Blah
I've had no energy to write lately. I write, I get some words out, but I'm just fatigued. It's not burnout. Or writers' block. It's pure and simple tiredness.
I get up before 5:00 every day. Roll oldest son out of his bed around 5:30. Then I have an hour until it's time to start getting the Little Missy up. I COULD go back to bed after she leaves . . . but by then I'm up. I work a (gulp) 10-12 hour day in between (like yesterday) sidewalk chalk with Demon Baby, wrestling Demon Baby into the shower because of him coloring himself with markers (twice), Play-do with Demon Baby (which he used to make a hat--getting Play-do in his hair . . . then mixed the Play-Do with grass cuttings and called it the Goo of Death . . . ), three loads of laundry, a microwaved dinner, a coffee with my beta reader, balancing the checkbook, a phone call about a potential ghosting job, and whatever else I did. Some days it's closer to a 14-hour day. Add chronic insomnia, and my mind's habit of making sure I wake up an hour BEFORE the alarm (hence, 4:00 a.m.), and by Friday, I am a puddle of drool at my desk.
There is no cure for tiredness, unless I want to take amphetamines (occasionally ponder the thought, or at least No-Doz). SLEEP is the cure. And SLEEP I cannot have until Demon Baby is off to college in . . . oh . . . 13 years.
However, I have a few cures for the blahs.
--I talk about writing. My beta was like a Magic Pill of Writing Sunshine. Not 'cause he was full of cheer, but he got my mind racing with ideas.
--I talk about books. (I had my Book Club meeting last night. The nice book club, not the Bitch Soiree.)
--I get outside. Granted, my idea of outside (playing in the yard with Demon Baby or going to the park and feeding ducks with him) may not be YOUR idea of outside, but it gets me into fresh air and sunshine.
--A night of candles, classical music, and trying to rest peacefully on the couch. A.k.a., a battery recharge. That's happening tonight AND tomorrow (with a friend) and I cannot wait. I did warn said friend that in between the conversation and classical music, there may be sightings of a Naked Demon Baby and his Goo of Death . . . but . . . it should be peaceful-ish nonetheless.
All those things work to help me find my enthusiasm for writing again.
How about you? What's your cure for the Writing Blahs?
30 comments:
I go for a run. Or read something new. Or meet with my beta. Or read.
I wish there was a thunderstorm every time I got the blahs--the electricity in the air and the shift of barometer always makes me feel better.
And the tired thing is tough. I normally work out and have some alone time before having to do the school rush with the kids in the morning, but I have been too tired recentley to get up and go early. Even though I know that I will have more energy throughout the day.
I agree with your "talking about writing" or blogging about it as the case may be. It just puts me in the right reference to get the words flowing.
A mini-vacation, a real vacation, or just getting out and going to a movie or something non-writing related. I'm really pretty good about getting out and exercising. And a good night's sleep can often put it into perspective.
Today my task is to declutter my desk and put flowers in a vase where I can see them when I write. If the temp continues to plummet I may even light a fire. Sometimes prettifying my surroundings gets me going again because I just want to be there. And once I sit in the chair, I'm almost there.
Right now I'm building some Star Wars battleship out of a washing machine box because there will be a party at my house Saturday.
Speaking of, boxes are great entertainment for Demon Babies and you can get big ones for free from Lowe's. Give him some tape and paper to cover it in and you can listen to music all night. He could build a pirate ship.
Although I'm not writing Star Wars the creativity bleeds into my novel.
I've been thinking about this recently, mainly because I just came back from vacation but I haven't gotten my writing butt in gear. Oh, I have excuses: sick kid at home all week, sick hubster the last two days, gloomy-oomy weather ALL week, blah, blah, blah. I closed down my blog so I could concentrate on writing, and I HAVE to write. 18K words into an RS doesn't make it eligible for RWA's Golden Heart!
But I just realized that I shut off my only real venue that helped with my writing--my blog.
Hm, I think I'll re-open my blog and then settle down to deleting the last chapter I wrote--it's in the wrong POV. Maybe my blog will help jumpstart me today!
I know how you feel. I'm a mega hermit by nature, so being around other people is a chore. Other human being are like energy leeches to me. By the time I get home around four I'm a total zombie.
