Your Creative Badass Might Be Tired
by Jenny Hansen
Several years ago, I wrote about finding your inner Creative Badass. I still fully believe in her, but…oh man, is she tired. She’d like a spa day and a nap, and maybe even a pet plushie.
For all of you who don’t want to click on that old post, here’s the “channel that inner badass” mantra we closed it with:
You want to be a writer.
It’s all you’ve EVER wanted to be.
It’s what you spend all this time on,
training and practicing your craft.
Get off your a$$ and write your page
and QUIT CRYING ABOUT IT.
I know, I know. It was a tough love mantra…which might be why—
My Creative Badass is kinda tired and cranky.
Because somewhere along the way, creativity acquired a to-do list that resembles the KPI’s (Key Performance Indicators) on a corporate performance review.
How wrong is that?
I wrote that original post during the pandemic lock-downs. I had a lot to do during that time, including tending to my then 4th grader, but my writing life was still bubble-wrapped in joy.
And then…somewhere along the way, writing inherited quite a few additional items.
We’re supposed to:
- Write more.
- Publish more.
- Build our platforms.
- Grow our audiences.
- Learn all the cool tools.
- Understand the algorithms.
- Relearn the next iteration of software.
- Post consistently.
- Improve our craft.
And (naturally!) protect our precious creative time.
Ain’t nobody got time for all that!
And we writers wonder why we’re tired? Why sometimes our inner Creative Badasses want to crawl under the desk and refuse to come out...Why our muse deserts us, or why we get writer’s block.
I know a few writers who have thrown in the towel over the last few years, because those never-ending to-do lists just sucked the joy out of their writing life.
Creativity wasn’t always this much work
Remember way back when…when you wrote because you had a story you couldn’t stop thinking about?
When you scribbled scenes on napkins?
When you stayed up until all hours because two characters were arguing in your head and you had to find out who won?
There was joy in it. And curiosity. And PLAY. You just wanted to see what happened next. Nobody—probably not even you—was measuring your word count or asking whether the scene had sufficient narrative tension.
And then you got serious.
Which isn't necessarily bad. Learning craft is wonderful. Finishing things is wonderful. Publishing things is really wonderful.
But there’s a sneaky little danger in becoming serious about your creativity: Everything starts to count.
- Every writing session starts needing an outcome.
- Your hours must be productive.
- Each idea needs a purpose.
- Your reading begins to feel like a “have to,” instead of a “want or can’t-wait-to.”
Sweet Mother of All Fiction Writers, it made me tired just to type that bulleted list!
Your Creative Badass might not need more discipline.
(This is a mildly terrifying thought for those of us who have spent years trying to become more disciplined writers.)
What if the answer isn’t always to push harder?
Sometimes it is. Sometimes your Creative Badass needs you to stop whining, sit your butt in the chair, and write the damn scene. (Hence the mantra above.)
But other times? You’re hollowed-out. Uninspired and exhausted.
The trick is knowing whether you're avoiding the work or running on empty.
Your Creative Badass isn’t “just lazy.” Sometimes she’s depleted. And you cannot productivity-hack your way out of depletion.
You can certainly try. Creatives are nothing if not inventive.
- New planner!
- New writing app!
- New goal!
Sample goal: THIS time I shall wake at 5:00 am, meditate, journal, write 2,000 words, exercise, drink water, and become a New York Times bestseller by the end of the month!
Or...maybe you just need to go outside. Or nap or craft or clean. Do whatever renews YOU.
Rest is not the enemy of creativity
This one is difficult for me. I am very good at doing, but I am less accomplished at not doing.
Often, when I’m technically resting, some part of my brain is wandering around trying to work out solutions to problems, like maybe that would make the resting more productive.
But creativity needs empty spaces. Or at least empty brain spaces.
It needs walks, and conversations that have absolutely nothing to do with your work. It needs staring out windows, and reading books. Terrible television and cult-favorite movies. It needs quiet gardens and grand museums. It needs experiences that hold surprises.
To put it simply: our Creative Badasses will revolt if we keep pulling things out of the creative well without putting anything back in.
Make some time to play.
