Writing Hangovers and Other Things I Forgot About
I stepped away from fiction writing for almost a year. For months, I focused on my vocation as a wife, my full-time job, and my own inner healing. If I wrote, it was for my parish bulletin. And then, slowly, quietly, God called me back to fiction.
So, here I am, a “stay-at-home-wife” (what used to just be called “a wife”) and trying to figure out this writing thing all over again. I thought it would be like muscle memory. There’s something to that adage: “just like riding a bike”. It doesn’t matter that you haven’t ridden a bike in a decade. Your body remembers. I thought writing would be the same.
I was very, very wrong.
What I Forgot
First of all, I forgot what writing everyday looks like. I forgot how to discipline my mind to focus on a creative task for long stretches. Recall, I was working as a secretary just last year. I was used to being interrupted, to having to set aside an unfinished task in order to pick up something more urgent. When I first sat at my computer with only the distractions I brought with me, I promptly realized I didn’t know what to do with myself.
I had to learn again what time of day worked best with my creativity (I could have sworn I was an afternoon writer but it seems mornings are what work best). I had to learn what distracted me, what didn’t, and what to do about it.
Secondly, I forgot how to develop an idea. I forgot what it was like to come up with not only a question but also a burning need to answer said question. Principles of worldbuilding and character development all flew out the window. It was like someone dropped me into a kitchen and told me to bake a red velvet cake, but I couldn’t remember the recipe.
I had to experiment with outlining and deal with false starts before I finally landed on a method that worked for a time. It’s no longer working. Back to the drawing board.
Finally, I forgot what it was like to really finish something. Finishing up a short story is one thing. But finally finishing a longer piece, that hits different for some reason.
When I finished the rough draft of Under the Roses, a strange feeling came over me. It was sadness mixed with fatigue and relief. My thoughts were sluggish. The last thing I wanted to do was pick up something else to write.
And then I remembered, This is a writing hangover. I’d forgotten about those. I’d forgotten what I did to get over them. Did I rest? If so, how long? But I couldn’t rest too long. I had other things to write. I still had my chaos novel to pick at.
I celebrated, gave myself a little time to relax, and then went back at writing again. What did I do before when I had a writing hangover? No idea.
What I Have Learned
There is a small list of things I have learned since picking back up the art of writing. Perhaps these are things I had known before but only needed to learn again. Either way:
Give myself grace. Not all days are great days but that’s okay.
Listen to my body. That includes my brain. When I fight myself, nothing gets written.
I need to go outside regularly and touch grass to remind myself I am human.
New things are scary. Try them anyway.
Let prayer inform my writing and let writing inform my prayer. Prayer is conversation with God and I cannot write anything without Him.
Community is vital. Find it.
I don’t know if this little article is in anyway helpful, but I just wanted to share where I am in my writing at this moment. I wonder where I will be next year. I can’t wait to find out.