Every morning, as I sit down to have a bowl of cereal, I open up an issue of Poets & Writers and get informed about what’s up in the national writing community. Also, I prepare to feel a little bit less of a writer once I flap the magazine’s back cover closed. Don’t get me wrong, I hold the magazine in high esteem and cling to it as another would a Bible, Torah, or Koran, but I also get a sinking feeling as I read page-after-page filled with successful writers who seem to have mastered the art of self-discipline.

Many of the featured writers discuss their daily writing routine, which indeed, seems to be daily. While some talk about squeezing in slices of time between packing their kid’s school lunches and screaming newborns, others say they stick to a strict early-morning writing schedule which begins at around six AM and commences right before they must head off to their full-time day job. As I read about these daily routines, I usually have the following train of thought:

a) These people are superheroes.
b) What’s their secret?
c) Why can’t I do that?
d) Why am I a loser of a writer?
e) Am I really a writer?
f) Would it make me a bad person if I scribbled ugly mustaches all over their photos?
g) These people are fucking superheroes.

When you’re not writing nearly as much as you think you should be, reading or hearing about how frequently other writers work is daunting and quite often discouraging. You know that you too should be writing just as much or more than they are if you want to one day be successful and published widely, but after reading all about them you usually just want to crawl up into a hole and start the self-pity parade.

Sometimes I try to ignore the sinking feeling that conjures up such strong feelings of inadequacy, and pull out a paper and pencil and actually attempt to write. The result is usually dismal as the green-eyed monster of envy and its ugly twin, self-doubt, hover over my shoulders.

I’ve read about plenty of solutions to this writing problem from forcing yourself to get up an hour earlier every day to keeping a journal where you can record lines, fragments of stories, answers to writing prompts, etc. I’ve tried these proposed solutions, and yes, they do seem to work but the problem is the infamous: it’s me and not you. The reasons for my not-writing vary from day-to-day:

a) I’m swamped with work or other responsibilities and am far too tired to write anything.
b) TV looks better than a blank page.
c) Other people’s books, stories, and poems are more interesting than mine.
d) I’m already afraid of failure.

I could go on and on, but ultimately I know that it is a writer’s responsibility to pull oneself out of this rut. Because if we don’t, we ain’t gonna get anything done. Then all our pretty little dreams will implode and we’ll be left with the same damn blank page we started out with.

I don’t think there is an easy solution to this issue aside from forcing yourself to pick up a pencil or open a Word document and begin writing. But that’s easier said than done. So what else can we, not-currently-writing-writers do?

Well, we can actually practice doing some of the following suggestions borrowed & adapted from Fuel Your Writing, which are also mixed in with some of my own ideas.

1. Make time, even in-between hectic tasks, and always carry around a paper pad & pen for random thoughts & scribbles (or the occasional doodle).
2. Have/make a writing friend you can turn to or join a writer’s community/group either in-person or online.
3. Start doing a writing prompt-a-day and don’t care so much if the prompts don’t turn into something more.
4. Hold yourself accountable somehow by setting yourself up with concrete, attainable daily/monthly resolutions and keeping tabs of your progress.
5. Get into a routine by writing something every day even if it’s not necessarily substantial or something you’d want others to see. It’s the practice that counts, not always the content, quality, or quantity.
6. Act like you’re a writer again and read literary blogs; read tons of books, stories, or poems; follow other writers or lit mags on Twitter or Facebook; start your own blog about your writing journey; sign up for writer’s workshops on or off line; and attend conferences.
7. Inhabit someone else’s state-of-mind/personality and dress & act like whoever it is, real or imagined. Write as they would, write using their voice, or just use their confidence to sit down and write as you. This might seem a bit extreme, but perhaps it’s the needed kick you need and hey, it might just be a fun adventure.
8. Don’t’ scare yourself out of writing completely by fixating on your “bad” days when you just can’t get the focus or drive to write. We’re only human so acknowledge the “bad” days and give yourself credit for what you have done and still can accomplish. You’re always worth more than your very worst days.

While these tips are all valuable to pursue, I think what we ultimately have to remember and continually remind ourselves of is the following: “When someone succeeds at something you desire, they are demonstrating that your goal is attainable.” I read this in some book or magazine whose name I have now forgotten, but the quote has always stayed with me and helped propel me forward in times of self-doubt. Although it’s not a cure-all, it contains a lot of wisdom and if we’d just take the time to stop and remind ourselves of the truth it holds then maybe we’d put ourselves in a good place to get back on the writing wagon. Actively practice putting yourself in the proper state-of-mind and I think you’ll find this, coupled with some other techniques above, will help recapture your passion for writing and keep those evil twins, envy and self-doubt, at bay.