10 Simple Changes to Make You a Happy Writer

Are you a happy writer?

You probably are part of the time, but we can all go through periods when we feel discouraged, unproductive, or uninspired.

If this happens to be one of those unhappy periods in your writing life, the following tips may help boost your writing mood.

1. To be a happy writer, clean off your desk at the end of the day.

Clutter is depressing, according to scientists. Several studies have shown that it can contribute to stress and anxiety, and may increase the same hormones that are linked with depression.

A survey by the National Association for Professional Organizers found that 54 percent of Americans are overwhelmed by their clutter. Of these, 78 percent let it build up because they didn’t know what to do about it.

If your writing nook looks cluttered, your brain will register that as discouragement, even if you don’t notice it consciously. Open space, on the other hand, is inviting and will call you back to your writing.

You need to stay upbeat and positive as a writer, so do yourself a favor and clear your desk after each writing period. Have a designated place to store your files, and give yourself some space on the surface to come back to the next day.

2. Visible accomplishments make a happy writer.

Writers often have to battle with self-doubt to persist toward their writing dreams. One of the best ways to do that is to consistently remind yourself of your accomplishments.

Head into your family doctor’s office and you’ll probably see certificates and diplomas on the wall. These not only help patients feel confident in their doctor but establish a foundation from which the doctor can do her work.

You, as a writer, need a similar home base. Frame those certificates you won. Print out the good reviews and positive comments and hang those up. Place any books or articles you’ve published on your shelves. Give yourself as many reminders of your writing successes as you can.

3. Set your writing intent the night before to be happy the next day.

You probably have to make a million decisions in a day. What to have for each meal. What to wear. When to exercise. How long to work on each project. What to do about any problems that come up.

Every decision you make works a muscle-like part brain. Over the course of the day, that muscle tires, until pretty soon the last thing you want to do is make another decision.

Unfortunately, this fatigue often strikes right around the time you’re supposed to be writing. If you’re not careful, it can stop you from writing altogether.

To prevent this from happening, set your intent for writing the night before. Decide when you’re going to write, for how long, and what you’re going to work on.

This eliminates the need for you to make a decision the next day when it comes time to get to work. It’s already decided, so all you have to do is follow-through. That’s a lot easier and will leave you feeling happy with your accomplishment.

4. A well-equipped home office creates a happy writer.

It’s really hard to be a happy writer when your chair hurts your back, your computer crashes two times a day, and your printer only works when it feels like it.

To be a happy writer, you need a comfortable, functional office that will make it easy to focus on your work. The most important pieces of equipment include:

• Computer
• Mouse and keyboard
• Chair

You don’t want to skimp on these three things, as once you have them, you’ll use them for years to come. Plus, these are the three things that if they’re sub-par, can ruin your writing day in a hurry. So find those that work well and help prevent hand, wrist, and back pain.

(More: 3 Tools to Help You Write Pain-Free.)

Other nice things to have in your writing nook include a printer, file cabinet, bookshelves, pictures, and knick-knacks that speak to you. Some writers also enjoy a whiteboard, a few green plants (they clean the air!), and perhaps a timer as well.

5. To be a happy writer, connect with your creative muse each week.

We writers can get so focused on completing our projects that we forget to refill the creative well. Then one day we realize we’re burned out.

You’ll be a lot happier if you regularly feed your creative muse. There are many ways to do that, and it depends on your unique makeup which will work best. The important thing is to schedule in that time so you don’t neglect it.

Some activities known to inspire creativity include:

• Walks in nature.
• Immersing yourself in other arts (at an art museum or symphony concert).
• Allowing yourself to be bored. (Boredom creates space in the brain, inspiring creative thought.)
• Indulging in creative play, such as occurs when you work with play-dough, finger paint, color, or build something with Legos.

6. Maintain your focus by refusing to compare yourself to other writers.

Comparisons are almost always discouraging. We tend to see the other writers’ successes as greater than ours, without realizing the struggles that went into those successes.

Unfortunately, with social media, it’s easier than ever to compare ourselves to other writers and to decide we’re coming up short. It’s only human to compare, so the solution is to leave others out of it, and compare yourself to yourself.

To do that, set up three points on your writing journey—where you :

1. were in the past.
2. are now.
3. want to be in the future.

