Turning a Bad Day Around

My mother-in-law is very ill. She has good days, and she has bad days. On good days, it's like old times where she's happy, and content. On bad days, she can be downright mean. We all like the good days better than the bad days!

As writers, we also like the good days better than the bad days. The nice thing is, a bad day can be turned around, and can be salvaged. There are many times that I'm in a non-writing mood where I don't want to turn on my brain and write. But if I force myself to do it, I can make those non-writing days a semi-productive, or even a completely productive day.

Sitting down to write doesn't mean that we have to work on our novel or on our short story. Sitting down to write sometimes means getting our feelings down on paper, or daydreaming about something pleasant, or getting to know our characters or our setting better.

Writing can take many forms, and just because we aren’t working on something we will submit for publication, it doesn't mean that we’re having a bad day. I struggle to write almost every time I sit down in front of my computer. I struggle with wanting to write every day. It's not always a pleasant experience, so I tell myself that fifteen minutes is all I need. When fifteen minutes are over, I know I can stop. More often than not, I continue writing because something good is getting out.

Sometimes I write about someone who annoys me, and find that personality ending up in one of my characters. Sometimes I write about a place that I'd like to return to, and find a new setting for a story. Sometimes I write about my favorite food, and suddenly my characters are eating it. Whatever you put down on paper might come in handy down the road.

Even if the day doesn't feel right for writing, it doesn't hurt to sit down and try. You never know what will come of it.