The Things We Do When We Don’t Write

I can’t just write all the time. I don’t think anyone can.

I do not sit at my desk and write prose nonstop for 8 hours a day, 5 days a week. Some people are very regular machines, some people are not. I have aspects of a schedule I stick to, and after a year of being a full-time writer, I’ve mostly found out what works for me and what pace I am comfortable with.

Part of that is doing stuff that is not writing. That is not faffing around on Twitter when I should be writing, which isn’t actually relaxing, most of the time. That is not discussing writing with other writers and sometimes comparing yourself and feeling lacking. That is not worrying about sales, and if i’m promoting enough, or too much, or if there’s something else I should be doing. That is not worrying about if I’m not writing fast enough, or if I’m writing too fast and therefore my quality is suffering.

Being in that constant thought spiral is exhausting. For me at least, it can result in panic attacks or being absolutely worn out and burned out. That’s no good for anyone.

So these are the things I like to do that are not writing. I find that they help me step back, reset myself, feel like myself again. Then, it’s easier to get back to writing words and not feeling (as) overwhelmed. In fact, resetting helps me find writing as fun as any hobby again. It’s just one I’m paid for, now.

Learning Languages

I try to do a little bit on Duolingo each day. I’m about halfway through the French course, which is a bit easier for me as I studied French for 6 years through high school and college. I like the rote memorization of new terms, puzzling out the grammar, eventually being able to say more complex thoughts. I can actually carry on a conversation now, albeit not of particularly deep philosophical points. After French, I plan to go through German, since I studied it for two years, and then I’ll try Spanish and Italian. After that, who knows? The courses are long, so this should keep me going for a few years.

Art

When I was a teenager and into college, I used to draw all the time. I could see myself getting better each year. Once I started working and writing on the side, there wasn’t time for extra hobbies, so I’ve barely drawn since I moved to Scotland in 2009. I keep trying for a few weeks and then getting discouraged by how much I’ve forgotten. This year, I signed up for a life drawing class every Friday for 10 weeks, so it’s encouraging me to stick with it and try new things. I’m allowing myself to suck at it, too, and not hold myself to impossible standards. This is for fun–no one ever needs to see  my work if I don’t want to share it.

Exercise

It’s so vital to get out of the house and away from the screen. Exercise helps my anxiety a lot, especially as in winter, I get my vitamin D content if I run in the park or walk to and from the gym. It helps combat my chronic back problems from sitting in front of a computer and typing away. It helps with food, too–I’m in recovery for an eating disorder and have been for years, but regular exercise still makes it a lot easier for me to eat adequate amounts of food without guilt. I like to do yoga, run, and do some minor weight lifting. I have little goals I work towards: shaving a few more seconds off a 5k, finally stretching out those hamstrings, lifting x amount of weight for x reps. Endorphins are great. It’s also so physical my mind sometimes drifts, and without trying to, I’ll fix a niggling plot point.

Cooking and Baking

This comes in fits and starts. I get really into making new things for awhile, then I slip back into old standard recipes or something I can heat up in a few minutes. Cooking and baking can be a good mode of procrastination, but it feels more productive than just endlessly clicking through Facebook, Twitter, and Tumblr, and I get to eat something tasty at the end of it. I’m vegetarian and now cook more than when I wasn’t, as working with raw meet squicked me out (probably a sign I should have gone veggie earlier). I try and eat mostly healthy food, again for my mood and general health. Between the exercise, the better food, and the fact I don’t leave my house as much, I haven’t had a cold in over a year and a half.

Traveling

Getting out of usual places can be wonderful for creativity. I love going to museums when I travel as they’re usually free or cheap and things within can sometimes kickstart other ideas. I love going to restaurants and trying new food, hearing other languages, seeing new things and different ways people live. I love getting a little lost in a city and wandering through the streets. I’m trying to not feel guilty for not writing as much when I’m on holiday, since getting out and actually living will eventually feed back into fiction. Obviously, this is dependent on how much money is in the travel fund to get away.

 

There are other things, like watching TV and reading, though I don’t consider them hobbies as much. I love reading and it’s really interwoven into my daily life, but aspects of it are always going to be tied into my job, now, and TV is more for unwinding but doesn’t often require me to expend too much effort. And of course, there’s seeing friends and interacting with people, as quite often I’m on my own now, and it can get a little lonely.

What do you do to ease away from the words, to unwind and quiet the noise? Are there any hobbies you’ve been wanting to pick up and try?