Good “Time Wasters” for Writers

If you’re down and out of your writing and you need a good break, but still want that productivity factor, here are a few good “time-wasters”.

Read Something Enjoyable
If you like comic books, read some Batman. If you like a good mystery novel, start reading the first chapter of an enjoyable book. Good reading eventually leads to good writing and inspiration. So why not have fun with it?

Write Without a Point
Sometimes we get so over-critical and over-anxious about perfection that we begin to expect too much from our writing. If you’re tired of that all, just sit down and type out whatever. And when I say whatever, I do mean whatever. It doesn’t have to have a point. It doesn’t even have to make sense. The point here is to break from your “serious writing” and allow yourself to “stretch out” like you would after sitting stiffly at a desk for too long. And who knows? Perhaps your scribblings might sow the seeds of a future novel or poem.

Jot Down Ideas
This point is similar to the last one, but a bit more focused. Overall, there are many stories of famous novelists who would have the habit of keeping a journal or notebook of simple ideas for novels or meditations. Nowhere does this come close to being serious (unless you want it that way), but nowhere does this come close to being without value. Have you spent too much time writing your novel and you hit a rough spot? Are you too tired of editing an article over and over again? Sit down, have some tea (or coffee) and let the ideas come out. It’s good for you.