GET UNSTUCK FROM A WRITING RUT.

How to keep the writing inspiration alive,

and the momentum flowing.

I’ve been thinking back to how I began writing…

AND HOW I’D pull myself out of a writing rut.

When you first start out as a writer you feel like the only thing that’ll stop you from writing is the dreaded ‘writer’s block,’ but what’s even more likely to fill you with dread as a writer is falling victim to a writer’s rut.

I’d always been dreamt of having a creative career, but I spent most of my life working as a lawyer - not one creative streak there. In my bones I knew I wanted to be a writer, and found my way to writing about my greatest connection to belonging - food. When I first began writing professionally, inspiration would strike at odd hours of day and night; recipes, stories and narratives would just flow. It seemed that my creativity and ideas were boundless, but then it happened, I found yourself in a writer’s rut where all my stories and ideas began to feel like they were mingling into one. They sound flat and well, pretty same-y. That’s when I knew I was in a rut. and I needed to pull myself out of it fairly quickly.

A writer’s rut is usually followed by a surge of self sabotage in the form of negative self-talk, a fear of picking up your pen, imposter syndrome and whole host of soul sucking mindset. You think you aren’t worthy of the title ‘ writer’ because you’re not writing anymore and then you begin to question whether you’ll ever have more stories to tell. Trust me, we’ve all been there - from the most novice of writer’s to the most experienced.

The way out of the rut begins from acknowledging the following:

you’re in a rut.
you can get out of it.
believing there is an end in sight.

What to do when your’e in a rut, and can’t get out…

You know you’re in it when you just feel like you have nothing new to give to the world with your words. You can’t focus or find motivation. You’re spending time counting your words and wishing you had more. You’re no longer finding any buzz from writing. Here is what I suggest to break free from the rut bug:

Ask yourself :

when was the last time you just wrote mindless words on a page without agenda?
when was the last time you did something just to inspire writing rather than force yourself to write?
it takes strength to accept a slump, walk away and come back to it, renewed.

It’s easy to just not write - we as writer’s are always finding ways out of the one thing we love; writing. Sometimes it’s fear, sometimes it’s laziness to push ourselves - but sometime’s its just that we feel wrung dry of ideas, thats when it’s time to shift the focus and be fearless.

Changes to make for focus and fearlessness…

Change where you sit, where you write. Get away from the usual spot and find a new one, this is an amazing way to refresh your writer’s mind. Write about another topic you’d never focus on, so not only change your scenery but also your landscape of words.
Change the time you write. I am a morning writer but when I get stuck and kick my rut with a change to writing time, surprise your inner wordsmith with challenge.
Change up the sounds. Do you write with silence? Well, add some quiet ambient music or an inspiring playlist. I love music that gives me goosebumps or feels like the soundtrack of the film that my stories might one day make. Close your eyes see the story unfold to the music. (check out my playlist below that I used to write many of the chapters in my new upcoming food memoir). If you prefer nature, step outside and write outdoors.
Enrol in a writer’s group or course. Or better yet enrol in a course that inspires other interests.
Stop writing because you have to. But start journaling mindlessly every day with prompts that inspire focused thoughts (use my prompts below to begin).

I hope this helps you get out of your writer’s rut and embrace the faith in the process of the creative wordsmith - it’s not easy but you’re not alone.