool to me in my writing slumps. Even when I haven't looked at a story or poem for months on end, I have been able to post on this blog every month for almost 2 1/2 years. Maybe it's the freedom of being able to write about whatever subject I want, or maybe it's the absence of rules. Maybe it's because I don't make money from the blog, so it really doesn't matter how many people look at each post or what they thought about my word choice, characterization, pacing, etc. Either way, it's a routine that keeps me in writing mode, and I am grateful for that. 

Maybe a monthly or even a yearly blog still feels too overwhelming--honestly, any type of writing can help keep you in the right headspace. Tumblr posts listing your favorite comic book character headcanons, Instagram stories waxing poetic about your go-to local coffee shop, a political Facebook rant, novel-length texts to your friends recapping the work drama from that day, self-indulgent fanfiction--in my opinion, all of these are examples of writing practice. Let go of the rules and do you, friend. 

4. Just thinking about your writing counts. 

To be perfectly honest, about 40% of my time is spent staring into space while folding laundry/cleaning/exercising and thinking about the next hurdle a character needs to overcome, changes to story structure, or what words or imagery need reworking. There are so many puzzle pieces that go into a written work. While I usually form the border of that puzzle from sitting down and writing in a traditional manner, I constantly find pieces hidden in random pockets of my day. I will have a funny interaction with my sister and think, "Oh, I should use this to explain what my characters' sibling-relationship is like." Cleaning off the coffee table will inspire me to compare the leftover ring-shaped  stain from a mug to the haunting nature of a past relationship in a poem. One time on a walk I spent five minutes memorizing the color of the leaves on the ground because they were a beautiful red I had never noticed before, and I spent the entire trek back trying to figure out how to perfectly explain this red on the page. (I still haven't figured that one out yet, but you get the picture). Puzzle pieces are everywhere, and I don't think it's fair to say being inspired doesn't count as work just because it's not tedious. 

5. It's okay to abandon a story for a bit, maybe even forever. 

Some stories aren't for everyone; they're for us. And sometimes we use writing to express ourselves in a moment where we need that catharsis. Later when we have grown or changed, sometimes that story feels too raw too share publicly anymore, or maybe we have a different perspective and the direction the story is heading doesn't fit with who we are as a writer anymore. That's okay! Not every story needs an ending, and some unfinished works (or even works that are un-started and just loose ideas) are stepping stones to the ones we're meant to write. You're not a failure for not finishing something, you're not a failure for not starting something, and your'e not a failure for changing your mind about where your writing is taking you. Also, you're not a failure if you need to step away from writing for a while!!! Writing will always be there for you when the time is right to return to it. If that is something you are struggling with right now, I hope these tips can help you get a little bit closer. :)