What to do when you don't want to write

I don’t know about you, but I often sit down at my computer to write and I just don’t want to. I have my list of projects, some of them paid, some of them artistic projects that could be paid in the future if I just finish them, and all I want to do is check my email and look at Instagram. 

So, what now? I know it will feel good to write, or at least to have written. I know some of my livelihood depends on my ability to get into flow. 

But also… it kind of can’t be forced. All this rhetoric about discipline and pushing yourself to just do it… It’s counterproductive. You might bully yourself into squeezing out a few ounces of creativity, but it’s not going to make you want to sit down tomorrow. 

See, a creative practice relies on dopamine rewards. And not external ones like getting a “like” or a comment, but intrinsic ones. Yourself rewarding yourself for doing good work. You have to feel good about the work you’ve done in order to want to keep doing it. 

So, when I’m stuck in “I don’t want to,” here are 6 things I’ll do to actually get myself excited. 

1. Have a “dopamine” project on the back burner. In graduate school, I wrote a series of erotic memoir essays because every time I didn’t want to do other work, I would write something fun and sexy. Once the flow was happening, I could pop back over to the stuff with a deadline. 
2. Ask yourself, “What is blocking me on this project?” Often I won’t want to write on something because I’m bored with it. If I’m bored, then the readers will certainly be bored! I’ll give myself the prompt: “What could happen now that would actually feel exciting?” Maybe it’s a change in style, genre, voice. Maybe it’s switching the topic. Maybe it’s adding a turn– a new point of dramatic action. This applies to fiction and non-fiction. Make it interesting for yourself. You can always edit anything too weird later. 
3. Give yourself a small win. Set a timer for 3 minutes and write for that time. At the end of 3 minutes, celebrate. Literally tell yourself “Hell yeah, good job.” It sounds silly, but you just have to get the dopamine flowing. Then see if you want to go another round. 
4. Make your body more comfortable. Sometimes all it takes is a change in position. Recline, sit on the couch, move to the floor and put your laptop on the coffee table. Ask your body what it wants and then do that. Sometimes flow is literally blocked by the fact that your body doesn’t want to sit at a desk right now. 
5. Change medium. If you usually type, switch to writing longhand. If you usually write in Google Docs, try putting things in a mindmap like LucidChart. Look for inspiration on a walk, on Pinterest, even Instagram– just scroll with the intention of finding an idea, color, image, thought that sparks. Just stay mindful and when the inspiration strikes, close the app. 
6. Make a list. I love lists more than most things. When I’m stuck, I’ll activate brainstorm mode, which feels much more fun and light than serious Writing Mode. I’ll just list out 20 ways I can finish a scene, or 10 possibilities for an article. Get ridiculous. Keep going.  

Happy Monday and happy writing,

Joanna