5 ways to turn your midyear slump into a spark

Happy solstice! As midyear dawns some ideas on resetting your writing intentions. Launching our latest course, inspiration from Bernardine Evaristo & links we love.

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Jun 21, 2023

Midpoints matter. Whether you’re having a hump a day, hitting a wall, experiencing a midlife crisis or stuck writing the saggy middle of a book, slumps are inevitable.

When I worked on week-long writing retreats we had to steer our writers through the Wednesday Wobble. Doubts were more likely to descend midweek (it was also the day we recorded most first aid incidents).

Midweek wobbles

I experienced the wobble first-hand when I attended a writing retreat and ended up sobbing in country lane over my inability to structure a story. That episode made my approach to midpoints more intentional - I became a kinder host, looking out for struggling midweek writers.

Knowing wobbles exist means you can take action, however small. At the retreat centre we found that cake helped - the arrival of a Wednesday treat might be a tiny distraction but it can lift spirits; more so was the fresh energy brought by a guest speaker. Their presence at dinner increased the buzz of conversation and their reading brought a sparkle that transformed slumps into an inspirational energy that powered the rest of the week.

Celebrating solstice

Here in the UK it’s midsummer’s day, an opportunity for celebration, pagan ritual, dancing round the maypole, or pairing wellington boots with a kaftan for Glastonbury festival (my outfit for watching at home on TV).

For many of us the dawn of midyear breaks with the realisation we have failed to reach our new year resolutions. If you are contemplating giving up on your annual over-optimistic goals, the temporal landmark of solstice can spark a reset. Rather than delude ourselves with the promise a fresh start, we can use the reality of the past few months to make more realistic plans. Here’s some ideas how:

Turn your slump into a spark

1. Be kind - notice you might have fallen short of your dreams and cut yourself some slack. Life can get in the way, if so you deserve a midyear hug to celebrate getting this far.

2. Learn from obstacles - look back over the past few months to identify what got in the way of your writing. Having a slump is an opportunity to reflect, learn and make plans to deal with your obstacles in the coming months.

3. Dream - flood yourself with feel good with a visualising exercise. It can be a first step towards your goals. Check out last week’s newsletter, Does dreaming big work? for some prompts.

4. Reset your goals - the most successful goals are a mix of stretch and specific. Called optimal motivational goals these work at the limit of what you are capable of (the stretch) but provide a practical plan to reach them (specific).

5. Breakout of a rut - if you’ve hit a wall with writing, make a small change. You could scale back your steps, shake it up by changing your routine, or simply attach nice things to the writing process to make it less painful and perhaps more fun.

Happy Solstice! Whether you’re bathing in hours of sunlight or hunkering down in deepest, darkest midwinter, take this moment to set an intention for your writing self. Maypoles and wellington boots optional.

Keep going, Bec

Want to find more time to write?

We’re very proud of our brand spanking new Time to Write course which we’ll be telling you more about over the coming weeks.

In a nutshell, Time To Write is a 7-day online programme that will help you find a writing routine that fits with you and your life. You'll learn about the four most popular methods writers use to find time and design an approach that works for you.

If you’re interested, for this week and this week only we’re releasing 10 places at 75% off which means you receive it for just £12.25 instead of £49.

It’s first come first serve so if you’d like to enrol, use the code 75OFF on check out. Here’s the link again.

“Manifestations don’t work if you don’t do the work.” Bernardine Evaristo

Links we love

🔗 Ouch - this take down of Atomic Habits is brutal but in many cases deserved and also very funny. James Clear's book has sold over 15 million copies and is a much recommended book on habits. Have you read it? Did it help? Would you recommend? We’d love to hear what other books on habits hit the spot for you. Let us know in the comments.

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The presenters of If Books Could Kill would be my ideal beta readers, just imaging then dissecting my prose is enough to reign in the hyperbole. Follow them on Twitter and get an overview of the podcast from this Atlantic article:

🔗 The joy of journaling from The School of Life on Instagram “The true definition of a writer isn’t someone who publishes books; it’s someone who needs to write in oder not to fall into confusion and sorrow.” Read the full article Why you should keep a journal.

The School of Life