Ways to Kill Your Creativity (A Writer Post)

Background to my journey and the breakthrough moment that changed everything:

It’s amazing how long I was dealing with functional burnout. (I was burned out but still able to keep writing.) Looking back, I believe it started in 2014. That’s when writing started to feel like a job where I had to sit down at a computer and crank out a certain number of words before I was allowed to be done for the day.

I didn’t realize I was going into burnout. I kept pressing through it because you’re supposed to bleed on the paper, right? Writers who are serious about writing keep writing, even when they don’t feel like it. This mindset is known as “butt in chair” to some writers in the community. Well, in 2021, I reached the point of burnout where I hated writing. I wanted out because it was killing me. My creative well had dried up. I was running on fumes. However, I didn’t want to leave a series unfinished, so I made a plan for enough stories to finish the historical westerns and Regencies up. That way, I wouldn’t leave anyone what happened next to a certain character I brought up that needed their story told.

I honestly didn’t think I’d ever enjoy the process of writing again, and if I did ever get to the point of enjoying the process of writing, it would take a year or more to get there. But, surprisingly, it didn’t. In fact, it was almost overnight when things flipped around. All I did was ask myself, “What do I want to read?” Then I started thinking of the stories I wanted to read, and it was like a light switch got turned on.

I stopped asking myself, “What do I want to write?” I’d been asking myself that for a couple of years, and it obviously wasn’t working. But looking at the stories from a reader’s perspective changed everything. I am my own reader. I am the person I need to write for. Naturally, writers care about their readers. But I think writers can hurt their creativity by asking the wrong questions when they write. Instead of, “What cover will they like?”, ask “What cover do I like?” Instead of, “What kind of character will they like?”, ask “What kind of character do I want to read about?” Instead of, “What kind of story should I write?”, ask “What kind of story do I want to read?”

I don’t know if that will help anyone else, but it helped me. Now I enjoy writing again. I can’t wait to get to the computer. I hate getting off (though I do because my eyes need the rest and real life does pop up). At least when I’m off the computer now, I long to get back on here so I can write. I would much rather have that longing to work on the story than to be relieved that I get a break from it because writing is “a job”.

Blog topic actually starts here:

Now that I know what to do to kill one’s creativity, I’m going to share them. Often, they sneak up on you without you even realizing it. I did all of these for years. In addition to asking yourself, “What do I want to read,” I think it’s important to watch out for the things below.

Way to Kill Your Creativity #1: Write for other people

I know I’ve been preaching this already on this blog, but I don’t feel this gets enough attention in the writing community. When you write for other people, you browse what’s popular and find a way to wiggle those things into a story that is your own creation.

A lot of writers, myself included, thought if we could just merge what’s popular with something we’re interested in–you know, to give it that slant we can enjoy–then we’ll be able to straddle the writing-to-market and the writing-for-passion fence. In the end, this method doesn’t work because you end up drained anyway. Why? Because you’re still writing what other people want to read instead of writing what you want to read. Some writers go all-in with this writing for other people thing and only write what the market wants. I believe they burn out a lot faster. You can’t force yourself to enjoy something you don’t.

Way to Kill Your Creativity #2: Focus on the money

I am so tired of hearing the phrase six-figure author. I’ve made six figures, and I was miserable. Money does not equal enjoyment while writing the story. It doesn’t even make you happy with the books you produce. I’ve seen comments from authors who confessed they hated what they were writing but felt trapped because those are the books that are making them money. I never ended up hating my books. It was the act of writing that I ended up hating. I can’t imagine how awful it would be to hate both writing the story and the story itself. I don’t care how good the money is, eventually the emotional drain will catch up to you if you’re not having fun.

Way to Kill Your Creativity #3: Neglect people you love and non-writing things you enjoy

If you are stuck on your computer all day and every day, you won’t give your mind time to rest. The creative well needs time to fill back up. I don’t agree with this nonsense about writing every day. I no longer agree with having to write a certain amount of words a day. I used to be into the word thing, but I can now see that I was putting pressure on myself that was contributing to my burnout. Give yourself a nice and comfortable pace that allows you to write while also having time to spend with loved ones and to pursue other forms of entertainment. By surrounding ourselves with people we love, we are building connections that will enrich us emotionally. By engaging in other forms of entertainment, we are expanding our minds. Doing something else will make us whole as human beings. This wholeness will help us write better stories, and it might even help us enjoy the process of writing since we’re not doing it all the time.

Way to Kill Your Creativity #4: Neglect your health

The longer you’re stagnant at the computer, the more you can write. I get that. It takes time to exercise. It takes time to shop for good quality foods and then prepare meals at home. But if you’re neglecting your health, you are going for short-term gains. You might get more books out, and, as a result, make more money, but what happens when you get sick? You can’t buy good health. When we give our bodies the right nutrients and exercise, we’re fueling our bodies and our minds. We’ll probably also be able to think more clearly so we can write better stories, too.

Way to Kill Your Creativity #5: Focus on the news

If there’s one thing that will ruin your creative edge, it’s paying close attention to the news. I agree that it’s good to be aware of what is happening. You want to be an informed voter. But you can’t get so caught up in the drama of it that you lose your creative edge. I can’t speak for other countries, but here in the United States, news is set up like a soap opera. Look at the headlines on any given day, and you’ll swear that it’s the end of the world every time a politician does or says something. This is all geared to getting you to focus on it because the advertisers are spending their money to get you on these platforms. I understand the psychological reasons for the keywords these people are using. But it’s stirring up a lot of anger and strife, and it’s not healthy. This drama is bound to have an affect on you if you allow it. To save your creativity, you need to take breaks from it. Some people will need longer breaks than others, but definitely take breaks. Find something you enjoy that gets you away from it all. Spend time with loved ones.

Ways to Kill Your Creativity #6: Be online all the time

With technology at your fingertips, I get how easy it is to be online all the time, but it’s not healthy. For one, we are less likely to get up and move when we’re online. Two, we’re less likely to spend time with loved ones when we’re online. (I don’t care what people say. There is something to be said for connecting with people in person. We are physical beings, and we need physical contact with others.) Three, social media is as bad as the news. It’s a lot of drama. This drama can be a huge time suck. You start out reading or watching one thing, and before you know it, an hour has gone by. When I disengage from the online world, I get a lot more written, and I find it a lot easier to write those words. If I get online, I end up writing less, and I have a harder time coming up with what will happen next in the story. I set aside a certain amount of time I’ll be online. Some days, I never hop online at all. My writing has gotten much better because of it.