How To Write When You Don't Want To
'I used to write only when I felt inspired. Now, I write every day.'
Welcome to my eighth essay in my 30th year series. At the start of every month this year I drop an essay on my journey out of my twenties and into my thirties. This will mostly be a free newsletter, each month, but any support is greatly appreciated - as it helps me do this (gestures to the Substack universe). I’m offering 10% off my annual subscription plan at the moment, grab it while it lasts.
If there’s one thing I’ve learnt in recent years, it’s how to write when I don’t want to write. My whole life, writing has been something I find joy in – something I’ve squeezed into pockets of time around the parts of life that come less naturally.
This year, the quantity of the work I’m writing has increased; from quite a lot to fucking loads. And so, it’s natural that when your hobby becomes your job, it might stop feeling quite so relaxing. Although being a writer has been a big chunk of my job for almost nine years now, since going freelance it’s become the main part. Most days, it’s still my favourite thing to do. But some days, I don’t want to write when I have to. Whether that’s one of the many features I’m working on at any given time, a poem that needs editing, copywriting for brands, SEO blogs, my Substack, or my WIP manuscript – words are due, even when I struggle to find them.
Writer’s block is a luxury my life can’t afford. I literally cannot afford not to write every day. So, over the last three years, I’ve honed a routine that works for me. This week,
’s ‘writing tips’ inspired me to put some of mine down on paper.My writing routine is, ultimately, a selection of tips from other writers I admire, cherry-picked and trialled until I found something that works for me. Maybe it’ll work for you too.
First up, the music
The perfect sound to write to is something I struggled to find for many years. I can’t do total silence, but I also can’t have anything distracting. Instead, what I’ve settled on – and I’m sorry if others find this unhinged – is playing one song on loop. I have five songs I pick between, and for each writing session (usually about two or three hours of solid concentration), I play the same song over and over again. If I’m in a public space, I play it on my headphones at a high volume to drown out any other noise. At home, it’s barely noticeable, a quiet humming in the background.
This is the current list:
My go-to is Crowded Places by Banks. And yes, I picture the scene from Girls where Hannah is singing this song in her car.
Tyrant by Beyoncé and Dolly Parton graduated from my gym playlist to writing, and it’s the perfect accompaniment when I’m working on op-eds.
Nightcall by Kavinsky, but the London Grammar version also works, I love for poetry or fiction writing.
When I’m in need of comfort, on the days I really don’t want to write, I pick House of the Rising Sun by The Animals.
Gracie Abrams’ That’s So True gets me through slumps and short bursts of writing.
The setting
When push comes to shove, I will write wherever and whenever I need to. I once wrote a breaking news story about a big celebrity death in a nightclub loo, at 1am. However, when I have the choice (and especially when I need some extra motivation) I’m selective about where I write.
Most of the time, I’m plugging away in various cafés across Hackney. Some of my go-to spots include The Castle Cinema, WAVE, Café OTO, and Uchi Bake. On a Thursday or Friday, if I’m meeting friends in the early evening, I like to set up base at a pub. I can’t drink alcohol and write, so I’ll order a tea if they offer it, or a bowl of chips if not. The pubs (again, all in North or East London, sorry) that tend not to mind me doing this are: De Beauvoir Arms, The Spread Eagle, Chesham Arms, and People’s Park Tavern.
If I’m at home, scent is a small thing that goes a long way. I light a candle or put on my diffuser, filled with the White Company ‘Spa Restore’ oil. It helps me relax and, especially if it’s on a weekend or evening, feel less annoyed that I’m home writing while my friends are out having fun. Find small, repeatable luxuries that make the process enjoyable: good coffee, water with a few ice cubes in it, a candle, a snack in reach.
Have a routine and plan, use tools to help
Writing is not always romantic. I have written more on packed trains than I have on cosy countryside writing retreats. If you have a deadline or a certain word count you want (or need) to hit, it will require planning, not romance.
Get a word tracker app: I like TrackBear and Scrivener.
Write in chunks: If you have two articles to write in an afternoon, block out your day in sections. Give yourself an hour in between, but plan what your break will be to avoid procrastination or getting distracted.
Prioritise: It’s easy to start writing a new idea instead of the one you’ve committed to (or have been paid to). Don’t do it, even if you think it’s brilliant. Write it down and return to it. Focus on what you’re meant to be doing – otherwise, you’ll just end up with a lot of half-formed projects. I should know. I’ve got two WIP book proposals and one half-finished novels rotting on my laptop. Why? Because I wrote them manically, while feeling “inspired”, when I was meant to be writing something else.
Write whatever your mood
The only difference between a writer and someone who writes is that a writer does it constantly. Someone who writes is sporadic. (There’s nothing wrong with being someone who writes, but if it pays your bills, you probably have to be a writer.)
You have to write all the time – when you’re exhausted, when you’re in a bad mood, when it’s a heatwave, when it’s snowing, when your head is full, when your head is empty. You have to write when it’s inconvenient. Accepting this has been the biggest shift for me in becoming someone who writes to a writer.
I used to write only when I felt inspired. Now, I write every day. I write when I have no inspiration. Oftentimes, that work is as solid as the inspired work. It’s a skill and a practice. And although I’d love to feel like a generational voice (lol), what I actually am is consistent and determined.
Remember that not everything you write will be significant
My career path has not been one where, at 21, I wrote an incredible book that got published and paid me enough to live off for several years. Alas, mine has required a certain level of churn.
I’d love to be mysterious, but my digital footprint is huge, and I’ve written hundreds of articles. Some of them I’m very proud of. Others, I feel indifferent about. One or two, I’m embarrassed by. This is something I’m learning to accept.
While I’ll always try my best and strive to be creative and thoughtful in everything I do, sometimes my job (as mentioned above) has required me to write breaking news features in nightclub loos. Sometimes, it’s required me to be a hot-take machine. Now, as a freelancer, I have a bit more control. But it’s a tough industry, and often the only way to get your work commissioned is to comment on the zeitgeist in 500 words; even if I’d rather be writing a 5,000-word essay on how to make the perfect miso broth.
I’m a pop culture fiend, so it comes naturally to do the former, and I have no snobbery about it. But obviously, a quick-turnaround comment piece is not as rewarding as writing a book or more evergreen essay, as it might only have a shelf life of three days. It has its place. But in order to do it, you have to let go of the idea that all the words you string together will last forever, or be cherished, or impactful.
Accepting this will make you much more productive – and far less caught up with perfection.
And finally, remember your why
When you reallyyy don’t want to write but have to, try and remember your ‘why’. That can look like just sternly talking to yourself, or re-reading your favourite book. Maybe even have a list of reasons in your notes app to pull up.
Thank you for this. My dream is to become a full-time writer and you made me realize I have to write like I already am. Which means doing it even when I don't feel like it and treat it like I am already being paid. Appreciate you!