One common problem marathon runners face is called hitting the wall. It happens when they use up the burst of energy and adrenaline they had at the start of the race. When the race kicks off, they feel well-prepared. They’re fired up and energetic. They’re cruising along at the desired pace.
At some point in the race, the runner has used up the quick energy they got from carb-loading the night before, and the body starts getting tired. Recognizing the fatigue, the brain starts sending more blood to the muscles. Unfortunately, that depletes the blood reserve in the brain, so it starts to lose focus. The brain is thinking, “Wait a minute, what are we doing here? What are you trying to make the body do? I don’t remember agreeing to go 26.2 miles!” Next, the brain and the muscles band together and try to convince the runner to lie down in the street and give up. OK, you can tell I’m not a runner, but I know that’s what my body would do!
Unlike me, the best runners expect to hit the wall and plan for it. They have strategies and techniques to help them overcome the mental and physical block. Writers need plans and strategies to help us get past writing blocks. Our finish line is getting the first draft of our manuscript completed and off to editing.
When you first start on your book project, you’re excited about becoming a published author. It’s been your dream for a long time. You have high energy, write every day, and meet your daily word count target. Then life intrudes. Maybe you get sick and can’t write for a few days. Perhaps a family situation pops up that takes your attention away from writing, or you need to put in more hours at work. Maybe you realize this writing thing is harder than you thought, and you’ve got many more words to write to finish your manuscript on schedule.
Whatever the reason, you find yourself thinking, “Am I ever going to finish this book?”
When I wrote Maximum Occupancy, I hit the writing wall when I started to self-edit the first draft. After letting the book sit for several days, I picked it up and started to read it out loud. I was in shock! I didn’t like the flow of the book at all. I removed huge chunks of writing and reordered some sections of the book. There were several days when I thought I was never going to finish in time to get the book published. I was in tears and ready to give up on the project. Fortunately, I was able to get past the writer’s block using some of the strategies below. If you’re having problems meeting your writing goals or are getting discouraged, try taking one or more of the ten actions below to get back on track.
Remind yourself of your ‘Why’ and your ‘Who’
You’re writing a book to help other people solve a problem. Those people need your help. You owe it to your audience, your target reader, to get your book out into the world so you can help them. If, like me, you’ve committed to offering your book at an event, getting back on track is a necessity.
One of my Author Fast Track students was writing a book to show families how to recover after the loss of a matriarch or patriarch. She had gotten off schedule, and we were discussing options to get back on track. Reflecting on her ‘why’ really helped. She had heard of two families who were dealing with the exact situation covered in her book. Those families would have benefited had they been able to buy the book. Think about why you decided to write the book in the first place and who desperately needs the information. Put a picture of your avatar on your desk to remind yourself that you need to finish the book to get the information to them.
Review and adjust the days of the week and the times you’ve scheduled to write
Maybe other commitments have prevented you from writing on the days you had scheduled. If you’ve been writing in the morning and that’s not working because you’re too stressed, try writing at lunchtime or after dinner when you are more relaxed. If you have a lot of meetings or other commitments on certain days of the week that prevent you from writing, remove those days from your writing schedule.
Set a winnable writing goal
Adjust the time slot you have allocated for writing. If you normally schedule an hour, cut back temporarily to 30 minutes or even 15 minutes. Set a timer and give yourself permission to stop when the timer goes off. You can always reset the timer if you get on a roll. What you do during the writing time slot is flexible. You may decide to work on a chapter, but that time could also be spent on research, summarizing an interview, or anything else related to your book project. It all helps to keep your momentum.
Make writing every day a priority
Schedule your writing session on your calendar and keep it sacred. Consistency is the key to success. Treat your writing appointment as you would a meeting with your best client or with your boss.
Minimize distractions
Identify any potential distractions in your daily routine and find ways to minimize or eliminate them during your dedicated writing time. Turn off notifications on your computer and phone. Share your writing schedule with your family so they know when you need quiet time. But if that’s not possible and family members are watching TV or doing other activities, use noise-cancelling headphones.
Change your writing place or space
If writing at home is too distracting, try going to the library or coffee shop. In nice weather, try writing outside on the balcony, porch, or in the park. If you’ve been writing on the kitchen table and there’s lots of traffic in and out, try moving to the family room or the extra bedroom. Make the mood of your space conducive to writing:
Try wearing headphones and listening to your favorite playlist. Light a scented candle, or ensure your favorite beverage is handy.
Adjust the room lighting.
Make sure you have a comfortable chair.
Decorate your writing space with personal touches such as motivational quotes, artwork, or photographs.
Get rid of any clutter that might distract you.
Consider putting potted plants on your desk or in the room. Plants naturally bring a calming effect to the environment.
This article about setting up your writing space from New York Book Editors will give you more ideas,
Make a bet with yourself
For example, commit to spending 15 minutes a day on your book for the next week, and if you don’t, you have to contribute to a political candidate you don’t like. Make a simple daily tracker. If you complete a streak of three days or five days of writing, reward yourself with a small treat.
Pick a chapter you’re passionate about
If you’re following my guidance, you’re already writing from a mind map as opposed to a chronological chapter sequence. Pick one of your mind map topics that is particularly interesting at this moment and spend your writing session on it. If you’ve been writing to a daily word goal, set that aside for now and just write freely regardless of the finished word count. Remember not to write and edit at the same time because that interrupts the creative process.
Get inspiration from other authors
Read a book by an author you admire. They may write on the same topic or something totally unrelated. Analyze how they approached their subject matter, their writing style, and the techniques they used to get their points across. You don’t want to copy their work, but you can certainly get ideas that can give you a fresh outlook when you start your next writing session.
Don’t beat yourself up
Writing a book is a marathon, not a sprint. Writer’s block is a natural part of the process and happens to every author at some point. Your primary goal is to finish your manuscript; if that takes another few months, you’re still way ahead of the people still thinking about writing a book. If you need more help after reading this post, you may want to sign up for one of my structured strategy sessions.
