How to recapture writing motivation

I’ve always described feeling unmotivated as being underwater. Water pressing down on my skin, my head fuzzy and out of focus, my drive to get up and do something just gone. I was underwater last week, and did not do the amount of editing I wanted (or needed!) to do. Instead of working, I sat on my couch and watched TV, played a few video games, and stressed out about how I wasn’t doing what I was supposed to. In search of help, I asked on Twitter how other writers get motivated when they’re feeling out of it. And even with my tiny Twitter following, the writing community was incredibly helpful!

Immerse yourself in other media

Lots of people escape to other creative content to get inspiration. Movies, TV, novels, music, it can all help spur your creative juices. Some people opted for guilty pleasures (mine is Tangled), others read amazing books (Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo, anyone?), and some turn to music. I myself have a playlist called “Writing Pump Up Songs” that has everything from Anastasia to piano music to TV show theme songs and current hits. I also just bought the book Big Magic to try and get back on track.

Meditate

I’ve been trying to get into meditation for years, but always fall off the wagon fast. I blame it on my habit to read Webtoons before bed, rather than take time for meditation. However, in my desperation last week, I did keep my Apple Watch on in bed and I used the Breath app to do some light meditation/relaxation before sleep. I was stressed out about not working on my #PitchWars materials, and it really helped me calm down and go to sleep.

Exercise and get outside

We all know how beneficial exercise is, even when we put it off for weeks. But I got on the elliptical feeling like crud, and when I was finished, I was ready to get to work. I also had the pleasure of going to Ann Arbor for a football game last weekend (Michigan is my alma mater) and the thrill of being outside in a town I love motivated me enough to write for the majority of our 4 hour drive there. But don’t worry, I was the passenger!

Don’t beat yourself up

Whether it’s anxiety, other commitments, a bad day, or what have you, sometimes we’re just not in the mood to write. And that’s okay. While it’s always worth a shot to open your computer and see what you can do, occasionally it’s not meant to be. Don’t tear yourself up over an unproductive day, because it happens to the best of us. The only thing worse than unproductively is becoming consumed by anxiety about it. Take a day off if you need it! Writing is work, and everyone needs a vacation from time to time.

Thank you to everyone on Twitter who helped me out last week! I really appreciated it, and some suggestions like meditation are ones I’m going to try to incorporate more into my routine. As for my own levels of productivity, last night, I was back to feeling unmotivated. So I put on a playlist of BTS music videos (HIGHLY recommended) and got to work.