If you’ve  been there, you know exactly what I’m talking about. Sleepless nights. Confused brain. Wordless books. The evil blinking cursor on a blank page. It’s horrifying for a writer to reach this point.

There are ways you can deal with writing burnout when it happens to you. If you’ve reached that place of writing void, try some of these tips and see if they help you.

Take a step back. I’m going to say that most of writing burnout can be handled simply by taking a step back for a bit. Most of the time, when you begin to feel burned out by writing, it’s because you’ve totally emptied yourself of every worthwhile thought. You’ve probably burned the candle at both ends, so to speak, and are now dealing with an emptied writer’s well. Just take a step back for a day, a week, or even a month. Step away from writing and enjoy life again.

Refill your well. I’ve said this a hundred times, but I’ll say it again. Like my favorite writing author, Julia Cameron advises, it’s important for every artist to refill your well. This isn’t an option. It’s a necessity. It’s like breathing, or eating, or sleeping. You must refill your well. Every time you write something, imagine yourself pouring buckets of water from within yourself. When was the last time you replaced any of that? If your answer is never, then you’ve probably just pinpointed your problem. Get out and refill your well. Drink in from the waters of life. You’ll find new inspiration and ideas when you do.

Join a writing group. A lot of writers think joining a writing group only means giving and receiving critiques on pieces. Not true. There are many writing groups who enjoy meeting and gabbing about the writing life. Sometimes it’s good to just talk about your block, or why you can’t write. You’ll often find that you’re not the only writer struggling with this. And even better, you’ll probably find an accountability partner who will help keep you on track when you need it.

If you’re suffering from writing burnout, the one most important piece of advice I want to give you is that it’s okay to not write for a while. Just because you take a break from writing, that doesn’t mean you’ll never write again.

When you get sick, you see the doctor or take over the counter medicine to heal yourself. So when your writing soul is sick, why not take special care of that, too?

• Warning Signs Of Childhood Depression
• Stop Stress Dead in its Tracks
• Some Signs of Poor Self-Esteem
• A Quick Guide to Meditation in the Workplace
• Ways Stress Hurts You
• Ways to Spend More Quality Time With Your Family
• Blog About Your Weight Loss

I’ve made a huge, life-altering decision for myself in the last few days. It is something that is going to be wonderful and exciting, but I don’t want to share it here just yet. It won’t affect my writing, but I will have to say good-bye to some things I’ve been doing to make time for this.

If you’re scratching your head and wondering what in the world I could be talking about…well, you know what they say about curiosity!

For now, I want to leave you with this thought: If there’s something you’ve always wanted to do, DO IT NOW! Don’t wait. Don’t put it off. You might not have another tomorrow. So go for your dreams TODAY!

(I’m sure I’ll share more later, but for now that’s it.)

Go put your name in the hat!

**Updated**I can’t believe I forgot to add the link! *smacks forehead* You still have time to get your name in the hat. Click on the link above to enter Angela’s contest.

In the final installment of this four-part series, I want to talk with you about embracing who you are–as a person and as a writer. Some writers find it difficult to be in their own skin. Others who have totally embraced their calling as a writer share their ideas and work with anyone and everyone who will listen.

So how do you embrace who you are when sometimes you aren’t even sure who you are or what you’re doing? Try some of these tips that many other writers have used:

Follow Your Heart.
I’ve heard plenty of writers say that you can’t expect to be able to follow your heart with writing. They’ve also tried to tell inexperienced writers that they should expect to put in their time and be willing to write things they don’t necessarily like or enjoy.

I do agree with this, but only to a certain extent. While I do believe that you need to devote time to learn and hone your craft, I don’t believe you must sacrifice your heart’s song to make writing work for you.

Even if you must devote a certain amount of time and energy to writing things that bring the income, learn, practice, and follow your heart.

Write, Write, Write.
There are way too many writers who quit when the going gets tough. If you write ten books in twenty years and still go unpublished, keep on writing. Never give up. Keep on writing, no matter what.

