How to recharge your writing batteries

There comes a time in every writer’s life when their writing batteries are running low and they need to step back and recharge. But that doesn’t mean there’s no solution. Come and check out my methods for boosting my writing energy, and share your own strategies with us!! →

It happens to all of us. Despite how it sometimes may seem, it is simply impossible for anyone to run at 100% for 100% of the time, and that is equally true for a writer. For all those occasions when the words just flow like a dream, there’s an occasion when they’re completely dammed up and we don’t have the energy to do anything but stare at our screens. If and when this happens to you, it’s generally a good sign your writing batteries are draining fast and it’s time to find a way to recharge.

Now, there are myriad ways to recharge one’s writing batteries, and every writer is going to be different. I think we all understand by now that what works for someone might not work for someone else, but it can never hurt to share advice and experiences in the hope it might help a kindred soul. In today’s blog post, I’ve put together a few hot tips on my methods for staving off that seemingly inevitable burn-out. I hope you find them helpful, and I’d love to hear about your own strategies!!

Take a break from writing

Seems like a no-brainer, right? Yet it always seems like a shocking number of writers keep pushing and pushing and pushing even when they’re running on empty. That can’t be good for your writing, and at the end of the day, it’s definitely not good for your health.

So when that creative well has run dry, the number one thing I can recommend is to take a break. Step away from your computer for however long you need and give yourself the chance to rest and recuperate. If you’re really clever, you’ll even take breaks pre-emptively to help avoid burn-out!

Avoid social media

Social media is stressful—don’t even try to deny it. The pressure to keep your finger on the pulse, to keep crafting new content while engaging with those you follow, is real and is not insignificant. Sometimes you just have to accept that you can’t do everything, and that something has to give.

Taking a hiatus from social media can be beneficial for several reasons. It removes some of the stressors I mentioned above, giving you time to properly relax and/or focus more fully on your writing. It also prevents you from comparing yourself to others and feeling guilty about your level of productivity.

Binge a new TV show

Who doesn’t love kicking back to binge-watch a new TV show? I’m certainly guilty of gobbling my way through whole seasons or series in a day, and in my experience it is one of the best ways to chill and recharge, even if I end up sleep-deprived by the end of it all.

The reason for this is that finding a show you enjoy and jumping right in provides an escape. You can completely disconnect from the real world for a time and immerse yourself in another. When you resurface, you’ll feel much better. And hey, you never know when something might spark a new idea!

Read a good book

If your reserves of writing energy are dwindling, one great method of boosting them back up is to remind yourself why you do what you do. Of course, there are many writers who just write for themselves, but I imagine most of those reading this post long for their stories to be read by others.

That’s why I recommend reading a good book when you’re feeling a little flat. Dive into someone else’s story, and I guarantee you’ll find the determination to keep working towards having readers of your own. Plus, books are just as great an escape as a TV show—if not better!

Mix up your routine

Having a routine is healthy and helpful and undoubtedly essential for many different kinds of people. But as they say, variety is the spice of life, and sometimes we get so caught up in following a particular routine, that we don’t notice when it’s holding us back. When we have no space for spontaneity.

Shaking things up can reinject that bit of excitement we’ve been missing. Try writing at different times of day, or in different locations. Or perhaps your day-to-day routine needs a change, like exercising more or returning to the office, and you’ll see flow-on effects to your creativity!

Ease yourself back into it

The final piece to this puzzle is to make sure you’re ready before you return to the writing life after a period away to recharge. We always try to leave our phones plugged in until they reach 100%, right? If you unplug it too soon, it will only run down again more quickly. People are the same.

Don’t feel rushed or pressured to get back into it. Your writing will be there waiting all the same. Take things at your own pace and start small, building those creative muscles back up over an appropriate timeframe. The last thing you want is to end up back at square one. Good luck!

How do you recharge your writing batteries? Have any of the above strategies worked for you? What else would you recommend from your own experiences?