The Simple Trick That Got Me Back to Writing

 

This year has been extraordinarily stressful personally. It's tough to go into specific details, but let me tell you, this is not a year I'd live twice. It is definitely chalked up to one of my top 10 most difficult years (or really, periods in my life, more broadly speaking). 

As the stress levels waned a bit over the summer, I found myself wanting to write again. I hadn't in months, not since the early start of the year, when energy levels are only high because of pure denial about the level of creative drive that the year may inspire (sorry, did that sound cynical?).

What I learned as I tried to recover a sense of creative self this fall season is a trick that I wish I could impart to a younger version of me. A version of me who often waxed whimsical over the elusive muse that was supposed to inspire my work 

I would tell myself that the key to keeping up with my writing goals is simple and complex: discipline. Maybe that isn't the case for all writers. Or maybe they have a way of saying it that doesn't sound so grumpy and grown-up and boring. Could be that "habit" is a better way of saying it.

Either way, I decided to brush off a dusty digital file and began editing a bit each day again. I took on the old "one thing a day" approach that worked for me once. Lo and behold, it worked again.

It only worked because I allowed myself to just do a bit each day. But I found that doing even that could be hard. That makes this both simple and complex. I'm very aware that often the biggest hurdle to accomplishing this is me. And choosing what I'm prioritizing for the day.

If you're going through a difficult or stressful time in your life, you may just need a break from creative work. I sure did. But during that break, be open to the windows that open up and allow you to return to that creative self. Just don't overcomplicate it. Return to where you left off. Do a little bit each day. You'd be surprised how far that takes you.

Nicole Pyles is a tired and overworked freelance writer. If she's not working on her latest writing assignment or drinking too much coffee, she's gathering together podcast opportunities for her clients and newsletter followers. Subscribe to her newsletter for a weekly list of podcasters looking for guests.