Nurture Your Inner Spirit.
This is something I think we’re all prey to if we’re not watchful, and that is letting ourselves go. Though you should never stop writing, it is equally important that you learn to create a balance and give back to yourself.

A few years ago a good friend sent me The Artist’s Way. One of the requirements is to go on an artist’s date once a week. During this "date" you are urged to go alone and woo your inner artist with all things lovely. Nurturing your inner spirit is enormously important, not only to your health and well-being, but to your creative energy as well.

Network With Other Writers.
I can’t stress the importance of this enough. Get together with other writers. Truly, writing is a lonely world. You need the interaction with other like-minded individuals who can provide feedback, ideas, and support.

If you aren’t quite comfortable yet being a writer, I hope you’ll learn to embrace who you are and experience the full joy of it.

You must face these things head-on. You can’t run and you certainly can’t hide from them. Because if you are truly a writer, no matter where you go or what you do, they’ll follow you every step of the way.

For the most part I’ve conquered many of my own demons:

• Fear
• Lack of courage
• Not believing in myself

The list could go on and on. And I have a feeling if you sat down and listed every one of your demons, your list would be pretty long, too.

One thing you must know is that regardless of how hard you work to try to rid yourself of your writing demons, there will probably always be one or two that will haunt you. (If not, you’re better than me!)

I have one nasty little demon that is toying with me again. It hasn’t reared its ugly little head in a very long time. I even thought that maybe it was gone for good, but it isn’t.

To be honest with you, when it presented itself to me again, the first thing I wanted to do was delete this blog. I thought if I just delete the source of where it’s coming from, that would destroy it. But I know that isn’t true. It will just rise again from somewhere else.

This writing demon I’m referring to is one that makes me want to remove all current existence of writing in my personal name and write in a pen name. Its one that follows me and watches me day and night. It aggravates me and makes me feel like I can’t say anything personal because it could be used against me.

But you know what? I’m not going to let that writing demon win. Because the second I do, writing will never be the same for me. I shouldn’t have to run for cover and hide. I shouldn’t….and I won’t.

What writing demons do you face? Have you conquered them yet? Or do they still control you and your writing?

Whether you are a writer or not, I think we’ve all struggled to find our purpose in life. Writers seem to have an especially difficult time, as we clamber to discover what our purpose is for writing.

Maybe you haven’t dealt with this issue, but it’s something that haunted me for many years. Just when I thought I’d found my purpose in writing, I switched gears and jumped ship.

Why do we do this to ourselves?

For me, although I knew my purpose, life brought about circumstances and changes that felt nearly unbearable. All these things did a number on me throughout a period of about 4-5 years. I reached an all-time low mentally and physically. That’s when I decided to do a 180 and leave behind what I knew to be my true purpose and calling.

As you might know from reading my blog, I’ve been experiencing a shift in my mindset again. Things that used to seem so important to me have taken a back seat to my family. How will I know if I’m making the right decisions? I won’t, unless I just go with my gut and follow after what I believe is my life’s purpose for the writing I do and am capable of doing.

The funny thing is that throughout the years when I veered off-path and did what I wanted to do and what I thought I needed to do, I was miserable almost the entire time. I didn’t hate what I did, but I certainly wasn’t enjoying the writing process.

Now that I’m returning to my roots, I feel like a weight’s been lifted from my shoulders. It just feels right. I know deep in my bones I’m doing the right thing.

