That Writing Slump - by Liz Carter

I’m writing this post to myself today. 

I’m in a slump. I’m in a sloop. It’s sludgy in here, it’s like walking through treacle. I look at a blank Scrivener page and the words just won’t come. They’re stubborn, these unknown and much-needed words. They’re playing games with me, dancing just out of reach, breaking themselves up into their component parts when I get a hold of any small part of them. Then they shatter into tiny pieces and disappear altogether, and my frustration mounts.

What do you do when the words don’t come?

Well, you could give yourself a Motivational Speech. You could tell yourself that you just have to push through, to scale the wall, to fight the obstacles in your path. That you are strong and you can do this. You’ve got this.

Or you could give yourself a mental telling-off. Tell yourself to stop being so pathetic, to just get on with it, to be much more proactive and Simply. Write.

Hmm.

Maybe you feel a bit like Franz Kafka, who said this:

“How time flies; another ten days and I have achieved nothing. It doesn’t come off. A page now and then is successful, but I can’t keep it up, the next day I am powerless.”

Most writers struggle with the slump-sloop, that time when nothing seems to be coming. The inspiration has been too busy inspiring other writers, and you’ve missed out. A few famous writers have some words of wisdom for us here. Maya Angelou says we should just write. 

“I may write for two weeks ‘the cat sat on the mat, that is that, not a rat,’ you know. And it might be just the most boring and awful stuff. But I try.” 

Anthony Trollope speaks of a ‘daily writing goal’ and how sticking to his timing and word count brought him success. 

“It had at this time become my custom, — and it still is my custom, though of late I have become a little lenient to myself, — to write with my watch before me, and to require from myself 250 words every quarter of an hour.”

 Hilary Mantel advises us to get away from our writing for a while:

“If you get stuck, get away from your desk. Take a walk, take a bath, go to sleep, make a pie, draw, listen to ­music, meditate, exercise; whatever you do, don’t just stick there scowling at the problem. But don’t make telephone calls or go to a party; if you do, other people’s words will pour in where your lost words should be. Open a gap for them, create a space. Be patient.”

I like C.S Lewis’ advice on writing, which includes this gem: “Read all the good books you can, and avoid nearly all magazines.” I think we can probably apply that to social media, and the internet in general. I’ve noticed a pattern in my own writing – the more I read, especially the more books I read that are well-written and thought-provoking, the more my writing seems to flow. But when I spend too much time faffing about on Facebook and Twitter, flitting between a million articles and pictures of people’s dinners, inspiration is slower to come, and I am more sluggish. It’s too obvious, really – when we read good literature, or even just a good, absorbing story, it touches the creative centre of us and fires us into action. When I was small, I absolutely loved the ‘Faraway Tree’ series of books by Enid Blyton, and my earliest attempts at stories were basically Faraway Tree Fan Fiction, complete with my own take on stories about Silky, MoonFace and the amazing Slippery-Slip Slide. Reading something which caught hold of me gave me the impetus to create something myself.

As a Christian writer, I have found such a great treasure-trove of writing I am able to access, not least from the wonderful authors in our own ACW. I’ve been inspired by many authors here – you make me want to be better myself, and I am very grateful. 

So my advice to myself today, and perhaps to you, if you’re experiencing The Slump, is to go read. Go and download one of the books written by an ACW author. May I suggest a fiction book and a non-fiction book which have inspired me lately? 

Have a look at Dawn James’ Song of the Overworld. It’s a big story, a story with an overarching theme of good winning out over evil, and the story draws you in and doesn’t let go. It’s certainly inspired me to write.

I’ve also found Tracy Williamson’s brand new devotional, ‘ADesert Transformed’, to be a refreshing and challenging read. I was delighted to endorse it with these words: “Tracy invites us to sit a while and hear the assurances of the God who holds us in our wilderness times as well as in easier times ... the rich words and reflections on Scripture in this devotional will be a blessing to the weak and weary.” It’s certainly been a blessing to me.

So I’m off to take my own advice, now. To go read more 😊

Do leave some of the #ACW books that have inspired you in the comments!

Liz Carter is a writer and blogger who likes to write about the times life doesn't go as planned, and how there are treasures to be found in darkness. You can buy her first book, Catching Contentment, here.

Photo by Steve Johnson on Unsplash