Are you finding it a bit hard to write at the moment? Me too.
Thank goodness for my morning routine of meditation followed by Morning Pages, which I had established well BC (Before Corona). It is my anchor. Even though I find it hard to concentrate for solid lengths of time right now, the habits I’ve formed over the past few years in starting my day are serving me well. My Morning Pages are now less a brain dump and more of a daily “life in these strange times” chronicle which are making for entertaining and often mind-boggling reading weeks later. It’s bizarre to see life changing so quickly as the journal fills up. I’m very glad I’m writing everything down. I might share some, at some point.
But how to stay motivated with my actual writing?
The internet is a mixed blessing, to put it annoyingly simply. It is a source of endless distraction and I have found myself losing hours and days to browsing and scrolling, my original purpose in going online long forgotten by the time I realise what I’m doing and how much time has passed. It is also a way to feel frustrated, horrified, angry and despairing for humanity - one only has to go on Twitter to understand why the world is burning.
But on the flip side, it’s also a goldmine of useful resources, particularly for writers and creative people, and I have found some incredibly helpful and inspiring posts, courses, websites and podcasts over the past 40-odd very strange days. Today, I thought I might share some of them with you.
This is a post specifically about academic writing in the time of COVID-19 but I found it very useful and applicable to my non-PhD work as well.
The key for me during these extraordinary times is that each person ought to be given space to reevaluate what they are able to do. Thinking that you should be able to carry on as usual or, worse, be more productive is to underestimate the effect of everything going on around you.
Gretchen Rubin’s The Four Tendencies can be a very useful tool for figuring out how your motivation works (internal, external, both) in life and in your art. I think I’m an Upholder but when it comes to writing, maybe I am a Rebel! (side note: I just did the quiz again, I am a Rebel, full stop). This is a very useful post from Sarah with lots of ideas that feel very doable.
This is a wonderful podcast to get your mojo fired up again, or even just to entertain the idea of opening your document or picking up the pen again if you’ve been feeling stagnant. The standout episode so far for me is the interview with Jerry Salz. He reminded me so much of my old boss in London! Jerry’s brilliant article How To Be An Artist is a worthy addition to your bookmarks and self-motivational arsenal.
Originality did not conveniently die just in time for you and your generation to insist it no longer exists. You just have to find it.
Charlotte’s interview with Jerry is full of amazing truth bombs like this.
I would also recommend A Mind of One’s Own, which is Charlotte Wood’s podcast from a few years ago, designed for writers with lots of tips on how to enrich your creating life.
I once saw Tim perform at a slam evening in London, about 11 years ago now. Scroobius Pip performed one of my favourites of his poems, and Tim was also awesome, reading from his memoir We Can’t All Be Astronauts (which I read later and really enjoyed). He’s a refreshingly honest, bold and witty writer. This is a writing course that, as the name suggests, is a daily prompt for 100 days, delivered by podcast (with an accompanying transcript). Tim is a genuinely enthusiastic course leader and when he says “I’m proud of you, well done for getting this far” each day, I really believe him (thanks Tim!). Already it has encouraged me to take a small idea and just run with it, and it has brought a lot of joy back into writing for me. Highly recommended.
Everything sucks until it’s finished, and most things still fucking suck. The bottom line is, we don’t write to be praised or paid or get a profile or win prizes. We write because it makes us feel better.
Another writing course delivered virtually with the Australian writer and comedian Catherine Deveny. You can watch her excellent, upbeat and irreverent writing course videos via Facebook or Youtube. She’s a great cheerleader, particularly when it comes to trusting and believing in yourself: “You have to become your own self-saucing pudding.” (a lovely image there).
Each lesson has heaps of prompts and writing exercises, which Dev does with you in real time. There’s a wealth of material and she has very kindly made it free but you can donate an amount of your choice, or buy her book and writing poster, if you’re able to.
This is the perfect course if you are feeling blocked, uninspired or unworthy (maybe all three). The ball of sunshine and positive energy that is Dr Polly McGee will put a big smile on your face and have you itching to create a writing ritual that serves and nourishes you.
I really loved this course - it felt like I was checking in with a wise and encouraging friend each day. Polly really encourages you to think of your writing as a service to the world and shares so many tips and tools to start writing and creating with purpose and soulful intentions. Highly recommended!
One of my PhD supervisors got me on to this. While it has an academic flavour, I’d highly recommend it to any writer. I’ve only just started it but so far it’s all about not only making time to write but developing robust strategies to maintain your writing practice. Helen also encourages you to write by hand to give your eyes a break from a screen and your fingers a break from the keyboard, which I am all for. I’m about to go and watch today’s “after writing” video now!
I’m doing my best not to be hard on myself for not being a productivity machine - the standards of the world we lived in two months ago no longer apply, really, because that world is gone. For now, at least. As Helen says, setting simple and attainable goals is probably most helpful.
What about you?
I’d love to know if you’ve found any helpful resources like these to keep you motivated and interested during this time.