Finding your purpose is, again, much like finding your voice. It’s something that comes naturally. It can’t be forced. Here are some things you can do to help you uncover what your purpose might be:

1. Keep a daily journal. I’m a huge advocate of journaling, and for good reason. Writing your thoughts into a book can have a powerful effect on your life and your health. But not only does it provide a safe space to vent, a journal gives you a place to write your thoughts, plans, dreams, hopes, visions. Keeping a daily journal can help you realize what values you hold and your purpose.
2. Get out and help someone. This is a valuable lesson my husband has taught me. He’s always had a giving nature. If he meets someone who is hungry and doesn’t have any money, he’ll give them the last $20 in his pocket. The first Christmas we were married, we bought clothes and toys for a large family who had just moved and didn’t have the money to buy Christmas for their young children. I will never forget the look on that Moma’s face when I started taking big, black garbage bags filled with toys and clothes out of the back of my car to give to her. Giving back to others in need will help you understand what’s important in life, and your place in life.
3. Read like there’s no tomorrow. If I’ve heard it once, I’ve heard it a hundred times: You’re no writer if you don’t read. This is very true! I’ve always devoured books. Lately I’ve been pushing myself to try different genres. I’ll check out books at the library that I ordinarily would never look at, let alone read. And you know what? I’m finding some really great reads out there! For the last several years I’ve been on a self-improvement kick and have read a ton of non-fiction books. But it’s important to read an equal mix of genres, so you don’t get stuck into any one certain mindset when you read. Keep an open mind and try something different.
4. Try something new. Here’s another great tip. Do something out of the norm. If you never talk to people when you’re in public, go to Wal-Mart and strike up a conversation with three or four people. Ask about their kids, or their job. Chances are, you’ll have some interesting conversations, which of course give you writing fodder!

Many moons ago I worried about this very thing. I fretted over sounding right. In all truthfulness, I had absolutely no idea what a "writer’s voice" meant. And because I didn’t know what it meant, I worried even more over how to find my own voice.

Every writer possesses his or her own voice. It isn’t something you can necessarily create on your own. Rather, your writing voice is who you are. If you’ve ready my blog for very long, or any of my work, you have probably noticed I have a very down-to-earth, conversational voice. I tend to write like I talk.

I didn’t discover this overnight though. In fact, I’d say it took a few years for me to even understand what writing voice was, let alone understand my own writing voice.

If you haven’t discovered your writing voice yet, I am of the opinion that you shouldn’t worry about it. A lot of writers get hung up on not knowing what their writing voice is…to the point where they stop writing. Don’t do this to yourself.

If you attempt to force your voice, you’ll not only sound stuffy and weird, but your writing will begin to sound exactly like the voices you are mimicking. It’s okay to try things you like that other authors do, but don’t allow yourself to copy another writer so much that you start sounding just like him/her.

Several years ago when the Junie B. Jones series came out, I started buying them to read to my daughter. I adored Junie and couldn’t get enough of the precocious little girl’s stories. So I decided I would try my hand at writing a children’s chapter book.

I completed the first book and sent it off to a few friends for critiques. In the meantime, I developed a ton of ideas for more books with the same characters. After I received feedback, I decided to let my first book sit on the back burner for a bit while I wrote the second one.

A couple months later when I went back to the first book I’d written, I immediately realized that it just wasn’t good enough. The biggest reason was because I’d unintentionally imitated Barbara Park’s writing voice. My characters weren’t really MY characters.

The best thing for any writer to do is–you guessed it–WRITE. Practice writing what you love. Work on the craft of writing. Learn new techniques. Develop and hone your writing skills. In doing so, you’ll naturally develop your own writing voice, which is what you want to happen.

I’ve been thinking a lot about certain times in my life when I went through what seemed to be unbearable trials. Years later I can look back and see the lessons in those times. But when I was smack dab in the middle of it all, it was hard to see past my nose.

I think every writer has these moments. Moments when everything seems wrong and nothing feels right. Moments when you want to throw in the towel and quit, yet somehow you can never really seem to walk away from writing at all.

I also think some writers struggle more with these changes and lessons than others for one simple reason. Some writers learn to go with the flow and learn the easy way, while other writers try to rub against the grain, only causing themselves more pain and longer learning periods.

