Day 16: Ten Ways to Avoid Writing Fatigue

Hello Naners, today's word count goal is 26,667 and we're halfway through this crazy month. This is also about the time I start to feel writing fatigue kicking in. I'm loving my story, my plot, my characters, and yet, I'm exhausted trying to keep up with it all.

Fatigue, I assure you, is normal. These are those "pushing through" times I often talk about.

So, I thought I'd give you a treat and provide ten ways to avoid writing fatigue. You can do one or all of these and then come back to your story feeling renewed and refreshed for that heavy word count.

1. Stretch. Do yoga. Dance around your living room making a stupid sound.
2. Read a few pages of your favorite fiction book, even if you've read it before.
3. Play a board game with anyone.
4. Take a long walk and rather than thinking about the story, think about what's around you or what's for dinner.
5. Watch a sitcom or drama on TV.
6. Take a hot shower or bath.
7. Doodle on a sheet of paper for ten minutes.
8. Close your eyes and just breathe deeply and slowly, adverbly. Meditation can be powerful even if for just five minutes.
9. Snack on a fruit to take advantage of the natural sugars.
10. Draw a picture of a pirate farting on salad. (That's an inside joke and family favorite in my house, but a challenge nonetheless.)

I hope any of these help you limber up and refocus yourself so you can crank out scene after scene without letting you or your story go stale.

Which one did you like the most? Leave comments below.