Getting My Writing Mojo Back

I have been working on a goal, over on 43Things, of getting my writing mojo back. That's part of what this blog--which I've been doing for more than a year now-- has been about. Keeping my creativity going while I denied, then gave into, then got over a brand of depression about my first novel being rejected and my not knowing how to fix it.

I think that this past weekend in Lone Pine really pushed me over the edge from okay-I’m-writing-regularly-again, to the-mojo-is-back! I wrote on rocks, between rocks, under trees, in a coffee house. Last night I wrote two single spaced pages of what will probably be a personal essay based partly on my experiences over the weekend. I can’t wait to get back to it.

What’d I do to get my mojo back? Many things.

Pouted, cried, finally allowed myself to mourn the rejection of my first novel, put said novel DOWN instead of torturing it or me any further (for now.)

Wrote what I wanted to write in various non-novel forms: reworked short stories, worked on personal essays, a secret project, poems, greeting card sentiments, long letters to friends, and my blog. Sent these things out to the world via USPS or the Internet.

Stopped complaining to my writing group that I wasn’t writing. That’s a self-fulfilling problem, because no matter how much I was actually writing, if I kept telling people I wasn’t, it felt like I wasn’t.

Started writing every day for 15 minutes, aiming for 7 days a week, but not beating myself up for missing one here and there. It helped me remember what’s fun about it and what can happen if you just show up, and how it’s not always great, but at least you were there. And I checked in daily for a while with my writing group, which helped compell me do do it.

Realized that I will write, no matter what. And that making art is it’s own reward in many ways. It’s all right to make money with it and to want to make money with it, but it’s also intrinsically good for the soul. Reading bits of The Resilient Writer by Catherine Wald helped here, too.

Signed up for NaNoWriMo, which sounds like good medicine. Got a huge rush when I saw my word count page on the site today. I’m there under the nickname SallyKitt, if anyone wants to buddy up.

Just wanted to say publically that I am reclaiming my creative health. No turning back.