There are certain things a writer must go through at some point. This week I want to share some of these lessons with you, which include:

• Discover your voice
• Find your purpose
• Face your demons
• Embrace who you are

If you see something here that you haven’t been through yet, I hope I can impart some of my own wisdom to help you through your journey. If you’re experiencing one of them at this very moment, I hope you get that "AHA!" moment when everything clicks and you finally "get" it. And if you are a writer who, like me, has already made it through the hardest parts, I hope you’ll impart your own words of wisdom in the comments, as two heads are better than one.

Let me tell you right now…all those people who say writing is terribly hard are lying to you. Writing isn’t hard. Writing is easy. Those who say it’s hard think so because they make it hard.

There have been times when I said the same thing, "It’s too hard. I can’t do it. I can’t write anything decent." But it was also during those times that I’d churn out quite a few pages every day, most of which was pretty decent writing.

What’s even more interesting is that during the times when I thought writing was too hard, the biggest reason why I felt that way was because I had drained myself entirely of all creative energy I possessed. I worked myself to the bone, never stopping to refill my well or replenish my creative surges.

Make Writing Fun

The simple truth is that you have to make writing fun. Even more true is that there will be days when writing isn’t fun at all. It will be hard work. But the end results and the gratification you feel at having completed the work will be well worth it all.

You can make writing fun by…

• taking frequent breaks.
• brainstorming with writer friends.
• infuse creative ideas into your writing.
• sketching a picture of your character(s).
• creating a collage of certain aspects of your work to give you a visual goal.

Writing is easy if you make it easy. Writing is difficult if you make it difficult. Make writing what you want it to be. Love writing and it will love you right back. Despise it and it will return the heartache.

Do you think writing is easy?

I think I’ve placed my finger on the source of my discontentment. I’m growing really tired of seeing the same old same old around town. In Internet Marketing circles, I see the same messages time and again. And the places I once visited for inspiration or ideas have now become places that I just don’t even bother visiting anymore because they depress me.

What has happened to us? Are we so full of ourselves that we can’t stop to help others? Have we lost sight of our own personal visions? Are we relying too much on having others tell us what we should or shouldn’t do to the point that we can’t just make a decision and go with it?

I know this is probably sounding pretty rant-y, and I didn’t intend for it to be that way. I’m just really tired of the same old same old. How about you? Let’s start by making a difference today. Let’s choose to do something positive, something uplifting, for ourselves and/or others today.

Photo by roland

5 Signs You Might Be Writing Too Much

So how do you know if you’re writing too much? Maybe you think there’s no such thing as writing too much. Let’s take a look at some signs of wear that could point to writer burnout. See if you find yourself in any (or all) of these…

1) You wake up every morning feeling drained. One sure sign of burnout in any form is waking up feeling just as tired as you did when you went to bed the night before. At first you might blame your lack of rest on your bad mattress or your partner’s poor sleeping manners. But if you’ve been burning the writing oil from both ends lately, you might benefit from taking a look at your writing schedule and revamp it to make it work for you.

2) You avoid the computer as long as possible. If you’re a freelance writer and work from home to earn your own income, you know how important it is to show up regardless. If you are finding it more and more difficult to even look at the computer, let alone sit down and open your word processor to write, you might consider taking a break.

3) You don’t enjoy reading anymore. Reading is an intricate part of every writer’s life. You learn by reading. You get ideas by reading. You escape by reading. If reading doesn’t appeal to you any longer, you probably need a break from writing.

4) You offer your baby-sitting services to the entire neighborhood. Anything to escape from writing, right? If you find yourself getting roped into anything, just to give yourself an excuse not to write….yep, it’s probably break time.

5) You’re having recurring writing-related nightmares. This might sound funny, but burned out writers often experience dreaded writing nightmares. Novels with no completion. Clients harassing you. Agents dumping you. If you’ve been having bad writing dreams, you might need to take a little break from writing.

