What to Do When You Don’t Feel Like Writing Any More

All through National Novel Writing Month, published authors will take the whistle, take over our official Twitter account for a week, and act as your NaNo Coach. This week’s NaNo Coach, Nita Tyndall,

moderator for The Gay YA and a social media coordinator for WeNeedDiverseBooks, shares a few words of encouragement to keep you writing during week two:

I don’t know about you, but I’ve been feeling burnt-out lately.

Between it getting dark early and other factors, I’ve lost my motivation to write. I know this is typical around Week 2 (and I know I’m not alone), so I want to talk about how to keep going when you don’t feel like writing.

We’ve all been there—the feelings of frustration, of falling out of love with a story, of feeling like you have no inspiration or you’re stuck on the same scene and your novel is going nowhere. Or, maybe extraneous circumstances are causing you to feel lousy—your job is stressful, you have a paper due next Thursday, your apartment isn’t clean.

Sometimes, life gets in the way of writing.

I know it’s tempting to beat ourselves up when that happens, especially during NaNoWriMo, when word count is so important. During NaNo, it’s so tempting to put writing ahead of everything else.

But it’s also important to take time to practice self-care during the month, and take breaks when you find yourself feeling burnt out. Your mind—and your novel—will thank you.

So here are my two main tips for when you simply don’t feel like writing anymore:

1. Break up your writing into manageable chunks. Don’t look at the word counter that says you’re 4,000 words behind your daily goal, or that you need to write 3,000 a day to finish. Shut it off. Instead, break your writing sessions up into small, manageable chunks: 200 words here, 300 words there. It’s a lot easier to dash out words when you don’t have to worry about hitting a big goal. Even if your goal is 50 words, it’s still 50 words you didn’t have before.

2. Make a list of what you love about the piece you’re working on, or about writing in general. This is perhaps my favorite and most-touted piece of advice, and I learned it from one of my CPs. Whenever you’re feeling stuck, or bored, pull that list out and look at it and remind yourself why you love writing, and why you’re the only one that can tell this story.

At the end of the month, life will still be there. You can fix your novel in December. But this month? This is the time to create without thinking, to join in a community of people all doing the same thing as you.

How often are you going to get that chance?

Nita Tyndall is a tiny Southern queer with a deep love of sweet tea and very strong opinions about the best kind of barbecue (hint: it’s vinegar-based.) In addition to being a YA writer, she is a moderator for T he Gay YA and a social media coordinator for WeNeedDiverseBooks . You can find her on tumblr at nitatyndall where she writes about YA and queer things, or on Twitter at @NitaTyndall . She lives in North Carolina.