Is It Time to Reevaluate Your Goals?

“I’ve been in a writing funk.” 

“I just can’t get anywhere with my fiction.” 

“I haven’t written in weeks.” 

Writing friends and writers on social media have been making statements like these. Everyone seems to be in the doldrums. I know that I haven’t made any progress on the nonfiction proposal that was my primary writing goal for the year. 

What’s the reason? It is easy to blame politics. Or the economy. But any change can be unbalancing. We have a family wedding in less than a month. I’m not the principal organizer but I am working on several wedding-related projects. And updating the kitchen. And digitizing a library catalogue. And I’ve got contracted projects. 

There are a lot of good things on that list, but even good things require energy. And, let’s face it, we each only have so much energy. So, if you are in a funk and not meeting your writing goals, it is time to reevaluate those goals and reenergize. 

Here are some questions you might ask yourself. 

Is there too much on my plate? 

 My own answer to this is YES. And that’s why some of the above things are being pushed back. It’s the only way that I have the energy to do the things I really want or need to do. Now for those writing goals. 

Are they things I really want to do? Or are they things I think I should do? 

There is a difference between things you want to do and things you think you should do. For the things on the should do list, is this because there’s a deadline? Or is it because someone said, “You know you really should get that done?” Maybe you put “finish writing my novel” on your list but what you really enjoy is essay writing or flash? If that’s the case, maybe the novel needs to be deprioritized. 

Have important circumstances changed? 

Maybe you made something into a goal but now you need the energy for something else? Or the market for the piece of writing you wanted to do is no longer viable? Or, as you’ve gotten into the project, you realize that you hate that type of writing? That’s happened to me before. I took a job writing leveled readers. Although I friend of mine loves doing them, I found it tedious beyond belief. I finished the contract and then ran for the hills. It was not an experience I wanted to repeat. 

And perhaps most importantly, is there something I need out of my writing that I’m not getting?

If you want to write or feel like you need to write, but nothing is catching your attention, maybe you aren't down on writing but simply need to find something new to write. Try Jodi’s writing challenge here on WOW! . By sampling new types of writing, you may well find the thing that pulls you back into writing. 

There is no single solution to not wanting to write or not being able to write.  But answering these questions might set you on the path to a solution.  Does anyone else have a solution to suggest?

--SueBE

Sue Bradford Edwards' is the author of over 60 books for young readers.  

• To find out more about her writing, visit her site and blog, One Writer's Journey.  

• Click here to find her newsletter.

She is also the instructor for 3 WOW classes which begin on the first Monday of every month. She teaches:

• Pitching, Querying and Submitting Your Work 

• Research: Prepping to Write Nonfiction for Children and Young Adults 

• Writing Nonfiction for Children and Young Adults