I Lost My Writing Mojo - the Story
My encounter with writer's block
I wrote a poem last month, indicating that I had lost my writing mojo.
I Think I've Lost My Mojo!:
I am pleased to report that it is back, at least partially. It was quite confronting for me for a week or so. I sat down, looked at my list of a hundred or more potential titles, and failed to get past "Go" with any of them.
I could either force myself to write or accept that this happens sometimes. and take a rest from it all. Here is what I found out about my writing mojo.
A little bit of background.
I write a few stories and poems each week. I share them on Vocal, another writing site, and my two blogs. So far this year, I have not done too badly. I notice that some creators produce multiple stories every day. I'm not claiming to be in their league.
I've done well keeping up the pace. Since joining last September, I've written 231 stories. Not a huge number, but a steady pace. The last couple of weeks, my run rate has dropped off.
I have not been well with some sort of viral infection that has sucked the life out of me.
My ex-wife has been in the hospital for over a month, initially admitted with cardiac problems. She doesn't have anyone else (her family is useless), so I have been looking after her place and visiting her. It is an hour and a half drive each way from where I live.
I have also been struggling with the fact that my 93-year-old mother needs to move to a high-care facility. It is confronting because people don't come out of retirement homes.
I don't say this looking for sympathy. Rather, I say it to remind myself that these are not normal times, and it is likely to affect what you do every day. Physical and emotional stress together will sap the strongest mojo.
The question is, what can be done about it? SA question that I asked myself last week when I sat down to give myself a good kick up the backside.
One option is to push through it; the other is to take a breath and have confidence it will return.
The 'die-hard, push-through-it' approach.
Most successful writers will tell you that you need to write every day. This makes it a habit.
The downside to this is that if nothing is coming together, it can get very depressing. There is nothing worse than producing a story that no one reads. No matter how much you try to tell yourself you're writing for enjoyment, not the money, it still hurts.
If you have a depressed mojo, maybe trying to force stories in this situation is not a good practice.
A bit like sex, really; if your mojo isn't there, it's hardly going to be a memorable occasion!
The 'Take a break' approach
Even top athletes need breaks from training to rest their bodies. As long as it is not too long and for the right reasons, this has merit. It gives you time to think of new stories. You can also reassess what type of writing works best.
I hate being unwell, and I am not a good patient. A lifetime of pushing myself to achieve, even overachieving, means that I struggle to stay in bed all day. Breaking my routine is also tricky for me, but on this occasion, I did.
I stopped worrying about the fact that I was not writing. I forced myself to spend time doing nothing. It was foreign territory at first.
A couple of weeks later, I still face the same problems. But now, I'm not worried about my writing performance. I am sure my mojo will come back, or at least I hope it does.
If you've lost your writing mojo, try stepping back. Take a breath and wait. Hopefully, it will return, just like mine did.
Till next time
Calvin
About the Creator
Calvin London
I write fiction, non-fiction and poetry about all things weird and wonderful, past and present. Life is full of different things to spark your imagination. All you have to do is embrace it - join me on my journey.
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Comments (21)
I'm sorry for the hardships you have to face. I think what we go through in life influences our creative work, so no wonder if it dries up a bit. I also wonder how others write so much in one day? For me, a longer story often takes 2 or 3 days to finish and I rewrite it like five times in the process. I think it's good to take a little break from writing at times, like when doing sports - we need to have a longer resting time here and there and then come back with more power.
Wow, can I relate! I have been writing every day for a while now and even if I don't publish, it gets written. Those humps to get over with the writing slumps are tough. I will tell myself I am retired, and I am taking August off from work. Don't worry about your writing and then I think, I have to get some interviews scheduled for my book this month. Then it is, I have a planning meeting this afternoon for a public information luncheon. I'm meeting with someone I sponsor and have another meeting tonight. My next thought is - did I take the month off or not? My activity does give me things to write about. 😉😂🤣
This is quite emotional and engaging.
Congratulations on your top story, Calvin! Needless to say, you've endured a lot, so a break feels normal. Time to rest, body, mind, & soul will surely find you back to your old self in no time. But maybe you will come out on the other side better. What I mean is perhaps with a new perspective or thought process, or maybe even a list of new ideas. Wishing you well, that's quite a load you mentioned.
Glad you got your mojo back! Sometimes breaks are necessary to help you come back stronger 🩵
Relatable and raw—thanks for the honest share!
Thank you for sharing this so openly, Calvin. It’s a comforting reminder that even the most consistent writers hit rough patches—and that rest is sometimes the most creative thing we can do. Wishing you continued healing and inspiration.
Your words touched me more deeply than I expected—sometimes we write through pain, and sometimes we heal through someone else’s. Thank you for reminding me that stories like ours matter. I’m also someone who writes from a place of struggle and silent strength. Following you now—and I’d be honored if you ever visit my corner of Vocal too. We rise when we lift each other.
having a block for me is disasterous disastrousalong with the creativity , the objective thinking capabilities also go away ; emotions, whole being becomes a mess
I understand this very well. Seeing some people publishing multiple stories a day, especially when you are down and can’t produce even one adds to what is already going on in your life. For a long time I have seen some people publishing over 10 stories a day. A couple of days ago I was looking at the screen and simply can’t believe it: someone was the only person in my feed. I counted over 25 consecutives stories. That’s not a human writer, Calvin. That is someone generating stories and poems and with little to no work on them posting them as fully human written. That’s not someone using AI to help with research or with a comparison or with a question as one does with Google. That’s someone plain generating content. Not a writer, not a creator of any kind. Then you see some of those people getting TS and even winning challenges on V. So this is to say, don’t let that affect you. Of course you are not in that league because they are not writing anything.
Your words touched me more deeply than I expected—sometimes we write through pain, and sometimes we heal through someone else’s. Thank you for reminding me that stories like ours matter. I’m also someone who writes from a place of struggle and silent strength. Following you now—and I’d be honored if you ever visit my corner of Vocal too. We rise when we lift each other.
It's okay to take a break sometimes dear, so don't be overworried
I think it’s probably important to just feel how you feel- you have a lot going on , especially when it concerns people you care about. Writing will always be there when you are ready/can even if it doesn’t feel like it sometimes 💜
can you support me i can support you
Back to say congratulations on your top story 🎉🥳
It sounds like you have a lot going on, which will legitimately put the brakes on any activity you spend a lot of time doing. Finishing and polishing may be what is holding you back right now. I don't subscribe to the belief that writing every day means publishing every day. Especially on Medium and in my docs, I have hundreds of drafts and always have tons to work on, but I don't always publish something. Perhaps you can try writing, but not worrying about when you'll publish. Sorry to hear things are tough right now. 🫰
interesting story btw
It sounds like you have a lot going on, so don't be hard on yourself. I experienced the same to a very minor degree today. I'm feeling very rundown and didn't know what to write about, so I decided to take a break for today. Hopefully I'll feel more inspired tomorrow.
I have written about this, and I know how hard it can be to move on with things after family and health take their toll. But you are still moving and putting it all down. Keep going! ✍️
Awe so glad it’s back I love reading your stories your the best ♦️🦋♦️🏆🙏
Sorry to hear about your mum, I know what you mean, but glad that you have beaten your writer's block. It happens to us all