How to Rekindle Your Romance with Writing

Do you remember the day you learned that you could write from home to earn a little (or a lot of) money? You may have fallen in love with the idea the minute you realized you could work in your pajamas, peruse foreign topics, or take a day off whenever you felt like it.

Unfortunately, even the most talented, diligent writers have days when they just can’t bear to write. You might even feel like you have lost that loving feeling for your job, especially if you have recently dealt with extensive revisions. Although it might seem impossible, you can rekindle your romance with writing.

Take a Trip Down Memory Lane

Few things are more frustrating than staring at a blank screen or reading through a revision request that you simply don’t understand. However, before you decide to file for divorce from your writing career and start researching brick and mortar jobs, take a trip down memory lane when it comes to your journey as a professional.

Think about why you decided to write in the first place. Perhaps you fell in love with the satisfaction of creating something new or sharing your voice with others. Or maybe it was the chance to make more money while staying home with your kids.

Believe it or not, a study conducted by the National Endowment for the Arts found that writers are more educated and earn more money than their peers. On average, writers earn a median income of  $44,792, while the rest of the American workforce earns around $39,280 annually. Not only is your earning potential higher, but as a freelance writer you work according to your own schedule and you have the opportunity to work for multiple employers—as opposed to your peers who might be bound by strict non-compete contracts, deadlines, and weekly schedules.

After reflecting on the positive aspect of writing, you may find renewed passion and appreciation for your work.

Invest in Your Writing

In any good relationship, you have to be willing to change for the better—and writing is no different. Those revisions might seem redundant, but you have to consider the possibility that your editor is right. Instead of continuing to make the same mistakes repeatedly, don’t be afraid to make some changes. Invest time to improve your craft and the writing experience.

Review your most recent revision requests and make a list of things that you should work on. Do multiple reviewers comment on your lack of creativity, comma problems, or word usage errors? How long has it been since you reviewed grammar rules and style guidelines?

Consider taking a day off just to learn more about writing. Read through the grammar tutorials on the WritersDomain blog. Take an hour to research common colloquialisms or industry jargon. By taking the time to learn more about language, evaluate your writing, and correct your mistakes, you will write more confidently.

Don’t Be Afraid to Try New Things

Sometimes as a writer, life gets a little monotonous. After your alarm goes off, you might grab your laptop, fire it up, and start writing the first thing you can think about when you snag that “air conditioning repair” keyword. If you are like most writers, you might even have a go-to angle or a list of sources to use for facts and figures. Unfortunately, this approach to writing kills your creativity.

To keep your relationship with writing spicy, try new things. Mix things up by trying creative writing or journaling in your free time.  Experiment with a different tone. Build your vocabulary and try to use new words in your writing. Work from your kitchen table instead of your bed.

When you try new things, you revitalize your craft, see old topics in a new light, expand your expertise, and help your words jump off the page.

Be Kind—To Yourself and Your Writing

If you’re like us, you probably need some help loving writing. Even though it’s likely something you’ve known for so long, that doesn’t mean it always comes easy. We hope you never give it up, though! Because we love having you with us at WritersDomain.

One of the hardest things about being a writer is the relationship you have with yourself. When something doesn’t work or a piece gets sent back, you might beat yourself up or completely toss that carefully crafted article. All because of a few minor problems.

However, if you really want to rekindle your romance with writing, you need to focus on being kind—to yourself and to that article. You had to be a good writer to get your writing job(s) in the first place. Hundreds, if not thousands, of your pieces have already been submitted, screened, accepted, and published. You are a professional writer who does a great job.

The next time you get a significant revisions or see a dreaded rejection, don’t let it discourage you. Most importantly, don’t take it personally. The editor isn’t saying that you are a bad writer. They are saying that the piece wasn’t right for a client or that the piece needed more work before publishing.

Look at revisions and rejections as opportunities to make things better and to learn from your mistakes. Analyze that revision and make your piece incredible. Take that rejection, figure out where you went wrong, rework your piece, and resubmit it in the future. By staying calm and correcting your mistakes, you can create a positive work environment for yourself—so that you can fall back in love with those letters.

Don’t give up on yourself or your writing career. By investing a little time into your writing and bravely trying new things, you can invigorate your daily routine, enjoy fewer issues, and rekindle your romance with writing.