Overcoming Creativity Killers
Yeah, you're stressed. So what?
You ever get mad at people who give you money? It’s a weird sensation, one that makes you do a bit of reflecting.
Let me explain.
I have two novels and a novella that I am (slowly) working on. The reason I’m going so slow is that other people pay me to write their books or to edit them. I also have a day job (which, to be fair, asks very little of me).
Last week I found myself resenting a client who paid me a handsome fee for a rush job because it left me no time to work on my own writing. You hear that? A gentleman had such faith in me that he paid extra for the job, knowing it would still be done well in half the normal time.
And I was salty about it.
Lucky for me, I have a social media mutual who was kind enough to read my mind all the way from the UK and put out this banger:
Thank you, sir, for that reality check.
Stress can actually be a great motivator to get things done, as we saw in Sylvester Stallone. We’ve also seen the opposite with George RR Martin. Once he got that TV money, suddenly he didn’t see a need to finish his series.
In an effort to use my stress to help my writing instead of hinder it, I made some changes to how I structure my day.
I walk around the neighborhood in the morning. Being outside helps me think and walking is good for you in general
I stop eating sugar after 2 PM. Carbs make me sleepy and my most intense working window is from 5 PM to 9 PM.
I keep my phone notifications completely off (except for the hubs)
Everyone has different creativity killers, but environment, food, and distractions are pretty universal.
If you’re struggling to finish that WIP because you can’t concentrate, do an inventory of those three aspects. Do you fall into a coma after meals? Do you have a hard time concentrating in your dim, humid basement office? Is your phone pinging at you every time you get into a flow state?
Removing interfering aspects of your ability to produce might help you feel less stressed, even if your workload remains the same.
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