I don’t know about you but now that the days are longer and the weather is warmer, sitting on the patio with a glass of wine seems more appealing than… pretty much anything.

With everything that’s been going on in Alberta and all of the stress I’ve been experiencing in my daily job, I’ve really started to slack with my blog posts. I put on a brave face all day but when I get home at the end of the day, I feel drained. The last thing I feel like doing at 7pm is coming up with 500 words. Even though I’m a trained writer and used to pumping out stellar work for my clients under super tight deadlines, when it comes to writing for me, I’ve been running seriously low on fuel. Like, I’m on fumes.

So I’ve been asking myself (and others) what to do when the patio/wine combo starts trumping my creativity. Here’s a few ideas that I hope will help us both!

• Write about what’s on your mind

It’s easier to write when the subject isn’t something you need to research. Take a thought that’s been circling around in your mind and explore it on paper.

When you’re writing for yourself – whether it’s as an outlet or just a way to keep your skills sharp, just remember you’re doing it to fulfill your own creative needs, no one else’s. If you want to write about the funny thing your cat did, who am I to judge? Don’t apologize for your muse.

• Read

Reading gets your engines fired up. It builds vocabulary and it opens your mind to new perspectives. Read a few great blog posts, crack open a new book. Not only will reading help to inspire you to write, it also allows you some quiet time, which we all need to centre ourselves and tap into our creative side.

“Somehow the reading gear in your head turns the writing gear.” 

-Steven Wright

• Seek out creative activities

Go paint some pottery, attend a poetry reading. Visit a museum. Listen to new music. Absorbing the artistic works of others  will help you to re(discover) your passion for your own craft.

• Write about your own human experience

What did you do today? Did you learn something new? If so, let’s hear it! I’m not saying to go full-on ‘Dear Diary’ but I love to read about what’s happening in my friends’ lives. Perhaps you dined at a fantastic restaurant, why not give it a little review? Or maybe you had an interesting customer service experience. Tell us about it. This kind of subject matter will just get you writing.

• Collaborate with another writer

Get the jump-start you need by making a commitment to co-write an article with one of your connections. It’s sort of like going to work out – it’s more fun with a friend! Committing to a project will also put a fire under your bum to get it done.

• Give yourself a deadline

I think half of my problem is straight-up procrastination. I have a lot of things I want to write about but without a deadline, many of those ideas lay dormant in a note on my iPhone. Sometimes we honestly just need to give ourselves a deadline. 

A few other suggestions from my network:

“I take a blank piece of paper (no lines) and I just write random nonsense that comes into my head. It gets all the junk out and I sometimes get really cool ideas from my uncensored mind!” – Julia

“Good ideas seem to come when you’re doing something else, so I keep a running Note in my phone and right down anything and everything whenever it comes to me. Then when you need help, you go back to it.” – Ashley

“Read an inspiring book or work out.” -@wolfeve

“I like to journal about my feelings – a lot of times I’m mentally exhausted from being distracted or upset over something in my life, and don’t realize it. Journaling helps clear that and can be a catalyst for creative inspiration.” – Jasmine

Now I’m really going to have to take my own advice and GET WRITING. No more running on fumes.

If the struggle is also real for any of you, I’d be happy to talk about how we can help each other along. Writers stick together!