To Write or Not to Write: Is That the Question?

Camp NaNoWriMo is just around the corner! Now that March is here, we’re starting to think about gearing up for our next writing adventure. Today, NaNoWriMo participant K.A. Magrowski shares a few tips on determining whether you need to take a break from your manuscript, or if you should keep keep pushing through:

To be a successful writer (in whatever way you choose to define that) means writing even if you don’t want to. But is it okay sometimes not to write? Of course it is! Sometimes the answer is to do something else, like go for a run, or read, or even play a video game.

However, before you skip that writing session, you need to determine why you don’t feel like writing. Are you unsure of how to advance the plot? Are you feeling overwhelmed? Feeling like the story is not how you imagined it and you’re disappointed? Or is your head still filled with non-writing worries and anxieties from a bad day at work or other non-writing problems?  

For me, it’s so easy to look at the amount of work needed and say, Oh I don’t feel passionate about this or I think this sucks, so I’m going to play World of Warcraft (yes, still playing). The road to procrastination is paved with side quests. The trick is being honest and saying either:

“I just can’t dredge up the words because my mind or body is overwhelmed. I need a break to do something else today.”

or…

“I’m at a tough spot and it’s going to be rough, but I’m going to focus on this story for one hour and see what happens.”

For the first option, getting out of your head for an hour or an evening may be the answer. Let your mind rest and do something physical or social. But for the second, the best thing to do is buckle down. Sometimes the hardest work, where I’m thinking deeply about my writing because I’m having trouble with the scene or the character, is the most fruitful. It’s also the toughest point to start writing because there’s that fear that I won’t be able to produce anything worthwhile and that I’m a fraud and a hack.

“The road to procrastination is paved with side quests.”

This is when I have to dig deep. Can I do 30 minutes? 15 minutes? Can I write just one paragraph? I tell myself I can delete it when I’m done. These tricks (yes, somehow I can trick myself, which is pretty darn amazing. Brains are weird) of time and short bursts of writing lend a sense of impermanence to the writing, which may be what I need at the moment. After all, if I pretend it’s not “serious writing,” then there’s no pressure. I can delete it and move on. I’m often pleasantly surprised by what comes of letting go of the pressure to perform.

If all else fails, I switch tracks completely. Last week, feeling conflicted and overwhelmed about working on my projects, I let myself write a few poems. No one has to see them, I flexed some creative muscle, and also worked on brevity and imagery. A win all around.

At the end of the day, it helps to remember that 10 minutes of writing is better than nothing. You don’t have to create a masterpiece each session. Just write and let go for a few precious moments.  You will be amazed at what will flow once you open the faucet just a bit with no expectations.

Gamer / Geek / Triathlete / Bibliophile / Cat Lady Extraordinaire, K.A. Magrowski hails from the haunted wilds of South Jersey, home of the Jersey Devil. Fueled by coffee and wine, she writes speculative fiction for children and adults and is the former president of the South Jersey Writers’ Group. Her short work has appeared in magazines, and various anthologies including Tall Tales and Short Stories from South Jersey, Reading Glasses, We Walk Invisible, She Blended Me With Science, as well as online.

Top photo by Humphrey Muleba on Unsplash.