“Unlocking Creativity: How the Zest of Lemons Transforms Ordinary Writing into Literary Gold”
Have you ever found yourself staring at a blank page, mind racing, heart pounding, feeling utterly devoid of creativity? It’s as if the universe threw a massive curveball—and not the good kind! Life can sometimes deliver unexpected punches. I mean, let’s face it: when life hands you lemons, transforming them into lemonade isn’t always the most realistic expectation, especially if those lemons come packaged with turmoil and upheaval. In my case, I had more than a few “honking big” life events that left me feeling creatively parched.
According to experts, experiences like death, divorce, or even financial upheaval can wring your creative juices dry, leaving you grasping at straws. As I stumbled through my own emotional maze, I found it’s not uncommon for writers to feel a choking pressure when life throws such strife our way. It was an uphill battle just to put pen to paper after enduring what felt like a landslide of struggles.
But, after much reflection and gradually rediscovering my love for writing, I’ve gathered some insights about the journey back. So, if you’re in a similar rut, I encourage you: be kind to yourself and embrace a slower pace. There’s light at the end of the tunnel, even if it feels dim right now. Join me as I explore how to reawaken your creativity after life’s challenges! LEARN MORE.
Getting back to writing after a big life event leaves you creatively dry.
Did life give you a lemon? By that I mean, did life throw a big event at you that forever changed your life? It gave me not one, not two, but three honking big ones last year. According to my therapist, and an article in University Hospitals, the five biggest stresses in life are death, divorce, moving, health issues, and financial change. I dealt with three out of the five. Yes, all in the same year.
Life gave me lemons, all right. But that old saying about making lemonade just wasn’t very realistic for me. Why? Because that kind of stress does things to a person. Research on stress and creative productivity shows that stress can have a negative impact on creative thinking, which is crucial for writing, especially for us fiction writers. When you’re in a heightened state of stress, everything gets relocated to just getting through your day and surviving.
Some find strength and comfort through writing in trying times. It can be an excellent outlet and a way to escape the harsh reality of whatever bitter (sour?) pill you need to swallow. But I’ve never been one of those (if you are, please share your secrets). My creativity, especially writing, wasn’t just suffering; it was non-existent.
It took a long time — almost a year — for me to even think about writing again. Today, it’s a slow and steep incline to getting back to where I once was, and I’ve learned a few things about getting back into the swings of things.
Be kind to yourself, go slowly
After a major life event, time suddenly moves differently. Things that used to take me no time at all suddenly took forever to do. Simple things like getting dressed and showering seem like an insurmountable tasks some days. An article like this used to take me less than a day to write, from concept to completion. Today, it takes me 2 weeks. How am I supposed to write an entire novel if I can barely make it through an article?
Slowly, that’s how. If you just keep writing one word at a time, it will eventually turn into the thing you want to write. It might not be as fast as you used to write, but that’s okay; that’s not the person you are anymore. Don’t beat…
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