My husband asked me a question: When was the last time you wrote something you had absolutely no intention of sharing or publishing?
That one stopped me, because I couldn’t remember!
Don’t get me wrong. There are seasons for pushing toward a deadline, and the rewarding relief of knowing you made it.
But there are also seasons when the most useful thing you can do for your creativity is to stop demanding that it perform.
Go somewhere, and just notice things. Laugh with a friend. Read something delicious. Maybe you just need to allow yourself to get bored enough that your imagination starts looking around for something interesting to do.
I’m going to make a bet with you.
I’m betting your Creative Badass hasn't disappeared, any more than mine has. That it’s not broken. It’s just sitting in the corner, having a little tantrum, because you've turned everything it loves into homework.
Give that inner badass a little space, and something interesting to look at. Maybe a snack. Try something playful, unstructured, or ridiculous.
Maybe do something JUST BECAUSE IT DELIGHTS YOU, and see what happens.
I dare you.
Are you feeling revved or depleted in your writing life these days? When was the last time you created something purely because it sounded like fun? I’d love to hear your stories down in the comments!
* * * * * *
About Jenny
By day, Jenny Hansen provides brand storytelling, LinkedIn coaching, and copywriting for small businesses. By night, she writes humor, memoir, women’s fiction, and short stories. After 20+ years as a corporate trainer, she’s delighted to sit down while she works.
Find Jenny here at Writers In the Storm, or online on Facebook or Instagram.
Top photo purchased from Depositphotos.
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29 comments on “Your Creative Badass Might Be Tired”
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I am currently taking a long-term break from writing because of all the things you've listed happened to me. I'm not sure when,or if, I'll go back to writing because of all the things you've listed will still be there waiting to be taken up. I've been wondering how, or if, it's possible to approach my writing with a different mindset.
In the meantime, I've been discovering the joy of painting. It gives me joy without having to worry about marketing. I do it for me. It also feeds my creativity, something we forget to do.
That's a hard space to navigate, Gillian. I'm so happy you turned to painting! Still creative, but with no need for new software. Like ever! 🙂
I remember having a job that stressed me out so much I couldn't write. I went to my local yard store and badgered them to teach me to knit "TODAY." I think the lady could see my crazy, because she stopped and taught me.
I still knit when I need to slow down my mind.
While my editor had my manuscript for the wip, I put together a collection of vignettes where my characters are interviewing for a chance to have a part in my books. I'd written those "job interviews" over the years and decided to turn them into a fun "book."
Once the wip is published, I'll be taking a "me" break.
I absolutely love that "fun book" idea. Things like that are what keep the joy in.
Enjoy your "me" time!!
"Creativity needs empty spaces. Or at least empty brain spaces."
This reminds me of a comment a good friend and fellow writer made after my mother died (at age 96): "Grief takes up all the space in your head." Maybe that sounds kind of corny, but it is spot-on right! I have been occupying empty brain spaces all summer, seemingly unable to cobble together a newsletter for months. Within three weeks, three good friends died (one was a critique partner; a second was a client; the third really rocked me - the wife of a man I consider a brother - she took her own life). Two more, a married couple, are on their final journeys, weeks or months left, as no more treatments for their multiple cancers are available or effective - I hope to visit them before they are gone. So this summer has been an emotional roller-coaster. It is important to take that "empty brain space" and allow time to heal, replenish, and find joy. The writing comes back when it is time.
Oh my goodness, Sally. What a hard time you've had. I'm sorry for your losses, and glad that you're giving yourself room.
Your comment reminds me of a hard season of my own. An off-the-charts high risk pregnancy, followed by being ill, followed by my MIL dying. I couldn't write. Just COULDN'T. And I missed it.
Julia Cameron (The Writer's Way) wrote a lesser known book called The Sound of Paper. I pulled it out, and read one page. Then another. Eventually, I could do one chapter a week. Only one. I followed those prompts, week by week by week, and eventually I saw my way to writing a blog. That was so fun, I wrote something else.
I'm saying the road back to writing can be slow, veeeerrry slow. And it might not be in a straight line.
I think grief should be respected, because it is for sure a process. And it you don't allow it the space it needs, it will hover under the surface and derail you some other different (and inconvenient) time.
