Stuck in a Writing Rut

Coffee cups up if you’ve experienced a writing rut from time to time. Before drafting this article, I was in one of those ruts. I’m not yakking about writer’s block here, the kind writer’s experience when drafting their manuscript or other narrative or when writers get stumped trying to fill in the nuts and bolts. If you’re experiencing the dreaded writer’s block, click the blue link above to learn how to tackle that sneaky magilla. In this article, I’m speaking about a detour in my stream of consciousness, a lack of spanking new thoughts.

What the heck? I’ve always been chock-full of fancy notions and innovative ways to spread info and help aspiring authors and writing newbies. In fact, I used to have so many ideas swirling around my brain I was drafting new articles left and right like a maniac with no off button. I was three months ahead. What happened? Was my intense love affair with writing over? Crap! This was a first. I was in a writing-ideas drought. Yikes, I found myself navigating unknown territory, fresh out of blog article ideas, and feeling like I wouldn’t meet the self-imposed deadline to post a new article. Oh, the horror and drama.

I had to get back in the groove. Then it clicked when I heard the song, Shooting the Moon, by OK Go. One line in particular, a very simple line, was the catalyst that jumpstarted my typing. "Don't get hung up on it, just soldier on with it . . . ” Solid advice. I needed to stop overthinking this dilemma; stop focusing about the scarcity of ideas and do something else, anything else.

Whenever I find myself overwhelmed or confused about next steps, I get my mindfulness on. Mindfulness is a mental state anyone can reach by tuning into the present moment and being ultra-aware of one's feelings and thoughts. It’s about the acceptance of those feelings and thoughts without judgement or interpretation.

I took a moment to sit with my feelings. I quieted my mind, centered myself, relaxed my body parts from head to toes, and concentrated on purposeful breathing. I released tension and welcomed serenity. I accepted that I had no new article ideas, and I didn’t judge that or put myself down. Manifesting a new blog article idea was just what the writing doctor ordered. I visualized this writing goal without limiting myself to just one article idea and I envisioned a positive outcome. Best case scenario - I’d be flooded with tons of ideas and be back in the writing saddle in no time.

While relaxing in the calmness of the moment, the line of that song kept banging me upside the head. "Don't get hung up on it, just soldier on with it . . . ” Hmm, this resonated with me bigly. Lightning struck. I was back in business. Yay, me! My current writing rut was a great idea for an article. I couldn’t be the only one ever stuck in an idea rut so maybe my experience could help other writers with their problems.

I grabbed my trusty laptop and a cup of coffee because caffeine always helps. Since lists are my thing, I created one by brainstorming words associated with being in a rut. Pretty soon words turned into sentences, sentences turned into paragraphs, and paragraphs turned into this article.

After breaking my arm, patting myself on the back at my accomplishment, I pivoted to the next month’s upcoming Blog and Writing Tip articles. I scrolled social media to spark ideas and find inspiration. New ideas streamed to the surface.

I also remembered that while engaging in mindfulness and meditation, recurring outdoor scenes kept positioning themselves front and center. A dose of Mother Nature was just what I needed. I grabbed my dog’s leash and took her on a long walk. We stepped over a carpet of polynoses and a plethora of anthills, and breathed in pollen that got stuck in my throat. Lovely. Look for the positive, I told myself. The warm sun felt energizing, and more ideas sizzled.

I followed up with a workout. Crunches led to step lunges and that led to relaxing in the back yard while streaming my favorite songs. That’s always an uplifting and positive answer to a dragging of ideas. I sang loud and proud! then bing, bang, boom, ideas dropped like a hot new song.

Following my own suggestions and advice that I preach to readers of wordytips.com and followers of Wordy Tips & Tidings social media, I took inspired action. I opened Word documents for each new idea to make them real and hold myself accountable. The week commenced with me drafting a number of articles simultaneously. I’m back in the writing game. Hallelujah!

Being in an idea writing rut doesn't have to be the end of article writing. I got out of my own way and out of my rut, and you can too.

Find your catalyst, your release, your inspiration. Change the negative voices in your head that hold you back. If I can do it, you can too. No one has to be stuck in a rut for any length of time. Mindfulness, meditation, and manifestation are underrated. Anyone can do it. There’s no wrong or right way. Try it. It may lead to amazing and joyous writing.