How to Write When You Don't Feel Like It by Rachel Jendrzejewski
PART 1. TRANSITION
“Only by learning to live in harmony with your contradictions can you keep it all afloat .” -Audre Lorde
If you’re like me, and you do anything else in your life besides write—be it work another job, take care of children, spend time with a partner, etc.—it can be difficult to go straight from those experiences into writing. For me, especially if I have been engaging with the news cycle or social media or tight finances, it can be difficult to shift from the spinning of that headspace to looking at a blank page and trying to access language—even if that spinning is a reality I’d like to address through writing. So I find that a really intentional, deliberate transition is necessary. Over time, I’ve also realized that I like this transition to be physical, sensual—actually getting AWAY from language and conscious thinking, and instead tuning into the rest of my body.
Some things that tend to work well for me include:
- Taking a walk, ideally near water and/or forest (though sometimes city streets do just fine)
- Yoga
- Cooking a meal and washing up, the whole routine
- Taking a long hot shower or bath
- Burning a candle
- Taking a nap
- Laying on the floor, stretching or just being still for awhile
In all cases, it is important that I put my phone on silent!!
Exercise: Take five minutes (set a timer) and reflect a bit on what transitions might look like for you. Make a list. Write down anything that you already know works for you, or has worked for you in the past but has fallen away. If you are thinking about this for the first time, or in a new context or new setting, do a brainstorm of what you think could be worth trying, knowing what you know about yourself. If you feel like you’ve written down all of your ideas but the timer hasn’t finished, try to think of at least five more options.