5 Tricks for Writing When You Are Exhausted

I’ve started a new novel and usually the first 50k always takes longer to write because I’m finding my new rhythm, learning more about the characters and trying to remember every detail. But this round, trying to meet my daily word count goals has been so much harder due to extreme exhaustion. And now that I’m well into my second trimester, I’m catching a glimpse of that promised golden time when I start to feel alive again and am not falling asleep three times a day. Now, it’s just once 🙂 So, I figured I’d share what tricks I’ve learned these past months to be as productive as possible when exhausted beyond belief.

1. Find your “good” time of the day. Thankfully, since I only work part-time I can write during the day most of the week. I found, through trial and error of falling asleep on the keyboard, that 2pm is my writing time. When the clock hits 2pm, I better write until my fingers fall off because that is my best time of day and my energy won’t reappear unless it happens to be a good day.

2. Eat a healthy snack while you work. I never really realized before how much food can effect my writing time, but if I have a healthy snack, my energy goes up! (I’m munching on watermelon as I type.) Also, hot tea is great because it still has caffeine but is a bit healthier than coffee. (Coffee lovers, I used to love coffee. Like 90% of my body was made up of coffee, so imagine my surprise to find that pregnancy makes coffee almost gag me these days?? Nooo! I suppose it’s good for baby, but I mourn my dear friend Mrs. Coffee who would visit me once to twice a day every day without fail and we would sometimes meet up at Starbucks for a nice writing session. Now it’s me and Miss Tea who meet up.)

3. Put on your makeup/dress nicely. Strange, yes, but I found that when I put on my make-up and “get cute,” I feel better, more professional and more awake and actually have more energy for writing. Granted, my energy will only last for a maximum of three hours, but hey, baby steps.

Still falling asleep after trying these tips?

4. Visit a coffee shop. I find that if I’m still falling asleep after trying the above tricks, it sometimes helps to be around other people. Writing is a solitary experience, but having the hum of others around me helps to keep me alert and typing.

5. Use your sleepy time for reading. Grab your writer’s magazine or read over that writing craft blog to catch some last bit of inspiration/information before you drift off into sleep. Or, read your genre, which can be every bit as informative as a writer’s magazine to help you study your craft. After devouring two novels and taking several naps over the weekend, I’m feeling refreshed and inspired!

Hope these writing tips helped any exhausted writers out there! Happy Writing!

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