When the Words Won't Come

I haven't written in my fiction book for over a month. And honestly? I'm not spiralling about it anymore. In this episode I'm sharing what I've been doing instead, and why I think it might be the most important thing I could do for my writing right now.

I get real about the slump and why this time feels different. Old me would have been forcing it, panicking, making it mean something. This time I stepped back and got curious instead.

I tell the full story of how a true crime show sent me down a Facebook Marketplace rabbit hole and into a stranger's house to find the most beautiful yellow vintage typewriter. It became something deeper than I expected, a return to the kind of writing I started with as a teenager, when putting words down on a page genuinely saved my life.

I also share how I finally caved and bought the iPad I've been eyeing for years, and how jumping into Procreate and digital art has reignited something in me I didn't realise had gone a little quiet.

The big message underneath all of it is this: if your book isn't flowing, go make something else. Anything else. Let your creativity breathe in a different direction and watch what happens when you come back.

Key Takeaways

Stepping away isn't giving up. Sometimes it's exactly what the work needs. Creativity feeds creativity, whatever form it takes. The path back to your book might run through a paintbrush, a colouring book, or a typewriter with no backspace.

"If you're feeling really blocked, try something new. Get your creativity online in some other form, and that will open the floodgates."

What's one creative thing you could do this week that has nothing to do with your manuscript? Do that. Notice what shifts.

Website: https://thedaringpress.com/