How do you get rid of a case of the Writer Blues?

Published on by Jean M. Cogdell

Anybody have any suggestions?

For answers, I went to my trusty friend Mr. Google. 

Sometimes the Writer Blues  (WB) grab hold of you when you become discouraged over a work in progress (WIP). Other times WB sneaks up on you after a completed project. Such is my case.

I open my notebook and flip through my idea list. Nope, nope, dumb, who the hell wrote that? 

I open my WIP file folder on my computer. A folder filled with story starts that sounded promising when I jotted down the opening paragraphs or even first chapters. Nope, nope, oh hell no!

Okay, clear mind. Take a walk. Back inside, short walk, it’s hot in Texas. 

Do a mindless task, laundry, yes, do some laundry. We now have clean underwear. But didn’t do jack for generating a story idea. 

That’s when I noticed the first symptoms. A half-gallon of Blue Bell Vanilla ice cream is almost gone and the wine cooler needs replenishing. Maybe I should check into one of those wine by the month clubs. Wonder if there is one for ice cream too. Hmm… I’ll Google it. 

Now, what were we talking about? Oh yeah, the WB’s.  

And how can I rid myself of this dang malady! 

How do you get rid of the Writer Blues and begin a new project?

Got any tricks or tips to share?

I hear you- time to quit whining and just write something!

Talk to me, the lights on and comments are now open.

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How to Beat the Lonely Writer Blues
The Writing Blues

 

28 thoughts on “How do you get rid of a case of the Writer Blues?”

  2. See if this works….Go through your music collection, pick out the songs, tunes, tracks etc that fire you up, put them together in one collection, connect ears to device via headphones (you don’t want to scare the neighbourhood pets) and let fly…..
    Music is a good and safe way of getting a modest adrenalin rush, and you can write to it!
    (One humble additional suggestion on these lines- search out YouTube for the UK rock band of the 1970s Vinegar Joe and select ‘Honky Woman’, watch singer Elkie Brooks blast out the song)

    Liked by 1 person

  3. I was brought here by a fellow blogger, and also my writing buddy. She knows I’m in a funk. I got a grin on my face reading this. Am I your clone? Are you my clone? Either way, it may be possible.

    I have a window right next to the desk where my PC screen sits. I sit myself down in my luxurious desk chair (padded arms, high curved back, generously padded seat), open up my writing program (yWriter, free of course), and gaze out the window until the creativity starts to flow. This usually takes two to ten minutes depending on the day and my mood. I write for ten to thirty minutes; instant excuse to leave to desk come over me, either to run to the bathroom because of the coffee or to go get more coffee. I do this for two hours. I stop; close my program; and do housework for an hour, maybe two. Then I go back to the desk.

    There doesn’t always work, but often enough so I would change the routine.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Wow! Always wanted to meet my clone. LOL Always new I had a doppelganger out there somewhere. However, sounds like you have a much better system in place than I do. Maybe I need to get more organized. LOL Thanks for stopping by.

      Liked by 1 person

  6. Luckily, I don’t have this problem at the moment, as I am half way through the next episode of my thriller series. For a while now, it has been the reverse for me, far too many things going on inside my head and no time to think about any of them properly, but I do remember a time when my head was empty. I usually go or do something completely unrelated, like get the sewing machine out, or do a jigsaw puzzle. The minute you give your brain permission to do nothing, it usually rebels eventually!

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  7. Lol enjoyed reading that Jean,
    When I sometimes get it, I always ask a dear friend to read what I’ve written and how she feels about it and if it sounds good or not, trust me it works wonders, with feedback given my mind suddenly has 101 ideas to scribble down.
    However on the other hand you sometimes just need a small break and get your mind off writing 👍

    Liked by 1 person

  8. I usually take a break from what I’m currently writing and start something new to be honest. Sometimes it can give me ideas for my older pieces, even if I’m just journaling to get the ideas flowing! Best of luck to you!

    Liked by 1 person

  9. Best of luck Jean. I am at the ‘stuck’ stage in my new book and I know I need to read /research more, but keep getting swayed by other things. Its not easy to keep motivated when there’s a lull. Coffee and chocolate help! 🙂

    Liked by 1 person

  10. Perfect timing on this post. I have finished my first novel, onto edits and darn it if I haven’t been dragging ass. April was a wash. I’m trying more now but still have those days. I opted to read & write other things and in the end they are excuses. Those things are great but they are avoidance techniques too. Just gotta trudge through. One step at a time. I have noticed some steps are better than others but at least it’s moving forward. Best of luck Jean, your certainly not alone!

    Liked by 1 person

  11. Taking a break helps as in a short break like a walk, or even a longer break like a weak to just do other stuff like see friends watch a movie, or read a book, and not write for a while. I find the best way to get back is not to beat myself up about needing a break to start with. Sometimes you just have to force yourself to start writing something even if it’s not great and you know it will be rewritten, or start something new for a few hours or days, whatever pops in your head. Hope some of that resonated 🙂

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Thanks Georgina, hearing from other writers like yourself does help. I’m going to try and write something at least for 15 min a day, even if it’s bad. Maybe that will break me out of this funk.

      Liked by 1 person

  13. Good question. Do I have the answer? No lol.
    Going through a doldrum myself. Can’t explain it really. Maybe became too routine-ised and the brain is telling me, go and do something different I need time to get creative again.

    I would advocate writing through it but I don’t think that is always the answer, especially not with a novel which I’m focusing on. The last time I sat down everything seemed overhwleming and I couldn’t write anything worthwhile. There’s no point bashing out more chapters that aren’t well written when my brain is losing the htreads of the story.

    I’ve made a point to read more books, easy to get out of the habit of doing that when concentrating on writing AND blogging. Hopefully it works.

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