Insecure Writer's Support Group: It's okay to NOT write

So, my husband got laid off at the end of September. I don't need to tell you that's bad, but it's particularly bad in our case as his job paid about, oh... 100% of the bills. And gave us health insurance.

I am trying very hard to not say very mean things about his former employer.

As you can imagine this has ground my writing to a near halt. I've managed a few 200-word stories, but I haven't had the mental energy to attempt another chapter of Arctic Curse.

And I have been okay with that fact.

I used to get eaten up by guilt whenever life got out of control and shrank my writing time. I would lament not being able to write under pressure like other writers I knew. I hung my head when I had no word counts to post on Twitter. The guilt was so heavy, and as a result, I'd write even less. Too much mental energy was being consumed by the guilt.

Learning to let that guilt go and tell myself that it was okay not to write helped me to write during tough times. It wasn't a lot of writing. Sometimes it would just be editing.

But it was something and that was better than a big fat zero guilt-tripping myself caused.

This month for IWSG I want to tell anyone out there struggling to write that it's okay if you didn't write today. Sometimes life needs 100% of your focus and you have to put writing on the back burner. It's okay. The stories will wait for you. If you're worried about forgetting details, make notes. Arctic Curse has a summary of what I want the story to be at the top so when I can finally get back to it, I know what to do.

Another thing to consider is this time away might give you ideas that are better. Consciously you are running around like a chicken with your head cut off, but in the back of your mind, your muse is quietly working on the story. It's like when you hit a road block in your story and you have the solution come to you hours later when you are doing something else.

It's going to be okay. You're writer. Life can only stop the words for a time. Eventually they'll flow again.

Today's post was part of the Insecure Writer's Support Group.

Created by the ninja captain, Alex J. Cavanaugh, it's a group for writers struggling with writing insecurity (AKA all of us) to gather and discuss their fears or to celebrate writing victories. If you are a struggling writer or need encouragement and friendship, join us. (Someone might have cookies!)

Remember to visit the co-hosts and give them a shout-out for helping. Nancy Gideon, Jennifer Lane, Jacqui Murray, and Natalie Aguirre!