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If you’re struggling to motivate yourself to write, or feeling lost for words, you need to read this… (ooh and I’ve included a little treat for my paid subscribers)
Some days, showing up feels like the hardest thing in the world. I’m talking about those moments when I feel like I’ve run out of words, run out of energy, and I can barely summon the will to look at my screen, let alone type a single letter. It’s as though the well of inspiration has dried up, leaving me feeling grumpy, lethargic and so utterly depleted that the thought of writing anything at all on this dark cold Monday morning feels like an insurmountable task. Although, just writing the word ‘insurmountable’ has given me a little boost, this is what I love about forcing myself to write when I’m in a grump, it soon changes my mood. My malypropisms never cease to amaze me and make me chuckle.
So I’m here, showing up, writing gobbledegook.
Even when my capacity feels nonexistent, even when I’m all out of words, I make the decision to tap the keyboard and write. It’s not easy, and it’s definitely not always pretty. Plus, the added pressure of worrying about what you my reader must be thinking, whether you expect my writing to be interesting and free of ramblings. Still with me? In all honesty, I’ve learned that showing up, even when it’s hard, is where the magic happens. I think we all know what it’s like to feel overwhelmed, and yet the act of just starting , just putting something, anything, onto the page can break through the wall of numbness.
“I’m not a fast writer. I can write about 300 words a day. But if I don’t keep going, then it will never get done. So I keep showing up.” Margaret Atwood
I say thank goodness for sentence stems. I like to think of them as little springboards that save the day when I’m feeling stuck, when I don’t know where to start, or when my creative ideas seem as elusive as a breath of fresh air. Since the pandemic I’ve been using sentence stems as quick fire prompts that help me push through the resistance and get back to the page, even when I want nothing more than to crawl back under the duvet and hide.
They’ve been my lifeline. So if you ever find yourself feeling the same way, overwhelmed, uninspired, or simply too tired to summon the energy to create, maybe they’ll help you too.
Here are my favourite 30 sentence stems…
Right now, the hardest thing for me is…
I feel overwhelmed because…
Even though I’m exhausted, I know I can still…