100 Things You Should Know About Writing (Part 2)

42) How to Deal With Stress

I know a lot of people think that writing is always just one huge party with our muses. One where we're constantly inspired and the words come rushing out the moment we sit down. All the time. 

I also know that for most, if not all of us, this simply isn't true. I know our doubts and fears hold us captive. I know they can dry out our creativity much faster than people could imagine. 

There is in fact only one thing I can think of that's more effective at killing our creativity: 

Stress.

Many of us (me included) write to control or work away stress, but I've found doing this only works up to a point. 

Beyond that point, we can't escape stress anymore, and we end up having to deal with the cause in order to get back to writing. 

Dealing with it doesn't always mean solving the cause, though. Sometimes, there's nothing we can do about whatever it is that's causing one's stress. Sometimes, the best we can do is to find a way to come to terms with it. 

But first, let's just take a quick look at three types of stress you're likely to encounter as a writer. 

Stress from Non-Writing Circumstances

This can be anything from school to death in the family, balancing three jobs, financial worries, and so on. I find this type of stress can generally be improved or at least escaped by writing. Fiction is great for this, or sometimes, writing in a diary is the ultimate catharsis because you can literally let everything out onto the page. 

That said, the stress can sometimes become too much to handle, and the words will dry up. This is what I call burn-out. (See Section 32 for more info on this.) It's not a good place to be in, but really there's not much to do but to rest and find a way to feel less stressed. 

If you can't feel less stressed and the situation is temporary, try waiting out the cause. For example, if exams stress you out so much you can't write, wait until exams have passed before you try writing.

Stress from Writing-Related Circumstances Beyond Our Control

The prime cause of this: Deadlines. 

Most of the time, we only deal with hard and fast deadlines when someone else sets them and we don't have much of a choice about it.

My best piece of advice to deal with this is this: 

In the name of all that is holy DO NOT PROCRASTINATE. 

No really. I know a lot of people say things like, "Help! I can't stop procrastinating" or "Help! I'm just not able to commit to finishing on time!" 

I'm sorry, but it's just not true. You're in control of your own decisions, and if you want to be a pro at this writing gig, you have to put on your big boy/girl pants. 

Make the choice to do something now. 

Then DO IT NOW. 

As in, if you're reading this instead of doing something with a deadline, stop reading immediately and go do that thing first. Then come back and enjoy the rest of my awesome advice as a reward.

Other than deadlines, there are a few things, like... say... a problem in your writing career. Trust me on this. Nothing kills the writing urge like watching a publishing deal you were once excited about flush down the drain.

These sorts of things also take the Do Not Procrastinate rule to deal with. The longer you take to sort things out, the bigger they become in your mind. So don't waste time avoiding the issue.