When the creativity well runs dry

December was a bleak month for me creatively. I found myself unable to write a blog post, let alone work on my novel. I had no ideas, no magical pictures to prompt me, not even a tiny spark to nurture into a blaze. I was completely empty.

Part of it was because of NaNoWriMo. It was an intense month of writing made all the more difficult because I couldn’t stop editing as I went. One of the “get out” clauses of Nano is that you simply write. If there are mistakes, ploy holes, or entire scenes to throw out and rework, you do them afterwards.

Those of you that follow me will know that I always write my first draft by hand and edit as I write it up on my PC. I probably deleted as many words as I left, meaning that I didn’t reach the official total of 50,000 words. However, I am left with a workable manuscript!

I was also trying a new genre out, having decided to do a cosy mystery with a sprinkle of magic. Although I thought I had done plenty of prep work, I found I was painting myself into corners and needing to find a way out, which slowed the process down.

Then I was ill.

All of which left me with nothing as December rolled around. I don’t think I’ve had quite a long dry spell since I started writing in 2017. I was in uncharted territory. I tried to force myself to work but ended up staring at a blinking cursor on a blank screen or playing solitaire for hours. I didn’t even have the energy for a blog post. Eventually, I owned the problem and stopped writing for five weeks.

Finding you have nothing to give when you are a writer can be a worry. How long will it last? Will I ever be able to write more books, or am I a one trilogy pony?

Like most things in life, you need to take a rest from writing sometimes. You can’t keep driving away at a task and expect to be as productive as you were when it was a shiny new idea, and the excitement level was high. You need a break to rest, restore your strength, and refocus your mind.

So, I vegged out on the couch, and binge watched the first series of Murder in the First starring Tom Felton. (If you’ve never seen it, I would highly recommend it. You can find it on Channel 5’s catch-up app, My5. UK only.) I followed it with World’s Strongest Man, a family tradition that I never tire of. There is something primal about enormous men flexing their pecs!

We also watched a passel of movies, some better than others. (Indiana Jones? Forget it. Stick to the first three. Actually, miss out number 2 as well.) And I read a bundle of Christmas romances. Again, some needed to be deleted before I reached the end of the first chapter, but there were a few that were okay.

I ate and drank. Played games and laughed with friends and family. I danced in New Year and had to put up with my knees protesting the day afterward.

Then I sat down at my computer and rattled off a short story.

I caught up on my chapter edits from my writing circle.

Today, I am writing this blog, the first in two months.

I still don’t feel as if I’ve charged 100%, but it’s a good start. It’s a brand-new year and I am feeling the wealth of potential rising inside me. I’m also reducing my expectations, giving myself the goal of publishing just one book this year. Since I’m now looking after my gorgeous granddaughter two days a week, my writing time has been curtailed somewhat. I have to give myself some wriggle room instead of expecting to publish two books annually, as I have so far. Better to err on the side of caution rather than burn out trying to achieve unrealistic targets.

I know there are people who see my writing as a hobby, rather than a career, and who don’t understand why I need to take time away when, to them, I’m not doing much to start with. If you have people like that in your life, don’t listen to them. What you are doing is giving birth to something incredible and unique. There will never be anything like your story unless you write it. And you won't be able to write it if you are stressed and burnt out.

So, take your holiday time without guilt. Recharge those batteries. Grab the snacks and binge watch a good show.

Your readers will thank you for it.