There are some days, as a writer and editor, I just don’t want to do any more – not write one more sentence, not clean up one more paragraph.
When I’m in the zone, I don’t even notice the hours flying by. But, like life in general, it’s not always that way.
Sometimes, writing makes me feel so vulnerable. Sometimes the subject is extremely emotional and it’s hard to make sense. Sometimes untangling huge snarls of another’s writing is exhausting, but there’s a deadline looming.
It’s important to not give up. Luckily, there are ways to pump up our resilience.
- Take a five-minute mental vacation. Get up and get a cup of coffee. Ponder an upcoming holiday, event, or vacation. Sit back and go to your “happy place.” Just make sure you go back to work after the five minutes are up.
- Make it into a game or contest. Challenge yourself to write a page in a half hour or five pages before lunch. When I edit, I see how many sentence structure and grammar errors I can correct in an allotted time span. Reward yourself if you achieve the goal. (Cookies or cheese works for me!)
- Do some planning. This is especially helpful when writing. It lays down a direction you can follow when literary trees fall across the road.
- Cut out distractions. We are all experts at chasing squirrels when we should be sticking to the task at hand. Don’t give yourself any excuse.
- Post a “This, too, shall pass” sign where you can see it when you’re working.
Resilience is what separates the successful from the wannabes.
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