New Year’s didn’t mean a
list of resolutions for me, but it undoubtedly forced me to reflect on the
previous year and look toward the new. What worked and what didn’t? What
changed my life for the worse and what made it better? What do I want most out
of the new year?
One thing came to mind,
ringing louder and truer than anything I could ponder on: balance. I desperately
sought to find a better balance in my life. Now we’re halfway through, and I
find balance in chunks – a week focused on work, a week on fitness, a week on
writing, scarcely finding a happy medium in the day to day.
The previous year taught
me a lot, and challenged me in ways I’d never been challenged before. While my
social life seemed to thrive and I had many wonderful adventures, my creative
projects suffered. Reflecting on the last twelve months, I feel like I made
zero progress on any of my projects, and I read a total of two full books – my
worst record yet. I made many, wonderful memories, but didn’t accomplish half
of what I set out to do. I also struggled to manage my work load and stress
when that part of my life became more difficult. During this time, I didn’t try
to write, I didn’t try to read, and everything I should have been doing for my
own self-care slipped, because I didn’t have it in me to try.
From all the good (there
was a lot of it) and from all the bad (quite a bit of that, too), I found
myself craving balance more than anything, as I look toward ahead.
When it comes to setting
aside some time for creative projects, I find making a plan helps. If I keep it
in my head, it’s just a thought, but writing it down makes it a goal. I can let
a thought slip away, but not reaching a goal means I didn’t do something I
meant to, and I’m more inclined to get it done eventually, even if it wasn’t
when I intended to do it.
Life gets in the way of
our plans, and often our creative outlets are the first to disappear from the
‘to-do list’ because they’re not crucial, as do trips to the gyms, or afternoon
walks, or sitting down for a meal with a loved one, or coffee with a friend, or
some quiet time with a book, or a moment of quiet self-pampering, or meditation,
or anything else we do to maintain social, physical and mental health and
happiness. It’s okay that we sometimes let the things we don’t want to do
overshadow what we love and want to do, because it’s human to get home after a
long day and only have the energy to watch television. But if I’ve learnt
anything from this year, it’s that it will make things worse in the long term
if I don’t try to fix it early on. A few bad, unproductive days can turn into
weeks, which can turn into months, which becomes one year of wishing you’d done
more.
If I can’t write every
day, I’ll write a few times a week. If I can’t find time in a week, I can
hopefully accomplish something within the month. One task a month may seem
insignificant, but sometimes a nudge or a small creative work-out is what we
desperately crave during the uninspired times, even if it only demands a few
hours of our time.
To ensure that each month
produce at least something (however small), here are 12 writing tasks and
exercises for 12 months.
1
Write something
(anything) using a different medium. If you usually write novels, try a short
story, or have a go at scripting a scene. If you prefer poetry or short
stories, try drafting an outline of a longer story, or a short film script. If
you don’t have an idea buried somewhere in a notebook, try picking out a
writing prompt that sets fire to your imagination.
2
Dedicate a few hours to a
project that’s not your current Work-In-Progress.
Think of a story you’ve been working on in the back of your mind, or some ideas
you’ve been playing with that you haven’t touched in months, or that interesting
line of dialogue you wrote in your phone notes a couple weeks ago. Take some
time to work on something other than your main project, even if it’s just to
brainstorm.
3
Write something in a
genre you’re unfamiliar with. Pick a genre you wouldn’t normally choose to
write in and play around with some ideas or do some research on the
fundamentals and elements of said genre. You may end up drafting a short story,
or a scene, or just a conversation between two characters.
4
A simple one – just
outline a story for an idea you think is cool, no matter where it came from.
5
Enter a writing
competition or post something you’ve written online. There are plenty of free
short story competitions out in the world, and some with cheap entry fees. The
Australian Writers’ Centre hosts a Furious
Fiction challenge once a month. It runs for 55 hours, and on
the first weekend of every month. It won’t cost you a thing, but you do have a
chance to win $500 (or be short-listed and get your story posted on their
website). All you have to do is write a 500-word short story following the
month’s criteria and submit! However, if competitions don’t suit you, or maybe
short stories just aren’t your thing, you can share your work online, using Prose or a favoured
platform. You can share a sentence, a poem, or even a couple chapters of
something you’re working on.
6
Find a prompt – or at
least an idea that’s fresh or new in your mind – and dedicate your Sunday or a
few hours during the week to put words to paper, even if it’s just to
brainstorm some ideas, or plot the structure of a story, or create some
character profiles.
7
Write about something you’re
interested in, but not to create a work of fiction. Write a list of your
favourite books, or compose a short essay about the origins of your favourite
creature, or write about the most interesting Hollywood urban legends you can
find (a bit out of the blue, yes, but I was reading an article earlier today and
was very captivated).
8
Do some brainstorming, or
work on your current WIP, but use a journal or some paper and write it all down
by hand.
9
Write a piece of
fanfiction or outline one, you know you want to. You don’t need to post it
anywhere, and it doesn’t have to be large, but give it a try, even if you just
write a scene you wished had been in your favourite book.
10
Write a first chapter of
a story you don’t know anything about yet. If you’re feeling adventurous and
you have creative companions, send it to someone and ask they reply with the
second chapter.
11
Dedicate a couple of
hours to your current Work-In-Progress – no catch or guidelines, just do your
thing.
12
Write something in an
unfamiliar voice. If you usually prefer to write in First Person, try writing
something in Second Person and vice versa. You can write a chapter or a short
story or even just a monologue from your main character in your current
Work-In-Progress, or a scene from another point of view.
If a certain task is not
to your liking, or you crave more, a writing exercise can be as simple as
writing a reflection of your day, a short poem to describe something wonderful you
saw, or a single-sentence story. If you want a spark of imagination, try
picking a writing prompt and running with it or, if you’re so inclined, take an
online writing course.
It doesn’t hurt to stray,
but it hurts to stay stranded. When I lack motivation, I keep myself
unmotivated by not pushing through and at least trying to write. I could finish
this post with a wonderfully inspiring sentence that motivates you to just write, not matter what it is, but
so many of these sentences already exist, and they say it better than me.
“You can’t think yourself out of a writing block;
you have to write yourself out of a thinking block.”
John Rogers
“Writing about a writer's block is better than
not writing at all.”
“All writing problems are psychological
problems. Blocks usually stem from the fear of being judged. If you imagine the
world listening, you'll never write a line. That's why privacy is so important.
You should write first drafts as if they will never be shown to anyone.”
“I
don’t sit around waiting for passion to strike me. I keep working steadily,
because I believe it is our privilege as humans to keep making things. Most of
all, I keep working because I trust that creativity is always trying to find
me, even when I have lost sight of it.”
Elizabeth Gilbert
“There’s
no such thing as writer’s block. That was invented by people in California who
couldn’t write.”
Terry Pratchett
“The
best way in the world for breaking up a writer’s block is to write a lot.”
John Gardner
“I
learned to produce whether I wanted to or not. It would be easy to say oh, I
have writer’s block, oh, I have to wait for my muse. I don’t. Chain that muse
to your desk and get the job done.”
Barbara Kingsolver
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