Writers in the Storm

by Johnny B. Truant

You know … this writing thing can be a real pain in the ass. It beats you up and is sometimes a serious downer. I used to be so loud and proud in my early days online that I never really let those home truths settle, but they’re no joke.

When I wrote this post (with a sweary title) back in 2012, it went mega-viral. People read the tone of it and acted like I must eat bullets. When I was co-hosting the Self-Publishing Podcast and the Smarter Artist Summit here in Austin, I used to say things like, “Writers are too sensitive. Plumbers don't get plumber’s block, so why do writers get writer’s block? Just do the work, people!”

I bragged about writing 1.5 million words (the Harry Potter series and a half) per year. People heard me and seemed to decide that I either had it all figured out and/or I was a serious jerk.

Neither was entirely true. Neither was entirely false.

Time and experience change one’s outlook.

Maybe it’s because I’m older now — or maybe all the anger in the world has pushed me to be helpful rather than angry — but these days all the “pain-in-the-ass, beats-you-up, serious-downer” aspects of writing have started to rear their heads for me in ways I couldn’t previously imagine.

I’ve always had bad days, no matter what my big mouth used to say. Some are epic-level bad. If you’re reading this, then I’m sure you can relate. People who say they can’t are just putting up a front, the way I used to.

I’ve been very fortunate in this business. For ten years, writing books has been my only gig, so I haven’t had to punch a clock and fit novels in on the side. I even had one of my book series made into a TV show. But that makes no difference when life rears back and kicks you right in the jimmies. It’s no consolation on the days when things are hard, and trying and failing to write only makes it worse.

A new gig.

I decided to take two coaching clients last month — a little experiment I wasn’t sure I’d like, but that I ended up absolutely loving. I like feeling like I am part of the solution.

When one client apologized for having had a difficult few days and “not getting work done that he’d promised me,” I found myself typing this in reply:

Try to think of your fiction — if worries, emotional stuff, or “life in general” is in the way — as a way OUT of the crap rather than more crap to pile atop the other crap. Work on it in a way that makes you feel better, not worse, in whatever that “way” ends up being … and it might not be writing words on a page.

There was more to that email, but the above was the most important point. I found myself copying that section into a recurring task so that I, not he, would be forced to read it, and hopefully to believe it.

But giving that advice was only the beginning. The whole “writing is supposed to make us better, not worse” dilemma wouldn’t leave my mind.

So, I wrote this post on my blog (which I hope you hop over and read in its entirety because it’s absolutely a “sister post” to this one).

About that post.

The post above (The Best Reason to Write (or Make Any Art) is For Free) is downright contrarian, and maybe even offensive to the WITS audience. That was not my intention. The point of it is this:

Although writers deserve some recognition and income from what we do, the universe doesn’t owe us those things. Even if the world answers our work with crickets — and even though it really, really sucks when nobody cares — real artists have no choice but to keep creating anyway.

My point was that if writing is an art to you, rather than a business (and zero judgment if it’s the latter), that means you will always write for the love or the deep-down necessity of the writing itself.

What Is Writing Motivation?

But then I asked: WHY do I do what I do? Is my purpose external: so that people will read what I write? Or is it instead internal: to write, period, and for me to take something positive from the process?

I’d ask you the same:

Why do you write?

And if you’re creative in other ways, why do you do those things, too?

The internet isn’t doing us any favors in the comparisonitis department. We’ve all ended up with too many metrics to check … and because we check those metrics compulsively, it feels like we’re failing whenever the numbers don’t change.

Additionally, we see how well other creators are doing thanks to social media, and often infer from their updates that we’re failures by comparison. It’s a case of, “I thought I was happy, but it turns out I’m wrong.”

But again, why do you write?

What are your goals and purposes? What do you actually want to get from telling all your stories? The default answer that most of us end up with is: I want to sell as many books and be as widely read as [insert your favorite big-name author here].

But the more I think on it, the more I realize that’s not true for me. That’s not what I actually want at all.

What do I want?

