Woke up this morning dragging. I’ve got the kids solo, but I’m feeling sluggish, unmotivated, blah, blech, meh, ugh, glub, sigh, crap.
Usually, these feelings come only on writing days. You wake up, 1,500 words staring you down, tugging at your brain. The last thing you want to do is spend another (as in, consecutive day No. 56 or 101 or 234) writing on the same subject. Mostly, it’s fun and joyful. But sometimes—in the heart of a process—you’re just beaten down and unmotivated.
So what do I do to snap out of it? One of thee things:
1. Exercise: I go out, take a run, hit the gym, etc … etc. Amazingly, the endorphin thing seems legitimate. Once I get the heart beating, I feel better about myself. Once I feel better about myself, I feel better about my subject.
2. Read: Pluck a book off the shelf. A good book. Something that makes me want to be a writer. Steve Rushin. Alex Haley. Tim O’Brien. Red Smith. I’ll study, imitate, imagine. Helps.
3. Dance: If no one is home, I’ll strip down naked, blast (like, REALLY loud) the Carly Rae Jepsen and just dance all over the house. Upstairs. Downstairs. In the basement. Admittedly, my house has a lot of windows, and sometimes the neighbors see a hairy 41-year old dancing through the living room. But that’s OK—because it’s energizing and uplifting. Dancing naked—the ultimate writer’s block solution.*
* Actually, I just watch TV and bemoan my fate.
