I Lost My Writing Mojo - the Story

I wrote a poem last month, indicating that I had lost my writing mojo. 

I Think I've Lost My Mojo!:

I am pleased to report that it is back, at least partially. It was quite confronting for me for a week or so. I sat down, looked at my list of a hundred or more potential titles, and failed to get past "Go" with any of them.

I could either force myself to write or accept that this happens sometimes. and take a rest from it all. Here is what I found out about my writing mojo.

A little bit of background.

I write a few stories and poems each week. I share them on Vocal, another writing site, and my two blogs. So far this year, I have not done too badly. I notice that some creators produce multiple stories every day. I'm not claiming to be in their league.

I've done well keeping up the pace. Since joining last September, I've written 231 stories. Not a huge number, but a steady pace. The last couple of weeks, my run rate has dropped off.

I have not been well with some sort of viral infection that has sucked the life out of me. 

My ex-wife has been in the hospital for over a month, initially admitted with cardiac problems. She doesn't have anyone else (her family is useless), so I have been looking after her place and visiting her. It is an hour and a half drive each way from where I live.

I have also been struggling with the fact that my 93-year-old mother needs to move to a high-care facility. It is confronting because people don't come out of retirement homes.

I don't say this looking for sympathy. Rather, I say it to remind myself that these are not normal times, and it is likely to affect what you do every day. Physical and emotional stress together will sap the strongest mojo.

The question is, what can be done about it? SA question that I asked myself last week when I sat down to give myself a good kick up the backside.

One option is to push through it; the other is to take a breath and have confidence it will return.

The 'die-hard, push-through-it' approach.

Most successful writers will tell you that you need to write every day. This makes it a habit. 

The downside to this is that if nothing is coming together, it can get very depressing. There is nothing worse than producing a story that no one reads. No matter how much you try to tell yourself you're writing for enjoyment, not the money, it still hurts.

If you have a depressed mojo, maybe trying to force stories in this situation is not a good practice.

A bit like sex, really; if your mojo isn't there, it's hardly going to be a memorable occasion!

The 'Take a break' approach

Even top athletes need breaks from training to rest their bodies. As long as it is not too long and for the right reasons, this has merit. It gives you time to think of new stories. You can also reassess what type of writing works best.

I hate being unwell, and I am not a good patient. A lifetime of pushing myself to achieve, even overachieving, means that I struggle to stay in bed all day. Breaking my routine is also tricky for me, but on this occasion, I did.

I stopped worrying about the fact that I was not writing. I forced myself to spend time doing nothing. It was foreign territory at first.

A couple of weeks later, I still face the same problems. But now, I'm not worried about my writing performance. I am sure my mojo will come back, or at least I hope it does.

If you've lost your writing mojo, try stepping back. Take a breath and wait. Hopefully, it will return, just like mine did.

Till next time

Calvin