Sally, my heart hurts for you. I'm so sorry for all that you're going through. It seems like losses often come in pairs or groups. Grief can definitely take a toll on our ability to function. I've had times when grief almost shut me down. Made it hard enough to do daily NEEDS like eating, much less take care of WANTS like writing.
Take care of yourself during this hard time.
Sometimes it's hard to remember writing is a thing we do and not our whole lives. Our muses and the world in general have a tendency to remind us otherwise.
I always give myself time to play. I tell myself stories to fall asleep. (Sometimes they are so good, they keep me up.) These are not stories to write down. Often they borrow characters from something I've watched or read. They may not be self-consistent. They may not even be that interesting. (I am trying to fall asleep after all---when all else fails, have your characters go to sleep.) I need these stories far more than I need to write. And, yes, sometimes, one of these stories may be worth writing, but that part is work for my inner badass as I have to fix all the things I didn't care about before.
I love this so much, Debbie! --> "I tell myself stories to fall asleep. (Sometimes they are so good, they keep me up.) These are not stories to write down."
What a wonderful curiosity exercise!
Boy if you didn't hit the nail on the head. My creative badass has been cranky for a year. Which means the fictional universe is safe from death and destruction. Still...I miss her. Thanks for the permission and the chuckle.
AND, you do love a good dare. (I was actually thinking of you when I wrote that. 🙂 )
I'm so happy you've been traveling and doing other things then. Clearly, your badass needed a break!
Oh my gosh, you have just described my summer completely. I'm getting ready to pitch at a conference and am editing my second book after beta reader feedback, and I've lost the spark. My muse is on vacation. I love the idea of writing something just for fun. This is very timely. Thank you.
You are very welcome, Tina! And YES, give that muse some fun. If it's depleted, it sorely needs some.
I've struggled for a while now to even have the desire to write. The post Jaime Buckley did a couple of weeks ago now (?) helped me figure out why my muse seemed to have gone on holiday without me and left no forwarding address or contact information. I've been re-reading my old books and truly enjoying them. My muse keeps poking at me, saying, "See how fun that was to write. Can we go back to that?" My muse got tired of the expectations I kept allowing to mount on her - you nailed it here with some of what that was! I can't blame her for crossing her arms, digging in her heels, and saying NOPE.
Dawn, the struggle is real! I'm glad that Jaime's post resonated (he's pretty brilliant!).
It sounds like your muse is actually taking care of you with all that stubbornness. "No play time for ME? Well then, no playtime for you either!" They do that, those sensitive little muses. She'll get you whipped into shape, and then you'll be back to your love and joy in the page.
I am trying to make my way back to writing after an unexpected summer of many physical challenges, including two major surgeries and a month-long stay in our facility's Skilled Nursing section.
It is going - slowly.
But writing is the thing I can still do with all my limitations, and I love it when I get into a piece, the plotting is all done, however sketchily, and the words are coming out of my fingertips.
There isn't anything else I want to do. The physical health is returning (I hope) but by dribs and drabs and not predictably nor reliably, and all this is hard on the husband, who has his own challenges.
I have managed to complete the first two chapters of Pride's Children: LIMBO, the final volume in my mainstream trilogy, and I have asked my wonderful beta reader to tell me if my writing style has changed from the first to the second chapter (that's when the septic shock and other emergencies kicked in). I still don't feel like myself, and I don't know how to get back there.
So I show up. And I try. And I get pleasure from what comes.
And I wonder if I can still create.
Alicia, you can still create. I've never met anyone more tenacious than you about forward progress. You've got this. Maybe more slowly than you want, but you've got this.
I didn't know about the extra surgeries or the sepsis. I'm glad you're still with us, but it sounds like you've had a rotten summer. Here's wishing for a better Fall!
Thanks for the continued encouragement!
I didn't realize I was any more tenacious than so many other writers with challenges to overcome to get their words onto a page.
If that's true, it gives me an even bigger reason to keep at it, for chronically ill and disabled writers, for currently ill or disabled writers, and for the push to have us USE this circumstance of ours to make our fiction even more encouraging for both people LIKE us to read about, and for more able-bodied readers to further develop their sense of empathy.