I know you’re all dying to hear about my personal needs and desires as a writer (don’t pretend you’re not), so let’s dive into that. In addition to “just wanting to write and make my art,” if I may be so bold as to ask for more, I would very much also like to:

1. Be happy.

This is Numero Uno by far. Setting aside my responsibility to my family, the only thing I care about is to be happy. Don’t try to pull any tricks here, like saying that happiness is secondary to being healthy. It’s not. If I wasn’t healthy, health and happiness would probably decline together, but it’s happiness I’d want back most.

2. Be the best thing in the world to a small group of fans and readers.

Assuming I’m happy, it would be super rad if I could also have a core group of ardent fans. This group will — and maybe should — be small relative to that “whole wide world” thing.

Big fame comes with a spotlight, pressure, and usually some degree of artistic compromise. If I could have a thousand people who absolutely love what I do in its purest form, without compromise OR ten million who kind of like me, I’d choose the thousand with the accompanying relative poverty. Call me crazy.

3. Earn enough from my creative jobs that I don’t need non-creative jobs to make ends meet.

To be clear, I’m saying that I only truly want this much money— enough to make ends meet. It is true that having Taylor Swift style fame can earn you billions, whereas Rob Schneider fame will “only” earn you a good living. I wouldn’t turn my nose up at riches, but they’re far from essential.

4. Have people.

Ouch on this one. I’ve recently come face-to-face with the fact that I have an extraordinarily small community these days. It used to be much bigger. I guess that’s one reason I’m glad I’m guest posting here — because maybe you’re my people. That would be awesome.

5. Be constantly inspired.

That last one feels tricky, but it’s not. “Being constantly inspired” is akin to having real-life magic, and magic makes everything better across the board.

It’s one thing to create, but another thing entirely to live inside an aura of creation, where everything inspires you.  Maybe you won’t be able to ride broomsticks or use spells that don’t really make much sense once you think about them (like Alohomora), but it’s magic just the same.

As for me, the magic of inspiration is enough. That’s why I started my Art of Noticing podcast (on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and others), which keeps me in that “aura of creation” pretty much all the time. 

The other goals the world tries to force on me? Nah. I’ll make my own magic, thanks. 

Why do YOU write? What are you real goals, once you get comparisonitis and other people’s expectations out of the way?

About Johnny

Johnny B. Truant is the bestselling author of Fat Vampire, adapted by SyFy as Reginald the Vampire starring Spider-Man's Jacob Batalon. His site at JohnnyBTruant.com publishes his 10-minute Art of Noticing podcast and the accompanying “Noticings” post series, both for writers and other artists.

Johnny's other books include Pretty Killer, Pattern Black, Invasion, The Beam, Dead City, and over 100 other titles across many genres. Originally from Ohio, Johnny and his family now live in Austin, Texas, where he’s finally surrounded by creative types as weird as he is.

Today at Writers In The Storm we’re giving thanks for the “writerly” things and people who help us put words on the page. We're also opening the door for our readers! Share your gratitude for writerly things and people, large and small, down in the comments!

Ellen Buikema

Every day I thank my lucky stars to have met many talented members of the writing community through Writers In The Storm.

Many times, I’ve leaned on the “writerly” shoulders of other authors when I’ve been troubled, and not only for where to go next in a story. I am grateful for you all.

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Lynette Burrows

I have had some incredible learning opportunities in the past twelve months. For a learning junkie like me, this is a slice of heaven. I am grateful for all my amazing teachers (including all the writers and readers here on Writers in the Storm). 

I'm also beyond thankful for friends and family who have offered a sympathetic shoulder and ear, a helping hand, and simply hung in there with me as I’ve continued to re-discover my path forward. To be surrounded by love is a ginormous blessing. 

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Jenny Hansen

I am thankful to the people at City of Hope for keeping me alive. I didn't talk about it a lot before my surgery on October 10th, but a 6-hour surgery is a massive risk for excessively-clotting me. I went into the surgery thinking I was about 50/50 for no complications (ex: stroke, heart attack, death). BUT, because my surgeon was AWESOME, and the universe was apparently looking out for me, here I am! #SoDamnGrateful

I am also very grateful for Scrivener this year during NaNoWriMo. I loooove NaNo and I try to do it every year, but this year, I have little to no use of my arms until Thanksgiving. That's a major complication in the quest for 50 thousand words! But Scrivener has a voice-to-text feature that can be activated to record your story. (It's Window + H on PC; it's the F5 key on the Mac.) So far, I'm about two thousand words off the pace for the month, which is far more than I expected. Where there's a will, there's a way, y'all!