By no means am I advocating that you should stop writing altogether. But sometimes we need to take a break and get out into the "real world" where we can experience adventures that we can pull inspiration from for our writing later. Live your life to its fullest and you’ll rarely be devoid of writing inspiration.

When my husband told me he had to work all weekend, I was bummed. He missed Easter last year because he was working, and to be honest, I didn’t want to sit at home feeling sorry for myself.

One of my sisters and her family were planning a road trip to visit family in Tennessee. So at the last minute Friday morning, I decided to pack up my kids and hit the road with them.

As always, the first thing I thought about when I decided to travel was that I should pack a couple of notebooks and a manuscript I’m working on. However, being the only driver in my vehicle, that leaves very little time for writing.

My next thought was that I should bring along my mini tape recorder. I thought surely I could record some notes or thoughts on my trip that could be transcribed and used for something later.

And then I remembered an essay I’d just read in Cup of Comfort for Writers. The writer related a story of going on a road trip with her children. During the first leg of the ride, she wrote when possible. When it was her turn to drive, she called one of her sons to the front to transcribe.

It was during this transcription when she realized that she was wasting the beauty of the trip on making her son take notes and "write" for her while she was driving. Instead of just enjoying the trip with her family, she was focused on squeezing in every ounce of writing possible.

As I recalled this powerful lesson, I immediately decided to forget about packing anything writing-related. No books, no pens, no computer. No clothes and kids.

I can honestly say that I didn’t miss writing while I was gone. I enjoyed the quick trip and visit with my grandparents and family. I spent lots of hours in the car with my children. I had a good time and didn’t worry or think about writing for once.

It’s okay when a writer doesn’t write. Just because you’re a writer that doesn’t mean you have to allow writing to control you to the point that you can’t just let go, relax, and have fun. When this writer doesn’t write, she feels rejuvenated and ready for another round.

Take charge of the situation. First and foremost, you must be in control. You should never let any situation control you. Stand up for yourself. Be assertive. When you are in control, nothing and nobody can cause you to fail.

Forget about failing. If you’re one of those people who tend think about failing all the time, guess what? You will fail! I’m sure you’ve heard that saying, “You are what you eat.” Well, the same applies here. You are what you think. Focus on success, not failure.

Divert your attention elsewhere. When you get lost in that moment of feeling that dreadful fear, what do you do? Do you stand in it, allowing it to totally consume your mind and actions? Stop doing that! When you begin to think about failing and feel that fear coming upon you, tell yourself to stop and start thinking about something more pleasant.

Practice in private. One reason why so many people can’t seem to be successful at anything is because they haven’t practiced it. This may sound weird to you, but you should really give it a try. How would you feel if you were successful? What would you be doing? Practice these things in private. Pretend as if you have already achieved what you’re working towards. This combats fear of failure faster than anything.

Are you selling…

• hype?
• hope?
• prosperity?
• love?
• hate?
• malice?
• envy?
• joy?
• peace?

Every word you write sells something to someone, whether you realize it or not. Whether it’s an unspoken message or you come right out and say it, your words sell.

Think about this the next time you sit down to write something. Think about the message you’re conveying or the point you’re trying to get across to others. What are you selling?

Too many of us writers think we have to write what pays. Don’t get me wrong here. If you want to earn a living with writing, then sometimes you will have to do things you don’t necessarily enjoy. But this must be balanced with writing what you love as well.

See, throwing yourself into job after job of writing that is meaningless to you eats away at your soul. You will rob yourself of the pure joy of writing.

Write what you must. Then set aside 30 minutes or an hour to write what you love.

Writing isn’t like many other professions. Freelance writers face the screen alone. We don’t get to sit in a room full of other writers with lots of creative sparks charging the air. We have to charge our own air–alone.

It’s imperative to remember to network with other creative beings. Even if you aren’t necessarily a socialite, getting together with other writers provides a certain energy you need to recharge your batteries from time to time.

