Be more dog! How to shrug off those writing blues

Photo by Tadeusz Lakota on Unsplash

Does this sound familiar? You start on a writing project and you feel like a bottle of shaken champagne - fizzing with ideas, overflowing with great words. The characters are alive, the narrative a clear path, scenes flow. You are convinced this is a winner.

And then, gradually, the champagne goes flat. Doubts shuffle in. The ending didn’t really resolve, the characters are a bit one-dimensional, something feels ‘off’ about the dialogue. Eventual you reach the point of: “Dear God. What was I thinking?” and those inner critical voices begin their cacophony.

Worse still, not only does the story get stuck, but you as a writer felt not so much effervescent as ever-festering. Weighed down and morose. Questioning the whole thing. Again.

It’s okay, I hear you.

I am at the end of a long (four years!) period of writing and then editing, a novel. This is my first real attempt to grapple with a full-sized, bigboypants book. And because books are such unwieldy logistical projects, I’ve found myself, at times, grinding to a halt under the weight of expectation, self-doubt, inability to ‘see’ the whole picture, weird character arcs, and narrative dead-ends.

These negatives accrete, adding to the weight that already clings to us  – pressure of time, loss of motivation, procrastination, complacency….

So what can we do about these writing blues? We can be more dog!

When a dog finds a inviting body of water, it’s often frantic with excitement, full of energy to get in there and paddle around. Unbridled enthusiasm, just like we feel at the start of a writing project.

But when it emerges from that joyous swim, it’s coat will be waterlogged - cold, heavy and clinging. The dog has an instant and instinctive antidote. It will stand still, anchor its legs and shake itself vigorously, from head to tail, a spin cycle of shimmying and whirling to get rid of that unwanted weight.

As writers we also go swimming with a furry bathing suit (I don’t mean literally, but hey, live your life as you see fit…). Therefore, there are times when we need to refresh and refocus, to anchor ourselves and shake all that negativity off. Remembering this has helped me not only to push on, but also to rediscover my enthusiasm and playfulness, which I believe are essential elements to better writing.  

To help you Be More Dog, I have created a writing exercise (see below) that purely concentrates on the process of creativity, not the outcome, and gives free rein to whatever quirky ideas you come up with. However, it is also about subtle engagement with some key writing skills, such as emphasising sensory perceptions and developing characterisation.