How to Reduce Writer’s

Stress and Stay Positive

By Edita Kaye

Writing is an elusive art form. You get an idea

for a novel, manual, history book, or anything

else, and you start to write.

It’s going well at first, but then you get stuck.

You experience your

first writer’s block, and

it seems like getting

even a single word on

the page is completely

impossible.

This creates stress, which creates more

blockage, and before you know it you’re stuck

in a downward spiral of self-doubt and anxiety.

So, let’s talk about how you can reduce your

stress, rid yourself of writer’s block, and stay

positive about your writing.

Deal With the Stress

Whether you’re

stressed about your

writer’s block, your job,

your family, your dirty

house, or anything else,

that stress is going to

create serious problems

for your writing.

Deal With the Stress

Entrepreneur Magazine has some pretty great tips

for dealing with stress, including repeating positive

affirmations to yourself and challenging your

negative thoughts.

Basically, if you let your stress overrun you, you’ll

never get anything done. So, take a breath, do

some yoga, and get your mind in a positive place.

Create a Routine

Once you’re feeling a little calmer, sit down and map

out a routine schedule for your writing.

Most people have to work their writing time into their

daily schedules, either before or after work and in

between cleaning, cooking, and daily chores.

If you schedule out your week and create a writing

routine, you’ll be a lot more relaxed about your

writing, and you’ll be more productive and happier.

Create a Routine

If you schedule out your

week and create a

writing routine, you’ll be

a lot more relaxed about

your writing, and you’ll

be more productive and

happier.

Take a Break

If your writer’s block still has you down, step away

from the project you were working on and take a

break.

Now, that doesn’t mean you should take a break

from writing.

Rather, pick up a book or magazine about writing

(we recommend Stephen King’s On Writing, John

Gardner’s The Art of Fiction, or Writer’s Digest).

Take a Break

Spend some time leisurely

reading about writing and

about new tips and

exercises you could use.

Before you know it, you’ll be

excited to get back to work

on your writing project.