Al Kennedy: “Remember you love writing. It wouldn’t be worth it if you didn’t. If the love fades, do what you need to and get it back.”

What can you do? 

Short-term:

If it is a sudden, “I hate this!” Get up and walk away.

Take a walk. Go to the park.

Go grocery shopping and pretend you are three. What would fascinate you in the store? You don’t have to write about it. Just give your brain a chance to play.

Long-term:

If it is a slower-growing, “I am so tired of all of this!” declare a vacation. Depending on how long the problem has been growing–and probably how long you have been writing–take a day, a week, or even a month off. BUT before you declare the vacation write down 5 easy-to-complete writing tasks for you to do when the vacation is over. (Below I give an example of what I would do. What is easy for you may not be what is easy for me. Don’t use my list if it would be hard for you.)

Example

1. Go through the popular names in 2010 (or 2012 or 2014 or whatever year meets your most common reading age group) and pick three names for boys and three for girls and three that you think could go either way.
2. Write a classroom scene where two of the names above talk about the teacher and do something.
3. Describe one of the names above–including things like their favorite grandparent and their eating habits.
4. Pretend you are that child and write a poem about picnics or pajamas or portraits.
5. That child wants to raise money for some charitable organization. What is it and how do they do it?

The quote came from a post, “10 Rules for Writing Fiction,” in the Guardian in the UK.