It is HARD for us to create, but it is NECESSARY for us to 'tell it like it has been for us,' because we can be honest and accurate.
Readers have told me both are important to them.
Now, to pull in more of the able-bodied who want their consciousness raised - by BEING such a character for a few hours while they read. Hint, hint: it is NOT necessarily painful. And it can be life-altering in preparing readers for the vicissitudes of their own future lives.
I do it for more than seeing how it might go in my own life: I hope others will partake of the experience, 'right behind the eyeballs.'
Preach it, girl. PREACH IT. 🙂
Oh, Jen. This is so true. I'm exhausted these days. Just trying to keep my head above water, it feels. But sometimes, when I fall asleep... I dream in stories. My characters speak to me. I take a moment to exercise... and hear the characters speaking in the songs.
One day at a time.
To be fair, it's been a crappy several weeks for you. But the days when we're fighting to keep our head above water creatively are just hard. WE don't like it, and our Creative Badasses HATE it.
I think the only answer is rest. (Isn't that so annoying?)
Wow, this post couldn't be any more timely. Not only is it like you're reading my mind, but I just earlier today listened to a podcast (non-writing related) that talked about burnout and finding your way back to what you love by giving it a little space. A quote: "When something you love starts to feel like obligation it can just drain the joy right out of you." Synchronicity, indeed!
Honestly I've been creatively depleted for most of 2026, and it's been really difficult. Creating (art and writing) is who I am, and what I love most in the world, and without creativity as my north star I feel completely lost in the world. Add in a mountain of real-life stress (financial, housing, employment, and can't forget the chronic health issues I've been dealing with for over fifteen years) and my tank is beyond empty.
It's been really difficult to accept that I can't just push my way through this, that I have to just sit with this emptiness for awhile and, as you've said, find a way to reconnect with the joy of creating. Your points about the pressure to always be productive and make every moment of work time count are spot on as well.
I'm sorry to hear that so many others are in this space as well, but it is heartening to know that I'm not alone and that others have made it through and come out the other side once again.
Thanks Jenny for this insightful post, and apologies for my lengthy overshare 🙂
What a bummer that this felt like I was reading your mind! And what a blessing too. It means you're not alone. I talk to tons of writers every month, and I can assure you that you absolutely aren't alone.
You haven't overshared at all. Instead, I'm sure your comment made someone ELSE feel seen too.
The expectations are often brutal for writers who are trying to publish, and it's a lot to juggle. It's no wonder writers get depleted. Be gentle with that muse of yours. If you protect your Creative Badass, they'll do amazing work for you. 🙂
Jenny, you are so right. I've been blogging about this for a long time. Creatives need downtime. We need to play. I've taken a bit of a step back on my activities lately (as you well know), and I've taken my grandkids to the zoo (one at a time so many lovely trips), I've listened to music, played with my dog, and have been reading fiction again. I have to believe all of that allowed me to see what my next writing project would be. Now, I'm having a blast developing a new world and characters. I hope you get the downtime you need.
I'm so happy to hear you're writing again. New worlds...YAY!!!
And now I want to go to the zoo tooooo. There's nothing as special as watching a child experience the zoo. I hope you continue this trend. It sounds amazing. 🙂
You nailed it: the "supposed to's." This is why no one but writers can truly understand. Thank you for the validation. <3
The "shoulds" and the "supposed to's" make such a nasty brew. This is why we all make sure we stick together. Writers NEED writers, for sure.
This really resonated with me. It’s been a long time since I wrote “for fun”. Too long.
I love your ideas about giving some space. But that can become a vicious thing too as after a while (after some space), you find yourself not wanting to go back. But I’ve found that this is the time when you must. And for me, that usually means not using the computer, but hand writing in a notebook with my “special” pen - one that really flows well and is comfortable. That’s what gets me back into the story.
So… space, then a different approach. And maybe something new and fun.
I have a "special pen" too! You aren't alone, Vicky. I know several writers who get their writing mojo back by drafting with their special pen, in their special notebook. This process is totally a proven thing.
You go, Vicky! RAWR!!