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Not writing is part of the game of being a writer. It goes, as they say, with the territory. You have your good days and bad. Your really productive days and those that totally suck. And you have those rare great days where the writing seems to do it all by itself. Oh yeah, you have those other desperate days where you feel like you'll never produce another decent sentence again.
It's during the bad days (and I emphasize days) that it's good to waste time. Note, I'm not saying kill time. You've heard the expression "When you kill time, you murder success." That's true. But wasting time is different.
There's good and bad time-wasting. Bad is when you just goof off and find endless ways to pass the time and avoid writing. Good time-wasting is when you make the most of the free time you have and you try to use it for something practical that just might get you back into the mind-set of writing.
I recommend a couple of things. Re-read a book that you love. Rent a movie (or several)) that you love. There's great comfort in the familiar and sometimes that comfort will transport you out of your doldrums.
And if you can afford it, take a short vacation, but don't bring your powerbook. Or even a note pad. Just get away and free your mind. There's something to be said for getting away from it all. |
