Friday, November 14, 2014

How to Recharge When You’re Artistically Empty by Kathleen Fuller



Kathleen Fuller
It takes organization and discipline to accomplish the word counts we aspire to write each day or week. Kathleen Fuller offers encouragement for those moments when you hit the wall. ~ Dawn


How to Recharge When You’re Artistically Empty

Writing takes energy—creative, mental, and physical energy. Eventually even the most prolific writers need to recharge. But how can a busy writer find the time to refill the artistic tank when deadlines—and life in general—get in the way? Here are a few ideas that will help you increase your creativity and rejuvenate your writing.

1. Take a break. While this may seem impossible due to approaching deadlines, every writer needs some time away from the work. Choose one day during the week to not write. Don’t even think about your story, or marketing, or social media.   

2. Focus on doing something fun. On your day off, find an activity that you enjoy. Don’t spend it doing housework or paying bills or scrubbing the toilet—unless of course you consider those activities fun. Read a book, watch a movie, play a game, take a walk, or engage in one of my favorite things: napping.

3. Connect with nature. When the weather is nice, go outside. When the weather isn’t so nice, purchase a few easy to care for plants and place them in your office. Taking a few moments throughout the day to look at your plants is calming, which in turn can help the creative wheels turn.

4. Listen to music. Create a writing playlist and listen to it while you’re working. If have to write in silence, then listen to the playlist at the end of the day. Tailor it to your book’s setting, theme, or characters.

5. Write in twenty-minute spurts. Research shows that the human brain’s maximum attention span is about twenty minutes. Set a timer for twenty minutes and write. When the timer goes off, get up and do something physical. Take a five-minute walk around the house, go get the mail, do some laundry, strike a yoga pose—anything that requires physically moving the body. Then return to your writing and set the timer again. You’ll be surprised how much you’ll get accomplished and you won’t be as drained by the end of the workday. 

There are many other ways to fill the artistic well, and it’s important to find the ones that work for you. Just remember that all writers get burned out and worn out, especially when they are constantly under creative pressure. Taking care of both your mind and body can help keep that burn out at bay and will also ignite your creative spark.




(A novella collection ...)

“A Gift for Anne Marie”

Anne Marie and Nathaniel have been best friends since they were kids. Now things are evolving . . . in ways everyone else predicted long ago. But when her mother suddenly decides to remarry in another state, Anne Marie’s new chapter with Nathaniel looks doomed to end before it begins.






Kathleen Fuller is the best-selling author of over twenty-five books, including the Hearts of Middlefield series. A former special education teacher, she and her husband James are parents to three children and divide their time between Ohio and Arkansas.

Website and Newsletter sign up: www.kathleenfuller.com