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Kris Maze

This year, my gratitude centers on the gift of health. Whether nursing a head cold or feeling body aches due to a lack of stretching and exercise, I'm reminded of the value of how our bodies and minds facilitate our creative work. And I wish this for all our creatives reading this post.
Fortunate to collaborate with talented writers and thinkers, I've experienced their generosity in sharing time and insights, even while navigating their own health struggles. I hope to continue this cycle of gratitude by giving back and fulfilling my creative work for as long as my body and mind allow this journey to unfold.

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Lisa Norman

I'm thankful for my writing community and friends - the folks here at WITS, my students, and the powerful community I've found in World Anvil. Being surrounded by amazing writers and their creative energy helps make every day better!

Happy Thanksgiving to our American readers, and happy day of gratitude to everyone...from all of us at Writers In the Storm!

Top image by John Hain from Pixabay

Lynette M. Burrows

You’ve been there. We all have. You have a story idea. You’re enjoying the discovery of what happens next when everything screeches to a halt. You can not write another word. Don’t just throw your hands up in the air and give up. Don’t wail and gnash your teeth. Don’t beat yourself up over getting stuck. Try one of these easy solutions.

Check-in With Yourself

Are you ill? Stressed? Exhausted? Burnt Out? Caught in an emotionally charged situation? Take care of you first. Like they say on the airplane, you can’t take care of anyone (or anything) else, if you don’t take care of yourself first. 

Breathe

Seriously. Stress and tension cause us to tighten up and breathe more quickly and more shallowly. Take a break. Stand tall and take a deep breath in. Hold it for a count of three and let it out slowly over a count of three. Do that three to five times. It will help clear your head.

Drink More Water

Our bodies are 60% water. Why do we persist in thinking we can feed it coffee, tea, carbonated drinks and such? But you don’t like the taste of water? So add a splash of lemon or lime or a frozen strawberry or other fruit. It’ll refresh you. 

Did you know that the first symptom of dehydration is fatigue? One of the next ones is hunger. The next time you’re feeling tired, run down, or hungry and an hour after you ate, drink eight ounces of water. Your body will perk up and thank you with more energy.

No, other liquids don’t count toward your 8 glasses of water per day. Your body works harder to get the benefits from drinking coffee, tea, or carbonated beverages than it does when you drink water. Give your body what it needs. What it craves. Water.

Move More

Stretch and move those muscles. Humans aren’t meant to sit for hours upon hours. Yes, modern man has adapted to a less strenuous lifestyle, but sitting for long hours still causes damage to our bodies. Tendons and muscles shorten, especially in the hips, knees, shoulders, and elbows. Our posture suffers. Poor posture compresses our inner organs, which causes decreased blood flow. It also causes pain, poor digestion, breathing concerns, and misalignment of your spine and possibly your shoulders.

Get the Right Quantity and Quality of Sleep

Yes, there are a thousand and one things to do, but you won’t do them to your best ability if you’re exhausted. The duration of your sleep matters, but the quality of your sleep is as important.

Take a nap. Even ten or twenty minutes can be helpful to some people. Try it. Go to bed an hour earlier. Experiment with your home’s night time temperature, the firmness of your mattress, and the right pillow. Time of day may matter as well. 

Keep a sleep journal. Note when you go to bed, when you wake up, and what your energy levels were throughout the day. When you find the number of sleep hours right-for-you, you’ll have more energy and accomplish more things throughout your day.

Eat Well

Nutrition is important. If you’re on a diet, great. But be certain you are still getting the recommended amounts of proteins, carbs, fiber, and healthy fats on the average. See this tip sheet on the CDC.

Supplements might help, but they can hurt, too. Check with your medical provider or pharmacist, before starting any supplements or vitamins. This is especially important if you are on prescription medications or other supplements. 

Acknowledge It’s Hard

You had fun for a while, immersing yourself in the world and characters you created and now something’s gone wrong. Frustrated, you don’t know what to do and trying to figure out if you have what it takes to be a writer. Stop. Take a breath. Maybe two or three. 

