Tips on Staying Inspired and Productive
Writing is hard work. Being creative is hard word. From the outside, it might appear that this is an innate talent, or personality trait, but in fact, it is a constant struggle to create, edit, re-edit, and share the inner most thoughts.
Ask any writer, and you will hear that the hardest part of the process is often starting. Sure, you can spill a jumble of words out on to paper, or screen, but organizing those thoughts into meaning words, and more importantly stores, is the real challenge.
Blogging, being creative, however you express yourself — is hard work. Sometimes, those who aren’t in this business, don’t understand the level of effort required to write well, write consistently, and write often. Occasionally, this leads to the dreaded apathy — or writer’s block. I have been struggling with this for a while now, muddling through an extended period of apathetic story telling which can be very frustrating for someone who likes to be expressive on the page.
So how does one combat this malady? The question is unique to every writer, but for me it’s about clearing out the cobwebs and old posts, and starting fresh with new inspiration. Gone are the 100 drafts of ideas I might “some day” get around to writing.
Instead, I am starting 2017 with a clean slate, and thinking of new ways to share my thoughts on not only wine, food and travel, but my new adventure as a graduate student, and as a freelance tech consultant.
Like many writers, balancing a full time job (or jobs), friends, family and the reality of life can bog you down and make it difficult to stay inspired. So what do you do to stay inspired? How do you stay on track, particularly during a change of seasons, career, or when life throws you a curve ball?
For me, it’s all about redetermining what excites me. What excites me today? Is it the argument about the double space after a period? Perhaps the subject matter of my upcoming advanced degree? Or maybe it’s a new client that is in a space you weren’t expecting.
Wake up every morning, fresh and excited, and take each challenge as an opportunity. At least that’s what I tell myself when I try desperately to peel myself out of my nice warm bed on these dark chilly mornings.
What shall I write about today?
