Stuck in a Writing Slump?
You’re not the only one.
In these trying times, are you constantly reading about your friends’ overachieving quarantines, silently judging them while also jealous that they’re getting a lot done?
Do you sit down at your computer, determined to also do work, only to find that you have no motivation to write anything?
I’m here to tell you that you’re not the only one.
Quarantine is a trying time for everyone. Some are stuck working at home, others are risking their lives to work on the front line. Others, like writers, are typically used to working from home, so Quarantine shouldn’t affect them, right?
Right?
Wrong.
When you had the control to work from home, it was easier to get work done. This is because you were choosing to do so. Now, having no choice but to work will stunt your creativity and productivity in any job.
In a writer’s case, the sad truth is that there just isn’t anything positive to write about anymore.
An author’s job is to take from everyday life and use that inspiration to create something beautiful, but when life has turned into something from a Steven King movie, there’s not much inspiration anymore.
When I have sat down to write during quarantine, all of my pieces have turned out as depressing poems or negative scenes in my otherwise happy novel, but most of the time I’m just left staring at a blank screen.
‘Write about quarantine’, I hear, ‘Use the negative.’
Maybe that would work for some people, however, it’s easier to write about a traumatic event when it is over and you can reminisce. When authors write about such a subject, they tend to romanticise it to allow their audience an easier read.
However, if you want to show your writing to others, we are so surrounded by the lockdown subject so often that they probably don’t want to hear any more.
Medium is a good platform to vent your feelings. It is the only medium (get it) that I can sit and finish a piece of writing during these times.
Knowing there are other people in the same situation, especially in the writing job sector, makes things slightly easier.
The most important take away you need when you are feeling like a failed writer in quarantine is this:
Don’t feel bad if you can’t.
Psychology tells us that stress and anxiety greatly affect our productivity, and even if you are extremely passionate about your work, it’s easy to fall into a slump when you are experiencing a fall in mental health.
It’s easy to do, but try not to blame yourself if you can’t do anything during the quarantine. In this case, it is best to focus on self-care and get your mental health and daily routines back on track. Productivity will follow if you get your head in order.
Just know that you’re not alone in this feeling.
