Make Writing a Choice, Not a Chore

This is a great time of year to make a commitment to your craft, but if you’ve been having writer’s block this may be the wrong decision. Rather than resolving to write, choose to give yourself a break for all of January. I mean it. You are not a bad person if you don’t write. You are not your work.

Take this time to take care of yourself. Eat well, go for walks if it’s not too cold, and read as many books as you can. Go to the movies, visit a museum, connect with the people who give you strength. Enjoy every second of this. No one is going to die during your hiatus, so there’s no reason at all to feel guilt.

A few years ago I thought I was never going to write again because I lost my drive. All the love I’d felt for writing was gone. Whenever I faced a blank page, I felt anxious. How could I have spent so much time and money on something, only to hate it? Rather than beat myself up about it, I decided to let go and make other plans for my life.

I can’t remember now what I did during those months when I declared I wasn’t going to be a writer. At some point the desire to write came back to me. There was a spark again. The sentences came more easily, even if editing remained hard.

By allowing myself to give up on my dream, even if it was only for a short period, I was able to create a much healthier relationship to writing. So this January, my advice is: give yourself permission to make writing a choice, not a chore.