So I basically haven’t written regularly since, like, early February, when I was finishing up the short stories for And Then I Shall Transform. Then it was straight into the mayhem of formatting and publication tasks for that book, since I hadn’t really left myself enough time to do that AND write – see here for the whole story about why *facepalm*.
Then family life was kind of chaotic in April due to holidays and visits and things, and then May hit and I was In Pain and also we had relatives here for about 8 weeks total I think to help with renovations, so instead of writing new words I was mostly … well, working on Very New Words, the kinds of words that you invent out of nothing, because I was language building B-) That’s right, in the background I’m working on SO MUCH WORLDBUILDING this year and I am terribly, terribly excited about it all, to the point where there’s even a secret page here on the website talking about some of it, bwa ha ha ha ha.
Okay. I’m not going to talk about language creation today, I’ll do that another day. Suffice to say, with all that and then losing June to Being Very Sick – oh my gosh, and also like basically all of July, HOW IS IT NEARLY THE END OF JULY WHAT THE HECKING T HECK IS GOING ON HERE – it’s been like 6ish months since I was regularly writing? *more facepalming*
Yeah wow. Okay. No wonder it’s feeling challenging getting back into the swing of things, that’s a pretty hefty break. Like, the kind of break that used to happen when Teaching Was Eating My Brain. Wild.
Deep breaths. Okay. So. I’m pulling out all the old tricks I used to have that kept me writing – well, actually, I’m more just trying to dust them off and REMEMBER what I used to do to get into the groove of things, lol. And on top of that, the kids are about to go back to school after winter break, and as mentioned last week, for the first time in my life I’m going to be a full-time author for a while? But also my energy levels are Precarious because: Sick? So many unknowns to account for that crafting a proposed schedule for my days is, well, we all know how battle plans go. I can make all the plans in the world and none of them will survive intact.
I do know I need to prioritise the writing, though. Not because “full-time author” but because: mental health. I feel better on the days I write. Not just because I’m proud that I did it, but because for me, with my hectic-as ADHD brain, writing is the closest I ever get to silencing the incessant NOISE in my head. I get to step outside myself for a bit and just… be. It’s pure flow state, which we know is absolutely critical for good mental health, and it’s the best thing I’ve found yet for settling my thoughts and calming my mind and helping me sleep better at night and so on and so forth. And, bonus, the result is stories for me and y’all to read! 😀
So because my energy levels are precarious, where I’m at is trying to make writing Priority #1 of the day, when my energy levels are best. I’ll ship the kids off to school and then hopefully settle in to write for a bit BEFORE I let ADHD brain wander around collecting to-dos for the day. Actually, let me just make a lil list here of the techniques and things I plan to use to help me get back into the swing of this, and maybe I’ll expand on some of them as posts of their own at a later point.
STRATEGIES FOR GETTING BACK INTO WRITING
1) Prioritise it. Writing comes FIRST, when my energy is at its peak.
2) Use a timer. From experience, 15 mins is an achievable chunk of time even when it’s feeling scary.
3) Pep talk. Separate document, stream-of-consciousness journal entry to pep talk myself into writing and remind myself of why I want to.
4) Daydream. Imagine bits of story when I’m not writing, so when I get to writing I feel like I’m excited about it and not starting from nothing.
5) Sensory support. Make sure all five senses are engaged-but-not-overstimulated.
6) External cues. Including both for me, like where I’m writing, but also for family – WHEN THIS MUSIC IS PLAYING, DO NOT INTERRUPT ME.
7) Location. Usually I write better out of the house. Not really an option just yet, so, experimenting with location in the house.
8) Play. Focus on playing and having fun, even if that means jumping around between stories for a while, until I’m back into the groove of doing it regularly.
That’s all I can think of right now, but let me know if you have any other hot tips for getting back into the swing of things, whether that’s writing or something else you enjoy doing but have to pause on every now and then because: life! And excuse me while I go browse my “getting back into writing” tag on all my old posts :’D
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