Now, repeat after me, “writing is hard.” It takes a toll on you—physically, mentally, and emotionally. It’s okay to feel you can’t do it. That’s your emotions talking. Allow yourself to feel all that. But don’t let your emotions rule you or ruin your day. Give yourself 10-30 minutes. Then turn those non-productive emotions into productive ones. How? 

Affirmations

Do affirmations seem a little too woo-woo for you? There is neuroscience behind this practice. MRI evidence suggests that the neural pathways involved in positive valuation increase when we practice positive self-affirmations. There are few studies specific to creative pursuits. But there are studies involving the general population and student populations. These studies suggest that positive self-affirmations decrease stress, increase healthy behaviors, and positively impact academic achievements. The benefits of self-affirmations are most effective when this is a daily practice.

One way to practice a positive self-affirmation is to give yourself a pep talk. Remind yourself that everything is as it should be. Writing is hard, but you are up to the task. 

If giving yourself a pep talk doesn’t work for you, try creating a reset ritual. This can be anything that helps you reframe your work energy. For example, you shut down your computer and walk away. Get a candle in a scent that relaxes you. Say some affirmations aloud when you light the candle. What affirmations? You can say, “I am a writer. My words Matter. I can let go of my writing obstacles; I can work around them. I don’t have to wait for inspiration. I just have to show up.” Make up your own affirmations. Create positive phrases or statements that challenge your negative or unhelpful thoughts. 

Use as many or as few as works for you. Once you’ve finished, go back and restart your writing day.

Writing Sprints

If affirmations aren’t for you, try writing sprints. If you’re stuck, try a five-minute sprint. Sit down at the computer and type for five minutes without judgement of the quality of your words. Don’t stop, just keep typing. At the end of five minutes, check-in with yourself. How do you feel? Can you keep writing? Great. Do it. If you still feel stuck, walk away from the computer for 30-50 minutes. Come back and do another five minutes. 

Maya Angelou wasn’t comfortable using the term “writer’s block.” She felt it gave the phenomenon too much power. But she got stuck sometimes. Her solution was to just write words she would show no one. She’d write even if what came out wasn’t her finest words, even if the words that came were words she’d burn at the end of the day. 

The value of very short writing sprints is that it’s doable even on bad days. If that’s all the writing you do all day, that’s okay. You wrote something. Tomorrow’s another day.

Change Your Agenda

Take a step back from what you’re writing. When you’re in the flow of creativity, you are writing something that’s true. It’s true to the characters, and it’s true to you. Being stuck in your writing usually means something is not right. You might have physical needs. It can mean you need to take care of your emotional self, but it can also mean you have followed an idea down a path that doesn’t ring true. Think about why what you’re writing is off track. 

Ray Bradbury said that when he went blank in the middle of writing something, he took it as a warning that he was on the wrong track. Orson Scott Card adds that whenever he’s stopped on a project, it’s because he is doing something false or weak.

Make a Ten-Things List

Write a list of ten things your protagonist could do next. Write whatever comes to mind. Nothing is impossible or out of character for the list. The idea is to generate new ideas. Often one of those ideas leads in a new direction for your writing.

Write About Your Protagonist 

Write her journal, write her a letter, write a letter to you in her voice, Write simple “did this” sentences. Jane did this. She did that. Then she did this. Just get her moving around the setting. Soon you will add in other stuff, too. 

Describe your character’s living spaces. What’s in her underwear drawer? What does she put next to her bed every night? What is her favorite room and why? Sometimes you simply need to know your character better in order to understand what choices she will make when you throw story obstacles at her.

Argue with yourself aloud. Argue why what you wrote is the right way to take the story, then argue the opposite. If you find doing this alone to be too awkward, talk it out with a writing friend. This argument may help you see what to write next.

Ignore Writing Advice

Yes, I see the irony of writing advice about writing and telling you to ignore writing advice. Yet if you’re stuck because you’re trying to write a story using a specific method, it might be the method you’re using. Don’t take anyone’s writing advice as THE way to do it. Your way will be different. Your way will be a little of this and a little of that. And that’s okay. If you’re stuck, give yourself permission to write the story YOUR way. You can always apply different techniques and methods during the editing process.

