by Leo Wiles
03 October 2014
No matter how much we love writing for a living and being freelance, there are always going to be days when we want to pull the duvet over our head and shut out the world.
It may be a hangover or a relentlessly long night with sick kids or a previous story that has sucked the very life force out of you. So what can you do to get back on track when a deadline’s looming?
Feed your body – Coffee, Berroca, a handful of almonds or in the case of a hangover, a greasy bacon sandwich and half a Pepsi, and I’m generally back on my feet.
Pick up the phone – Moan to a mate and get it out of your system. Find out what it is that’s truly holding you back. Don’t want to share your frustrations? Then scream into a pillow or basin full of water. It’s certainly a circuit breaker and one that allows you to let off steam without scaring the neighbours as dancing around your house naked might.
Peddle to the meddle – Take a bike ride, jog round the block, walk the dog. In short, do whatever it is you need to move to re-oxygenate your brain and kick in the feelgood endorphins.
Switching gears – Play some upbeat music, shower and put on fresh getting-to-work clothes to put yourself in a positive mood, which will help you be more creative (and with any luck, tackle your unwritten story).
Clear the decks – Take the phone on the hook, silence your in-mail pings and make sure you can see your desk. For me, a clean work area means less distraction and higher productivity.
Look inwards – Draw upon your willpower or self-control and visualise the end goal and the steps you need to achieve it. Build in a reward such a night-out with friends or watching your favourite programme when you’ve hit send.
Just do it – Sit at your desk and start writing. Set a timer and write in 25 minutes bursts if need be but use those 25 minutes like a racehorse approaching the blue ribbon.
Take a break and eat lunch – Pushing through without food will drop your serotonin levels, which is the very reason people get hangry. Not eating won’t save you time; it’ll put you off your game.
Change your surroundings – If you’re experiencing writers’ block move your laptop to another workspace, or change fonts like Rach does during a bout of writer’s block, and tell yourself you won’t get up until it’s done.
What do you do on days when you don’t want to write?
