IWSG: Dude, Where's My Mojo?

After a project is finished (pubbed, queried, or trunked), a writer embarks on the next project.  But what if it just isn't flowing?  What if the words don't want to come and even when they do, you think they're a big pile of steaming doo-doo?  What if even after you edit and re-edit, the project just isn't measuring up to the standard of writing you think it should?

You may find yourself wondering, Dude, Where's My Mojo? 

It's not your mojo that's lost. It's probably either of these:
1) With every project you become a better writer and your standards get higher -- so you're letting your own more professional self-criticism get to you.
2) The "childbirth" amnesia syndrome. Your last project didn't start out great.  It may have taken you months or years of editing until you finally managed to squeeze that bugger out into the world.  But you've forgotten how hard and miserable it was, just like women who've given birth "forget" the pain of childbirth ('cause otherwise, they'd never do it again!).

Things that might help:
1) Read your favorite authors and books that inspire you.
2) Read some "how to" articles and try changing your technique or your approach to your project a bit.
3) Get your mind off it by working on a more manageable project like a short story or flash fiction.
4) Try reviewing new books in your genre. Sometimes finding what you like or don't like in others' writing can help you see your own more clearly
5) And my personal favorite: Eat chocolate.


You'll find your mojo was really there all the time.  Good luck!

This is a post for the Insecure Writer's Support Group, the brainchild of Alex J. Cavanaugh. It exists so the community of blogging writers can share and support each other, blog-hopping to cheerlead and commiserate. To find out more, visit: Insecure Writer's Support Group.