Take a Break

You had planned to write all day, to get in your word count. Sometimes, your creative brain needs a break. It’s okay to take a break.

Try a brief break. Try a day-long break. Don’t just sit in a chair and stew about not writing. Go for a walk, get a coffee, clean a room, take a shower. Actively doing something that is non-writing related allows your creative brain to work in the background. 

Sometimes our emotions trick us into pretending that the difficulty doesn’t exist. Your brain whispers, “if you don’t go back to your computer, you won’t feel bad for not writing.” That kind of thinking is avoidance. It can lead to staying away from the computer for days or months or forever. Don’t give in to avoidance. Give yourself a specific amount of time for your break, then go back to writing.

Use a Different Part of Your Writer Brain

Maybe your creative well has gone dry. If so, it’s time to refill that well with activities that restore you. Some people find a walk in nature will do that. Others go shopping. Visiting a museum or expressing yourself with another creative method can work. Madeline L’Engle would play the piano when she got stuck. 

Read 

Most of the time, you’re advised to read the genre you write. If that’s inspirational to you, read away. If your brain needs more of a break, read something non-writing related. Something not about writing. Nonfiction is a good choice, but a genre you do not write is another good choice. Feed your creative brain so it can recharge.

Re-read your notes about the story. Re-read what you’ve written so far. Sometimes you’ve gotten lost in the details and need to pull back to look at the big picture. 

Change How You Write

If you normally work on a computer, try writing in a notebook. If you normally handwrite your story with a ball-point pen, try crayons. 

Skip a scene. You can come back to that one later. 

Normally work in silence at home? Go to a coffee shop to write. Or turn on some music. Go to a park. Change the environment where you write. This can allow you to temporarily “forget” all the things you should do instead of writing. 

Dictate. Dictation can be daunting for many, especially if you haven’t tried it before. Try it. Most computers have dictation in the software you can use. If you have a smart phone, that may have dictation capabilities. Speak the story out loud. Your words don’t have to be perfect. You’ll go back and edit those words. Just get the words out. 

Do Other Writing Related Tasks

When you’re stuck and you don’t want to “waste time” with a total break from writing, try doing marketing. Write a blurb for your story. Analyze which ads are doing well and which need to be shut down. Do research for a different book or work on your social media platforms. 

Catch up on your bookkeeping. Open those spreadsheets. I don’t know about you, but a spreadsheet is an instant idea generator (because I don’t want to do that boring but necessary work.) 

Writing the next story is your primary task, but there are a lot of others that need tending. Give yourself permission to work on those things for an hour or two, or even for one day. You’ll still feel productive, but you’ll also allow your creative brain the time it needs to gestate the next idea.

Keep It Simple

You aren’t alone. Every writer has their moment when they get stuck. Just remember, when the writing gets difficult, it’s time to keep it simple. The more you stress about your difficulties, the more difficult they become.

Sometimes, your life situation is such that you can't do the "best" thing. That's okay, too. Take a breath. Remind yourself, you'll get back to writing when you can.

If you can do more to solve your difficulties, check-in with yourself. Then, look at why you’re stuck. Often the why will tell you which of these easy solutions will work best. You can do this!

What helps you when your writing gets difficult?

About Lynette

Lynette M. Burrows is an author, blogger, creativity advocate, and Yorkie wrangler. She survived moving seventeen times between kindergarten and her high school graduation. This alone makes her uniquely qualified to write an adventure or two.

Her Fellowship series is a takes “chillingly realistic” alternate history in 1961 Fellowship America where autogyros fly and following the rules isn’t optional. Books one and two, My Soul to Keep, and  If I Should Die, are available everywhere books are sold online. Book three, And When I Wake, is scheduled to be published in 2024.

Lynette lives in the land of OZ. She is a certifiable chocoholic and coffee lover. When she’s not blogging or writing or researching her next book, she avoids housework and plays with her two Yorkshire terriers. You can find Lynette online on Facebook, or on Mastodon @LynetteMBurrows@wandering.shop or on her website.

Image Credits

Top image by Lukas Bieri from Pixabay

Second Image by Andreas Lischka from Pixabay