100 Things You Should Know About Writing (Part 2)

47) The Importance of Stretching

I recently saw a question on Wattpad that went something like this: "I want to write. I love writing. It's just that suddenly writing feels so... meh. Help?" 

At first glance, it looks like one of those "I'm just not motivated to write" questions, but there might actually be more afoot. For one thing, the person obviously is writing. So it's not a question about starting to write. 

The problem here is that, even though the writer is passionate about and dedicated to writing, something about it is just leaving them cold. 

Why on earth would that happen?

This can be writer's block or worse still, burn out (see Section 32 for more on these). But there could be an even simpler explanation. That loss of interest could be a sign that the writer has fallen into a rut. 

People have a tendency to think that writing in itself is exciting enough to keep a writer from feeling bored, but the truth is more complicated than that. 

Yes, we can adore our idea. We can see its brilliance. But as time progresses, we can lose that sense of excitement. Once that happens, we keep plodding along, but sometimes, doing this harms more than it helps. Plodding along day after day makes the excitement fade even more, and makes the rut we're in even deeper.

Or maybe you're prolific and you finish stories too fast to stop being excited about them. But lately, your excitement has been waning because you're so used to what you're writing that it no longer sparks anything in you. 

How rekindle that spark

You stretch. No. Not yoga (although that helps in a different way.) 

When it comes to this issue, I look at creativity as a muscle. That's because there are a few things about muscles that are relevant to this scenario. 

Firstly, you need to keep using your creativity to keep it strong. In other words, the more you write, the better you'll be at creating stories. 

Secondly, when muscles start hurting during exercise, you're doing it right. Which means it's sometimes necessary to keep going even when it's hard, and hoping that you get a second wind (which would be writing until you get another spark that makes you excited again).

Thirdly, sometimes exercise becomes boring because we're always doing the same thing. It's the same with writing. No matter how good the story is, we sometimes become bored with the act of writing because that story is all we ever work on. This is where stretching comes in. 

A lot of (especially new) writers try to stick to the same kinds of stories, or even to the same story, because that's what they know. It's what's safe. The problem is that sticking to what's safe automatically puts them in a rut, and eventually that rut becomes boring.

To get out of it, it's vital to stretch our creativity. 

Don't avoid ideas because they seem hard to write. This is something I see new writers do all the time. They have this idea in their mind that they love above all others, but they never write it, because they keep playing it safe. Usually, they'll pick safe, easy-to-write stories, using the excuse of "I'm still learning. Once I know how to write, I'll tackle my big idea." 

The problem with this is twofold. The longer you take to get to your scary big idea, the scarier and bigger it becomes in your mind. You'll find more reasons not to write it and to rather keep to the safe, easy stories you're writing  right now. Before you know it, you're in a vicious circle of... 

BOREDOM. 

Safe and easy is boring. So if you've been sticking it to a while, obviously you won't be as excited about writing. So if you find yourself in that rut, stop what you're writing and start something else, preferably the idea you've been putting off. Yes, it will be hard to write, and you will get stuck often. But you know the thing about challenges? They're exciting. And they give you a huge buzz once you've beaten them. 

Speaking of scary. 

Write what scares you. Are you avoiding humor because you don't think you're funny? Write a humorous piece. Are you worried that you don't have the skills to write something with complex emotions? Are you scared of what people will say if you write something strange, or edgy, or dark? Write it anyway.

Fear is exciting. That's why people jump out of airplanes. And just like they have parachutes, so do you. Yours is called no one needs to read it if it sucks.

That said, it's sometimes the scary story that has you in a rut. Usually this happens because it's all you ever work on. Don't get me wrong. I know it works for most writers to only work on one thing at a time until it's done. It's just that sometimes, our big, scary projects take longer to write than we expect. Sometimes, it feels like they never end.

When this is what you're feeling, take a short break from your main project and try something hugely different. I'm not talking about starting a whole new novel. (Not necessarily, anyway.) Try writing a short story in another genre. Maybe one you've never written in before. Or if you don't want to stray too far from your main project, write a vignette about a supporting character. 

The important thing is to change up what you're working on so you can get back to missing the feeling of working on your main work in progress. It will happen if the story is important enough to you. 

It's important to make sure you're not bored with your writing. If you are, try stretching. Even if it's only a little bit once in a while. 

Thanks for reading. If you find this section useful, please vote for it. As always, I'm taking questions about this section and writing in general. I answer in the comments, and if your question inspires me to write a new section, I'll dedicate it to you. 

Coming up in 100 Things

The Dangers of Comparison

When Is a Story Good Enough? (MarissatheMarvelous)

Editing in General (MarissatheMarvelous)