If you’ve lost joy in writing…

If you’ve lost joy in writing…

Of course, solidarity. Most of us who are professional writers go through that at some point. So you are not alone.

First, of course, we do have to acknowledge it. That ole GI Joe saying… knowing is half the battle. That’s our whole vibe around here. So, acknowledge, solidarity, awesome.

Second, we have to grieve that joy. It’s important not to stay in numbness, frustration, or denial forever. I did a “Why Is This So Hard” QC awhile ago where I talked about this… most learning curves come with initial joy and then fade.

Third, you have to know why it’s happening. Why is the answer to How. (Why it’s happening is the answer to How to fix it.) What’s broken?

Fourth, you *have* to find joy in *something* else until the joy for writing comes back. There is no other option. We cannot just continue to live lives with no joy. Especially professional lives. We have to find joy in something.

Good news. You can make joy happen. There are lots of resources out there about how to do that (the book, Joyful, is a great start). But joy. Is. Paramount.

Enjoyment.

So if the writing is not bringing you joy, find joy elsewhere for the time being. The joy in writing can come back. But not when the stakes are high. High stakes are the opposite of joy.

(And again, I say this a lot… things that are high stakes for others that *you* enjoy are not the same thing. When something, like skydiving, has high emotional stakes for someone else, but not for you, then it does *not* have high stakes for you in a way that takes away joy. You might love jumping out of a plane, but then try to be vulnerable, and suddenly, high stakes aren’t so fun, are they, George?)

Lower the stakes if you can, and often that happens by finding somewhere else to find joy for now.

Love you all.