The Slog — WNP 101
*NOTE: This episode originally appeared on www.sarahwerner.com on November 18, 2020.
Have you ever been in the middle of writing a chapter for your book, or working your way through another round of revisions when you find yourself struggling to get through it?
If the answer is yes, you may start to question the reason why you chose to do this.
You might start to wonder what that feeling is that makes you hit the wall, the point in the project that makes you want to give up. This feeling is called the slog, and it’s the sluggy, sloggy feeling you get when there is no light at the end of the tunnel.
The good news? This is common and there is a way through it. You can approach your situation in one of two ways: Tell yourself how uncomfortable the feeling is and convince yourself to quit and give up — or, the smarter option, which is to keep moving forward.
Now, let’s discuss what can you do to move forward and work through the slog.
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Find your writing community
It’s easy for those who don’t write to say, “keep going” and “don’t stop”. Individuals without writing experience don’t understand the feeling of being stuck in the slog.
A writing community, however, does understand. Your support community is not solely there for when things are easy and running smoothly, but are there to help in the hard and frustrating times as well. Venting your frustrations to a group of people who understand can be encouraging and refreshing.
Journal
Set a timer for 15–20 minutes and ask yourself these questions: What’s going on? What’s at the heart of what I’m struggling with? What exactly is this slog that I am trudging through? What kind of resistance is threatening to pull me under, and where is it coming from?
It’s important to understand where we are in our feelings, and how we got there in order to move forward.
Change your mindset
Your thoughts on any given situation can impact the outcome. If you tell yourself: “I hate this, I want to quit, I’m so miserable”, then that is how you’re going to continue to feel and nothing will get resolved. Change your mindset from I HAVE to do this, to I GET to do this, and everything will go much more smoothly.
Remember, as writers we love to write, but it’s really hard work. Give yourself permission and patience to work through the hard times.
I would love to hear about how you handle the slog. How do you get through it? What traps you in it? What advice do you give other writers when they’re stuck in the slog? Share your thoughts in the comments below.
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Originally published at www.sarahwerner.com on November 18, 2020.