Taking a walk help me rechange as long as it's nice outside, but TN during the winter months in kinda gross what with the sewage ponds and the paper mills.
Just sitting in a dark room with laugh music does it for me. Or sitting down to do something mindless like drawing or looking up bands on the Net.
But most of the time during school, I just need sleep. I usually sleep through second and forth period just so that I have energy for English class and to drive home after school.
Movies at the movie theater! Depending on how stressed I am, that's how many movies I see. (Usually two, but if it's real bad, I'll see four and stay all day.)
This isn't really possible with Glenn here, because then it's expensive. And with my new lifestyle, I don't need ripped away from the drama, LOL!
Doing something away from the computer usually helps to recharge my brain, but also flipping through one of my favorite writing-advice books. I don't do that very often -- I just save it for real crises.
I hope you're able to relax this evening and get rid of the blahs.
ROFLMAO @ Goo of Death.
The only way for me to get through the writing blahs is to actually write. It might feel like I'm producing crap at first, but if I hang with it long enough eventually something worthwhile will come. Sometimes reading something good gives me a jumpstart.
Heather:
That is my thing, too. I used to have a 5:30 walk/run of about 5 miles. Now, that is precisely when I have to have oldest son getting up and getting out the door, since he commutes an hour and fifteen minutes each way to his school. Oldest daughter tells me I should just let him get up himself, but he's a super heavy sleeper and the 5:30 a.m. thing is KILLER on a teen's circadian rhythm. It's kind of nuts, these commuter schools. So anyway . . . we'll see. Maybe I can figure out a way to get that walk into my early-morning again.
E
Lauren:
Last night my book group added a new member and she was GREAT! Lots of energy for discussion.
E
Mark:
I know when I have insomnia, one rock solid night and the world seems right again, LOL!
E
AMY:
Oh . . . that's a good one!!!
E
Richmond:
Also a great idea. He would LOVE it. LOVE it! In fact, I am going to go get one!
E
magolla:
The blog sort of "unsticks" my brain each morning. I would miss it if I dropped it, though once in a while, I consider it. Ususally because someone emails me something mean (nearly always a lurker).
E
JT:
Yes, I have some energy-sucking stuff in life at times. I totally relate to how you describe it. The PHONE makes me feel that way. As does errand day. Today, I have to pick up oldest, get him home, get him fed, then drive BACK to his school (hour round-trip) for a home football game (he is in band). I already hear my brains being sucked out of my head.
Natasha:
I love movies at the theater but for obvious reasons (Demon Baby), I really never get to go.
E
Jude:
That never works for me. :-(
E
Melanie:
I get to SLEEP IN TOMORROW. I ma hoping that's the cure-all.
:-)
To get myself writing is the hard part. Now that my health is improved (sleep apnea treated) I'm not so zonked out all the time I have no energy to write. So the big problem is that I let myself get distracted.
So my version of recharging is to go someplace all alone. Last time I did it, I rented a beach condo for a week and spent my vacation writing and taking long walks. Wonderful. Wish I could do it more often, it really gets you in the writing zone!
writtenwyrd:
That sounds like my idea of bliss. I can't even get a NIGHT away, LOL!!!
E
I go for a run or a walk. Sometimes I do some simple meditation, focused breathing really.
The last time I got some really decent writing done was when I was in a hotel in Chicago for two days. Granted I had two other adults and four kids nearby, but I was amazed on how much I got done on the Acer.
I think that's going to be my escape. Find a quiet hotel and just hole up for a day or two.
Used to walk about three miles each morning but neuropathy in my feet is making that impossible ... so I'll have to find a new form of exercise.
Love the "goo from hell" description.
Erica I posted a picture of the starship made out of a box.
Lately, it's been reading or exercise. Exercise is a new outlet for me to clear my head (and may or may not have anything to do with the fact that I can't fit in my jeans, lol).
Paul:
I do focused breathing when I want to go to sleep or when I'm having a really stressful day.
E
Liz:
I do good work in hotels, too. I don't get to go often, but when I do . . . just being out of my home environment, I guess, helps.
E
Richmond:
I visited your site--it's AWESOME!!!!!
E
nadine:
I knit to escape. :-)
E
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