When Writing Feels Heavy: A Gentle Path Back to Joy
✨ My Recipe for Finding Joy in Your Writing ✨(As with all advice, take what works and leave the rest. This isn’t about hitting bestseller lists or quitting your day job—it’s about rediscovering the happiness that writing once brought you… and still can.)
📚 Write the book you want to read.It sounds simple, but it’s the most powerful piece of advice I can give. When you want to read the story you're writing, you'll look forward to sitting down with it. It becomes a joy, not a chore. Forget chasing trends or writing for someone else’s wishlist. Let your passion lead the way.
🔇 Turn down the volume on the critical voices.After a few rounds of critique or reviews, those voices can camp out in your head like they pay rent. But they don’t. So turn them down. Decide who gets a say in your creative process. Choose wisely. Trust deeply. But always keep your story’s voice—the one whispering magic and meaning—turned up loudest.
💔 A tough writing season doesn’t mean you’ve lost your mojo.We all hit those dry spells. A hard day, week, or even month doesn’t mean you’re broken. It means you’re human. Refill your creative well. Rest. Play. Dream. Just like a broken bone needs a cast, your writer’s soul sometimes needs space and stillness to heal.
🛡️ Protect your creative energy.Know what drains you and gently step away from it. Know what fills your cup and seek more of that. Whether it’s less social media or more time walking in nature, protect your spark like the precious thing it is.
🧭 Revisit your goals—and make sure they still serve you.Goals should inspire, not intimidate. If your current targets feel like burdens instead of beacons, it’s okay to reset. This is your writing journey. Let it evolve with kindness.
🚫 Don’t get lost in other people’s “shoulds.”There are so many voices telling us what writing should look like. Tune them out. Trust your gut. Your creative path is yours alone—and it's beautiful just as it is.
💛 Start with gratitude.Before you write, take a moment to breathe in gratitude. Be thankful that you get to do this—that you are a writer. Gratitude is like fairy dust for the soul—it adds sparkle to everything that follows.
Writing should be a joyful act. A celebration of your voice, your imagination, your heart. If you’ve lost that joy, I hope this brings you a few steps closer to finding it again. 💫
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