What to Do When It’s Too Hot to Write
Lately we’ve had a respite from the heat here on the East Coast – but the Southwest is still baking, as are other parts of the country. And I’m sure we will have plenty of days ahead when it’s so hot my brain feels like it’s melting and my will to do anything evaporates and I flop on the couch like a fish on dry land (although with our humidity, it will feel anything but dry).
During these “dog days” of summer, it can be hard to find any writing motivation, and even well-established routines are hard to maintain. Sometimes summer is a great time to get big chunks of writing done, but sometimes it becomes even harder to squeeze it in around vacations and upended schedules.
If you find yourself struggling with the actual writing, don’t give up altogether! Maintaining a connection to your writing is key. Whether this is a work-in-progress or playing around to find a new project, you can keep moving forward, even if it’s just a few minutes per day. Remember, getting back into a long-dormant project or writing routine is much harder than giving it a lifeline. Below are some ideas for ways to stay connected when mustering the energy for a full-on writing session is too much:
Research
Everyone’s old favorite! Usually research is best done in two chunks: enough at the beginning to get you started, and after the first draft, to fill in the details and bring the story to life. If you make a habit of indulging in research too often, it can become a form of procrastination. But when you really can’t conceive of anything else, a dose of research can revive your interest in a project.
Character Q&A
Take this opportunity to interview your characters – about their opinions, or something that happened in their lives, or one of those existential questions like “What are you most afraid of?” Try to do this longhand, and just let the answers come. You may be surprised at what you uncover.
Inside Outline
Now is an excellent time to review your Inside Outline, and see if your scenes map out well, intertwining the Action Arc with the Character Arc. If the WHY or the BECAUSE are missing, now is the time to make some notes on needed revision, or think about upcoming scenes. There are other ways to do this, such as the Story Grid method, or Lisa Cron’s Story Genius method with Scene Cards. Experimenting with different storytelling methods can help you see what might be missing in your own story.
Mindmapping
One way to break out of a writing rut is to think visually. Mindmapping is a tool that allows you to make connections and brainstorm ideas in a non-linear way. It’s a great method for busting through blocks or getting out of a story rut. There are numerous apps available now, or you can just pull out a piece of paper and a pen (or for me, some colored pens). Write the main idea or question in the middle of the page, and circle it. Then create sub-topics and connect them to the main topic with a line, then branch out further with sub-sub topics, rearranging as needed, adding images, words, and so on.
Create Visuals
This might mean drawing a map of the places in your story, or doing an architectural-style rendering of a specific space, or making a collage of inspirational images such as characters, places, keywords, etc. The trick is to have fun and maybe get clearer on some details that will enhance your story.
Writing prompts
If you’re stuck on what to write, set a timer for 15 minutes and freewrite on a topic, or choose a writing prompt. You may have books with exercises or ideas (such as Natalie Goldberg’s Writing Down the Bones or Wild Mind). You could just open a book at random, write the first line you see, and then continue to freewrite from there. Or you could turn to one of the many writing exercise generators on the web, such as Reedsy Writing Prompts (or you can just Google “writing prompts” and come up with dozens of ideas). You can also open up a magazine and find an image, or even look at a picture that is hanging in your home and come up with a story around it. Again, the key here is to set the timer and just start. Let whatever words flow without censoring or thinking about it too much.
Read an old favorite craft book (or a new one)
Now is the perfect time to re-read that old favorite that fires you up to write, like Anne Lamott’s Bird by Bird, Steven King’s On Writing, Brenda Ueland’s If You Want to Write, and so on. Or you could read a book that is focused on more specific craft topics, or even indulge in a new one (I’m working my way toward Lisa Cron’s latest, Story or Die, that’s sitting on my coffee table as I write, doing whatever the book equivalent is of tapping its foot impatiently).
These are just a few ideas to get you started. You may think of others. These can be used any time you are feeling low-energy, discouraged, or unmotivated. Used too often in lieu of writing, yes, they can become vehicles for procrastination. However, I also think there are times when we all need to step away from the actual project at hand and mix things up a bit. These dog days of summer are the perfect opportunity to try something new without giving writing up altogether.
