3 ways to keep writing through the lean times

This particular battle is not for the faint-hearted

Why haven’t you written anything recently?

Too busy? Uninspired? Over cautious?

Or are you consumed by financial woes?

Creativity is usually the first victim during the lean times, and it seems that for many those times are now.

When you don’t have enough, there’s little room for artistic endeavours. The overriding thought is how do I pay the bills? It’s never, ‘What if my lead character wore berets instead of baseball caps’.

Financial difficulties can induce stress, anxiety, and depression. They can impair your capacity to concentrate, deplete your energy, and steal your time. All the awful things.

And in today’s world of gigs and side hustles, an extra job or two on top of full-time work can encroach even further on any chance of grabbing a few precious moments to write. And that’s not without the pressures of family, elderly parents, or other commitments.

Ultimately, if you’re a writer and your brain is being consumed with financial worries, your creative spirit is being drained of fuel. There’s simply nothing left to power the engine. It’s a massive struggle and quite frankly, a fucking liberty because creative people need that release.

I know this feeling all too well. As someone who freelances and works short-term contracts, times have been tough. Sometimes, it feels like all I think about is money.

So what to do?

Well, I’ve got a few little well-worn tricks up my sleeve. They work for me so they may work for you. Or they may not. But if you’re struggling to write or feeling guilty at giving your writing any considered attention when the ends aren’t meeting, something here might help.

Number one is to stop writing.

This is counterintuitive but it works.

Give yourself a pass and do practically anything else. Something physical is good. You need to reset your brain and a great way to do that is to get outside and focus on nature (basically any of the stuff that human kind hasn’t ruined). Trust me on this.

Money anxiety is no joke but you can only escape it if you are directing your attention elsewhere. And that something can’t be a screen or anything related to what is known today as adulting.

Find simple pleasures. The sun on your face. A brisk walk. A swim. A cup of coffee on the sofa. An afternoon sketching. Watching the birds in the garden. A stroll by the canal or a walk in the woods. The crunch of sand under your feet.

You get the idea.

I find it extremely freeing to walk along the coast and lose myself as I watch the lunatic cold water swimmers in their brightly coloured swim caps, the seagulls squishing about on the mud, or my current favourite; the biting winter wind exfoliating my face within an inch of its life.

You can bet your woolly hat and gloves that once I get home or even by the time I reach the car, I’ll be ready to scribble some notes down.

Secondly, move the goalposts.

You’ve got a date in mind to finish your book. It’s looming large like a cartoon shadow but guess what? You have the power to change that.

When you’re in fight mode, you need to gift yourself a little flight.

Remove the deadline.

Take the pressure off.

Sure, it would be great to have a chonky first draft to hug by the time the summer holidays roll around but unless you have an agent beating at your door and a contract to honour, you don’t have to hit that deadline. The chonk can wait.

The moment you take away your imagined deadline, I guarantee you will feel lighter.

And because psychology is a weird and wonderful thing, you’ll probably be inspired to write more than you have done previously.

I can hear you breathe a sigh of relief from here.

Thirdly, clean out your cupboards. Literally.

I swear I haven’t lost the plot.

This is all about giving your brain a little holiday. The bonus is you get tidy drawers.

Do something incredibly dull and boring.

One way I manage anxiety is to focus on tidying, bleaching mugs, repotting plants, clearing out the car boot/trunk or dusting mantelpieces.

Whatever that dry old task is that you’ve been putting off for months on end, do it.

By doing a job that makes watching paint dry a night at the opera, your mind will wander from panic to boredom to creativity.

It’s all in the wandering.

The next step is to find a little time to write.

Emphasis on the little. Half an hour, an hour squirrelled away somewhere quiet can reap huge rewards, maybe not in word count but how you feel about yourself.

A small sense of accomplishment is still an accomplishment.

Try writing by hand instead of typing (again, this is to keep you away from the screen which generally equates to work).

Grab a notebook, a fountain pen (this is what I use because I’m a nerd but not compulsory) and see what happens.

No expectations. But a few solid minutes not worrying about the bills won’t hurt.

Once you’ve done this a couple of times, it’ll become a habit and something you’ll look forward to and will try to replicate.

Rinse and repeat all of the above to keep the fear at bay.

Walk, roll up socks, stare into the middle distance. None of this will pay the bills but it will allow you to remain a whole, happy human who can show up when and where you’re needed.

And if this is you, and this helps, please let me know.

We’re in this together. And frankly, we’re the lucky ones. We have our art. Can you imagine life in 2024 without it? *shudders*

Good luck.

Lisa

Disclaimer: This post is not designed to give you financial advice. Seek expert advice if your money worries are overwhelming. Citizens Advice (UK) has helped me in the past. In the States, the ACCC offer free non-profit debt counselling. I do not endorse any organisation.