Finding the Headspace to Write
Writing is hard. Let’s not make it any harder.
Writing can be a bit of a unique task. Generally speaking, you’re sitting down to write something for someone else- for school, for work, to tell someone something in an email, or even to journal for yourself. We can have the best of intentions when we plan to write something, but when it comes down to it, it just isn’t that easy.
Writing is a creative activity, after all. You are coming up with something new and putting your ideas down on paper in the hopes they will impact someone else in some way (whether it’s a blog post to motivate others or a paper for class that you hope to get an A on). Because it is a creative work and there is generally some type of pressure on the outcome (which is the #1 way to sabotage creativity, funny enough), it can be tough to get in the mood to write. It can feel like a chore.
As someone who never sought out to be a writer, I get it. I always dreaded writing papers for school... Although I usually enjoyed the actual act of writing them once I sat down to do it (breadcrumbs, people, breadcrumbs). After many years of writing essays, blog posts for work, and blog posts for fun, I’ve picked up a bit of a routine and ways that I can trick my mind into getting in the ~mood~ to write.
If it helps... Many, many writers employ the saying ‘I don’t like to write, but like having written.’ So you’re definitely not on your own on this one.
It’s okay to have a ritual. Mine is caffeine. Or coffee rather. I close my work down for the day and then my transition to writing/creative mode is with coffee. So I’ll make a cup (or buy a cup from the place down the street :) ) and it’s almost like I’m restarting my work day when I sit down to write. I know some writers have specific places they go (JK Rowling writing the first Harry Potter in the same coffee shop) or routines (Shonda Rhimes blasts music in noise cancelling headphones). Whatever makes you excited to write helps. So if you love walks, maybe go for a walk and then sit to write. If you feel cozy with candles on around you, light those. What you’re trying to do is link getting in the mindset to write with other things you already love.
Try not to put pressure on which thing you are writing. I know this may be difficult if you only have one specific paper to write for school, but something that helps me is having more than one thing that I’m always working on. So, after I have my coffee, when I sit down to write, if I still don’t feel like writing the blog post I was working on yesterday then I’ll just start a new one or work on writing a short story. If you give yourself options, it can feel empowering to choose one. Its like telling your brain “you actually want to work on this one” because you prefer it.
If you feel the inkling to start writing, just do it. Let it happen. This usually happens to me when I don’t have a deadline or could definitely push something off, but if I get the urge to even reread what I was working on, I’ll pick up my computer and just let myself start to write or edit. The same goes the other way.. If you find yourself writing and you know it isn’t the quality you want and you’re only doing it because you have to, then stop. If you’re forcing yourself to write when you really don’t want to and you aren’t producing good things, just take it as a sign it’s time for a break.
Don’t write and edit at the same time. Try to come back to what you wrote on a separate day with a fresh mind for editing. If something is freshly written, you won’t have the distance to read it the way a third party would, so your editing won’t be quite as clear either.
Always remember: your ideas are worth sharing. You never know who they will impact. You got this!