5 Tools To Get Out of a Summer Writing Slump
When everyone you know is in Italy and you still have to write.
Everyone you know is in Italy - or at least at Rockaway Beach. It’s hot outside. It’s hot inside, even with the A/C on. So, your brain is in full revolt. You don’t want to write. You don't want to think about writing. You don’t want to “touch” your writing. You want to sit at a sidewalk cafe, drinking an Aperol Spritz (or a Phony Negroni). You want to take meandering walks with your friends. You want to read something from your TBR pile while sipping a cold brew and people watching. You want to do anything but sit at your desk solo and stare at a blank page.
Here are 5 tools I use to get myself back in the writing groove when every cell in my body wants to do anything but write:
I re-read one of my favorite essays as inspiration and write whatever comes up for me at the moment.
The Last Time My Grandmother Slapped Me, Saeed Jones
Just like so many of us need accountability to go to the gym, we also need accountability to write. Set up a Zoom writing session with a couple of other writers you know and turn off your screens while you all write for 20 minutes. Afterward, read each other what you wrote.
Try one of my go-to exercises, like the one-inch picture frame from the amazing Anne Lamott:
Take a walk and record a voice memo, talking yourself through what you want to write. Sometimes saying the words out loud helps to unlock them.
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