Take me, for example. I’m a loner by nature. I enjoy being alone. I’m an introvert. Being alone doesn’t bother me at all. But every now and then, if I stay cooped up inside too long, I start getting antsy. I get restless and irritable. Even introverts need to get out and be among the living every now and then.

Living deep in bayou country, there are no physical local writing groups. In fact, I haven’t found one yet within an hour or so driving distance from me. So I turn to writing groups online.

Networking online can be just as helpful as networking offline. Both have their advantages. With online writing groups, I get the benefits of meeting and interacting with other writers just the same as I would with an offline group.

The next time you’re feeling restless, make time to find yourself a writing group to become a part of. If you haven’t been able to find one yet, hold tight. I’m working on putting together a writer’s group of my own very soon!

If you haven’t discovered Writing Thoughts yet, it’s another great writing blog to add to your reading list. Check it out today: http://www.writingthoughts.com/

As you begin to build your own stock of information products to sell online, you may decide to use article marketing as part of your marketing process. It’s free and you already write, so what better way to market your products, than with article marketing.

Article marketing requires the 3 Ps: Persistence, Patience, and Passion. Let’s take a look at these…

Persistence

As I stated earlier, some people have the wrong idea that you can write and submit a few articles to reap big benefits. In the early days of article marketing this may have held true, but now you have to put more work into it than that.

You can’t write a few articles, then give up and quit if you don’t see immediate results. Some article marketers claim that some of their earlier articles they wrote 2+ years ago still net them web traffic and sales today. Why is that?

In most cases, when you begin article marketing, the more you write and submit, the greater your following will become. Also, as you become more well-known online, your readers will search for more articles from you in the search engines as well.

If you are going to market with articles, you must have a long-term plan. Otherwise, you won’t see much benefits from doing so. The most important thing you can do is set goals for yourself, including weekly, monthly, and even yearly goals.

How many articles can you reasonably write and submit over the course of one week? If you only have time for two, don’t set a goal of ten. You’ll only be setting yourself up for failure. Be reasonable, but be persistent. By writing and submitting those two articles every week, you’ll create a habit. Once you have that habit established, you can build upon it by adding an additional article each month. Soon, you’ll be writing and submitting 10+ articles every week.

You must have a plan.

Patience

I think this is the one that trips many who are just starting out with article marketing. Maybe you get the writing and submitting down pat, but you still aren’t seeing much results from your efforts. Lots of writers have stopped submitting their content to the article directories because they think their efforts aren’t paying off.

Here’s the key: You can’t expect overnight results.

Article marketing requires diligence and patience. Stop checking your article stats every three hours. Just submit your articles, and leave them alone.

Patience is a virtue I have yet to perfect as well. But you’ll only end up frustrated and irritated if you become obsessive about your article stats. Sure, you want to check in and see what’s happening with your articles. But don’t spend more time worrying about your articles than you do actually writing more articles to submit.

I read something last week on the Warrior Forum that grabbed my attention regarding this very topic. Another marketer said (paraphrasing) that article marketing shouldn’t be your end-all marketing tactic. You need to have other marketing techniques in play, in addition to article marketing. And I agree.

If you’re only using article marketing to promote your product or service, it will take a lot longer to get the word out. This should only be one portion of your marketing efforts.

Passion

Finally, you have to be passionate about the topic(s) you write about. Your passion will shine forth in the articles you write. Likewise, if you don’t really care about the topic, your readers will pick up on that as well.

Passion connects you with your readers. It forges a bridge between you and your readership, to help build long-term relationships.

Have you ever read an article or blog post online and felt it resonate deep within you? What did you do after you finished reading that one? You probably looked for more articles by the same author.

The same happens when you write passionate articles to submit to article directories. Some article marketers say they don’t put a lot of thought and effort into their articles, submitting the bare word minimum. But I strongly believe in writing high quality, passionate articles that your reader will not only enjoy, but want more of.

Do you use article marketing as part of your marketing strategy?