Some writers lack energy as they try to figure out why their writing lives or writing projects feel stuck or sluggish. They’re wondering where the energy is and how to find it.
Look for the energy on the page. Try to discern where there’s energy in your draft and where it runs out of steam.
And as you talk with others about your work, listen for the energy in your voice—feel where it rises up inside. If you find and follow the energy of your writing, you’re on your way to a satisfying writing life.
This podcast episode, originally recorded and published in October 2015, shows you signs that indicate a project has internal energy and includes ways to gauge reader response.
Click on the podcast player below and listen to this short episode (7:06), re-released especially for you here at Tweetspeak, encouraging you to do the work of a writer.
Related:
Writing Coach Podcast Series – Fill the Gap
Photo by Esmar Abdul Hamid, Creative Commons license via Flickr. Post by Ann Kroeker, podcaster, Tweetspeak editor, writing coach, and co-author of On Being a Writer: 12 Simple Habits for a Writing Life that Lasts.
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Is your writing life all it can be?
Let this book act as your personal coach, to explore the writing life you already have and the writing life you wish for, and close the gap between the two.
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Bethany R. says
Ann, I love how you help writers acknowledge that when you’re writing something low-energy and don’t feel the same excitement you had when you started out as a writer, it can be “scary and sad.” It’s a helpful dynamic to be aware of so you don’t become disillusioned with the whole writing life and think, “Well, I guess I’m not a real writer, or I’d feel in my element about writing anything.” No. Maybe there’s just not a natural vein of energy here. Like you mentioned, there can also be a type of energy in knowing you’re helping a client or reaching an audience – so it doesn’t necessarily have to be the topic that excites you. But I like this concept of keeping the antennae up for where the buzz is or isn’t, so you understand why a piece might be dragging, and what to do next.
Ann Kroeker says
I’m glad to offer you a way to measure what you’re doing and where you’re at. I’d love to hear how it works for you!