Writing Advice for the Exhausted

Writing is hard. It feels painfully obvious and entirely over-simplified to say this, but it is true nonetheless. What makes writing difficult is probably different and also the same for many of us.

Perhaps it’s the process of writing itself, the act of putting words to paper, of creating art, the care of craft, and the endless revision. Perhaps it’s making space for writing while also being a living and breathing human being doing human things like working, cooking, cleaning, raising children, commuting, and also sleeping, which takes up a sizeable number of hours in a day if you are doing it the way the experts suggest. Perhaps it’s the publishing part of writing, the rejection letters, the frustration, the freelance slog, late payments, painful reviews, or the highs and lows of being engaged in the literary world. Perhaps it’s all of it, or none of it, or all of it and more.

Because the world feels especially shitty right now and life is perhaps even harder than writing and we are all doing the best we can and also we are fucking exhausted. If any of this resonates with you, here’s what I tell myself when the weight of everything feels too great and I wonder if I’ll ever stare wide-eyed and excited at a blank page again.

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Read.

Whatever you are writing, whether you are writing or not, don’t stop reading.

Even if you’re tired.

Even if you’re head hurts.

Even if you read all day at work and you can’t bring yourself to look at another word on the page.

Find a way.

Be more fluid in your reading habits.

You don’t have to finish a book every time you sit down to read.

You don’t have to push yourself.

You can read as much or as little as you feel up to and savor those pages.

Just a chapter.

A paragraph.

Listen to audiobooks in the car or when you are resting on the couch or at night before bed.

Don’t let pain or unwellness or the stress of daily living get in the way of your love of words and wonder and worlds unknown.

Keep reading.

Try reading exactly what you need in the moment.

Find ways to feel like you are getting the most out of what you’re reading.

Books offer great insight and healing.

Pay attention.

Try choosing a book related to something you are struggling with.

Perhaps you’ve recently suffered a loss.

Look for a book that tells a story about the grieving process.

You’ve recently been diagnosed with depression.

Find a book whose protagonist is battling the same.

You may also choose to look for books that bring you joy.

Reading what makes you happy does not make you less literary, intellectual, or wise.

Life is hard.

Reading doesn’t have to be.

Allow yourself books that might be mood-enhancing.

Or don’t.

Read a book that breaks your heart.

Read a book that breaks something open inside of you.

Find your catharsis.

Cry if you need to.

Let the words stay with you long after you’ve finished.

Then, pick a new book and do it all over again.

You might also try re-reading books.

Don’t worry that your “to be read” pile grows and grows.

Find comfort in the familiar.

Spend some time with an old friend.

Gain some new insight when you read something known in a new way.

Read books that relate to what you’re writing.

Read books that inspire you to write.

Read books that have nothing to do with anything you’re working on.

Just read.

And then also write.

Be vulnerable in your writing.

It’s okay.

Write about what scares you.

Write about what you don’t want anyone to know.

Let yourself question, worry, doubt.

But also let yourself love and hope.

Let yourself experience the excitement of putting the words that only you can write out into the world.

Find your way into this vulnerability and open a door within yourself full of endless possibility for transformation.

It won’t always be easy.

Sometimes it will be the most challenging thing you’ve ever done.

Sometimes you’ll be so tired.

Sometimes life will get in the way.

Sometimes you won’t want to go on.

It’s okay.

Rest.

Whenever you need to.

Writing is hard.

Living is hard.

Rest is a vital part of working.

Never feel guilty for resting.

Set a word count or page goal.

This might be especially helpful for writers who are working on a novel, memoir, poetry collection, or some other long-term project.

It could be daily, but it doesn’t have to be.

It could be weekly.

Set a goal that makes the most sense for you.

You can fit the writing of those words into whatever pockets of time work for you. 

You will still feel a sense of accomplishment.

Be intentional about scheduling those pockets of time.

It doesn’t have to be every day.

Look at your calendar and block out specific chunks for writing.

Use those chunks as your allotted time for the week.

Any additional time is a bonus.

If something comes up that prevents you from using that scheduled time, as something often does, just reschedule it.

Don’t be hard on yourself.

But make it so there is always a time in your calendar to look forward to writing. 

Don’t be afraid to doubt.

Doubt is an essential part of being alive.

You will doubt yourself and your words.

You will doubt the time you put in, the time you don’t spend writing.

You will feel like perhaps you are fake.

This is simply not true.

You are a writer.

You are also a human being.

Let doubt be a part of your story.

Write it down and the turn the page.

Let the doubt go.

Produce one great piece of writing a week.

This could be one article or essay or short story.

This could be 500 or 1,000 words of a manuscript that you’re just really proud of.

This could be one sentence that takes your breath away.

You get to decide what constitutes a great piece of writing.

This also means you get to be intentional about considering your own work.

Find something to love in whatever you’ve written. 

Always be thinking about your writing.

Even when you can’t sit down and put pen to paper or fingertips to computer keys.

Don’t discount the importance of this thinking.

Plan, plot, revise in your mind.

This is also writing.

Do whatever you need to do to remind yourself of this.

Buy a fancy notebook where you jot down all your best ideas.

Makes lists.

If your best ideas come when you can’t sleep, keep a notepad by your bed.

Send yourself emails on your phone when something comes to you.

A routine of writing out your thoughts will make you feel productive.

You will be thinking and also writing.

Celebrate your successes.

Once a week.

Once a month.

An annual retrospective.

Make sure you look back at all the work you’ve done.

List out everything you’ve published.

Keep track of your total word count.

Save all of your drafts.

Do whatever you can to look out and see just how much you’ve actually accomplished.

It’s always more than you think it is.

Don’t shy away from what isn’t working.

It’s hard to admit you don’t understand something.

It’s okay to not know how to fix something.

Sometimes it’s okay to step away.

Sometimes it’s okay to start over.

Finally, just keep asking questions.

Ask questions of your work but also of yourself.

Explore the questions that burn.

The questions that keep you up at night.

The questions that make you feel lost and lonely.

Write them down and see what happens.

You might find some answers.

You might not.

If you are always searching, you will discover something new and vital to your work and to your living.