by Edie Melson
3. Make a list of all the things that made you fall in love
in the first place. There was a reason you answered the siren call of words.
It’s up to you to remember it and then—write it down.
TWEETABLES
Do you dread sitting down at the computer? @EdieMelson has some tips to help you fall back in love with writing. (Click to Tweet)
Do you need to rekindle the romance of writing? @EdieMelson has the tips you need to fall in love again. (Click to Tweet)
Between deadlines, edits and rejections it’s easy to fall
out of love with our writing. It can get so bad that we begin to dread sitting
down at the keyboard.
When that happens to me my mind begins to reprioritize my life.
I can suddenly find a million things more important than putting my rear end in
the chair and pounding out words. When I begin arguing with myself, stating
that clean baseboards are more important than word count goals, I know I’m in
trouble.
Today, in honor of Valentine's Day, I want to share some tips that help me fall back in
love with writing.
Tips to Rekindle the
Romance of Writing
1. Realize that love is a choice—not an emotion. I know that
sounds more like marriage counseling than advice for writers, but truth is
truth. I’ve made a commitment to what it means to be a writer, and the means
not quitting when times get bad.
2. Stop the negative talk. The more you bad-mouth
writing—even if it’s just in your mind—the more you’ll begin to believe what
you’re hearing. This is an important step in returning to that bloom of first
love. Don’t taper off the negativity, just stop . . . immediately!
3. Make a list of all the things that made you fall in love
in the first place. There was a reason you answered the siren call of words.
It’s up to you to remember it and then—write it down.
4. Set the mood. Just like a marriage is better with an
occasional candle-lit dinner, so writers need a little romancing. Choose
someplace you love and write there. It could be a coffee shop, or a cozy chair
by the fireplace at home. Then add a little mood music. Even if you don’t
usually write to music, sometimes the change can be just the spark to rekindle
the love.
5. Dress it up—your writing space that is. This may mean
sprucing up your office, investing in a new writing program (Scrivener anyone?)
or it might just be a new bit of wall art. It doesn’t have to be expensive, just
make sure it’s writing related.
6. Add a little mystery. Start your writing time with a
writing prompt. If you’ve never used one before, you’re in for a treat. It’s
something that gets your creativity flowing. You can type writing prompts into
a search engine on the Internet and get thousands of them.
7. Rekindle the romance. Revisit the things you love to
write. If you’re working on book revisions, take time to write a poem, or short
story, or devotion. Or maybe just spend some time with old-fashioned pen and
paper, journaling.
These are the things I do when I need to fall back in love
with the written word. What tips do you have. Be sure to share them in the
comments section below.
Don’t forget to join the conversation!
Blessings,
Edie
TWEETABLES
Do you dread sitting down at the computer? @EdieMelson has some tips to help you fall back in love with writing. (Click to Tweet)
Do you need to rekindle the romance of writing? @EdieMelson has the tips you need to fall in love again. (Click to Tweet)
Funny you should post this. My writing partner, Gina Conroy, gave a talk to a local (to her) Christian writing group. Her topic was "How to fall back in love with your writing" Naturally, she sought my wisdom (she's pretty desperate). I told her that writers begin to write for others, to change their writing to make someone else happy, be it an agent, editor, the whims of the market. It's much like a young girl who pretends to like football because that's what her boyfriend\husband likes. We all change, of course, but it shouldn't be to impress others. We need to constantly recalibrate, as writers, and go back to writing what we love. Chasing trends or opinions is much like trying to change your personality to impress another person. Eventually, you'll lose the love you so desperately sought in the first place.
ReplyDeleteGreat tips! I find it hardest to write when life is mundane, so changing it up is definitely a necessity. And when I was in college, workshopping with a group and just talking about my writing with my friends/peers inspired me. :)
ReplyDeleteOnce again, thanks Edie! I deeded that! I've been a bit down and don't want to do much of anything strenuous, and keeping my seat glued to my chair counts as strenuous exercise. Pat
ReplyDeleteThat should say I NEEDED that.
ReplyDelete