Monday Motivation - How to get Through a Dry Spell

Welcome to Monday Motivation- How to get through a dry spell

I am in a really interesting spot in my writing life and I want to share my journey with you, as well as some thoughts on how I am addressing this... uh... interesting time in my life.

So I've had a real season. Like a lot of you, COVID has been nuts, I've moved across the country, started a business and we're right now cranking on getting out a truly transformative product for writers. More on that later, but, the end result when you add all of those things up is that two of my life pillars are completely, totally out of whack.

Just as a quick refresher, my life pillars are the things that support my life. Said another way, they are just the most important things in the world to me. For each pillar, I have a standard I am always trying to achieve. Sometimes I do achieve that standard and sometimes I don't, but... what I like is that it is always there. It is a reminder to me of what is most important in my life.

So, my standard for writing is 2hrs of joyful writing, six days a week. Over the past month, I've been lucky to scratch an hour or two PER WEEK. This is truly the first time in probably ten years where I haven't written consistently, and it has shaken me. I have thought thoughts I've not confronted for a long time, like "am I even a writer, did I lose it, am I total fraud for doing this podcast?"

As I preparing for this podcast, I asked what I wanted to share. I always try and distill these little talks down to the most important nuggets, and if this talk had a nugget, if I had just one word to describe my thoughts on being in a period of my life when I am hardly writing, it would be the word grace.

We all go through periods where putting words down on the page will range from hard to downright impossible. When you are working late, or dealing with kids, or troubles in a relationship, when money is tight or someone is sick, writing can feel as if it is a million miles away. Today, right now, I feel as if my story is a million miles away.

If you are feeling the same way, take a moment and release yourself from all of that negative bullshitty talk about how maybe you aren't a writer, maybe this story isn't for you, blah blah blah, and just show yourself some grace.

Grace that the world is insane right now. Grace that for some of you, money is really tight.

Grace that your family may be sick.

Grace that this season is a season where your energy is being focused elsewhere.

Its okay. The season to create and write will come again. Maybe in a week, a month, or a year.

I'm not making excuses for people. But I believe EVERY PERSON intuitively knows the difference between needing grace and making an excuse. I don't need to explain that.

While I am giving myself TONS of grace, I also want to take whatever steps I can to reconnect with my creative life. It may not be 2hrs a day, but I want to do something. Here is my game plan...

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