Anytime you start comparing yourself to another writer, redirect your thoughts to your own progress. Have you reached the goals you set for yourself? Have you made progress in the last year, or last five years?

Setting goals, keeping writing logs, and making your accomplishments visible can all help when it comes to measuring your progress.

By the way, there’s nothing wrong with kicking yourself in the seat when you realize you haven’t done as much over the past year as you wanted to. Sometimes a comparison with another writer can promote this type of positive self-reflection if you’re careful to avoid getting down on yourself. Simply use the observation as an opportunity to self-correct.

7. To maintain a happy writer mood, unplug at least once a week.

The longer you spend on social media, the more at risk you are for depression. In a 2020 study, young adults who increased their use of social media were found to be significantly more likely to develop depression within six months.

According to research from the University of Pittsburgh Brain Institute, the use of multiple social media platforms is also more strongly associated with depression and anxiety than the use of one or two for longer periods.

Yet we can’t avoid social media entirely if we want to build our author platforms and reach more readers. Used in moderation, social media can be fun while providing us with a helpful networking tool. The key is “moderation.”

Give your brain and your mood a break by unplugging from social media and other forms of online social interaction at least one day a week.

8. You need a submission schedule to be a happy writer.

Few things make a writer happier than publication. Yet many writers short-shift themselves by limiting their opportunities for seeing their byline in print (or online).

Yes, we all have tons to do and it’s hard enough to find time to write, but if you want to boost your happiness, set up at least one slot in your weekly calendar for preparing submissions. You can’t get published if you’re not getting your work out there.

Try to schedule at least one hour per week for submitting your stories, guest posts, books, and other materials. Don’t think you have to wait until you’ve written a book to start doing this. Guest posting or publishing short-stories are both effective methods for building your author platform, which we all know is necessary long before the book comes out.

(For more help in building your author platform, see Writer Get Noticed!)

9. Learn something new to boost your writing happiness.

Keep doing the same ol’ same ol’ in your writing life and you’ll find yourself feeling unhappy pretty quickly. We are creative people, which means we thrive on novelty. New experiences spark the imagination and get the creative muse singing.

A 2012 study reported that unusual experiences may be critical for creative development. When engaged in a virtual reality game, one group of participants experienced unusual and unexpected events, while the second group experienced more normal events.

Results showed that the unusual experiences increased “cognitive flexibility” or creativity more than the normal experiences.

It’s easy to challenge yourself with new experiences as a writer because the publishing industry is always changing. You can try writing something new like a novel in a different genre, short story, poem, or feature article, or do something different to build your author platform like guest posting, podcasting, public speaking, or producing videos.

There are also thousands of courses and conferences out there that offer numerous educational opportunities, all of which can introduce you to new skills you could benefit from developing.

10. If you want to be a happy writer, write when you don’t feel like it.

This may be the number-one tip when it comes to maintaining happiness as a writer. We’re happiest when writing, after all! But we can get into funks where we “don’t feel” like writing, or we’re discouraged or stuck, so we don’t write, but all that does is make us feel worse.

Writing is likely to make you feel better most of the time, so even if you don’t feel like it on any particular day, try to make yourself do it anyway. Even just five minutes can be enough to get you into the writing groove again.

(7 Tips to Help You Write When You Don’t Feel Like It)

How do you remain a happy writer?

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_{Featured photo by The Lazy Artist Gallery from Pexels.}

_{Sources
Decluttr. (2015, January 13). Survey finds 54 percent of Americans are overwhelmed with clutter and don’t know what to do with it. PR Newswire: press release distribution, targeting, monitoring and marketing. https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/survey-finds-54-percent-of-americans-are-overwhelmed-with-clutter-and-dont-know-what-to-do-with-it-300019518.html}

_{Increased social media use linked to developing depression. (2021, February 2). ScienceDaily. https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/12/201210074722.htm}

_{Ritter, S. M., Damian, R. I., Simonton, D. K., Van Baaren, R. B., Strick, M., Derks, J., & Dijksterhuis, A. (2012). Diversifying experiences enhance cognitive flexibility. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, 48(4), 961-964. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jesp.2012.02.009}

_{Using lots of social media sites raises depression risk. (n.d.). Brain Institute | University of Pittsburgh | University of Pittsburgh. https://www.braininstitute.pitt.edu/using-lots-social-media-sites-raises-depression-risk}