Hi, I’m a Writer. I haven’t written anything constructive since January 27th this year and I finally admit that I am in a slump and need help. So, I’ll start with some of the things I tried to get me focused on completing my novel and maybe you will understand why they all flopped, or better yet point out where I went wrong and could improve on. Shall we do this?

Alright, here’s how to get out of a writing slump- the hard way:

1. Do not admit that you are in a slump. I mean what’s a slump if not undergoing a prolonged fall or decline in something, like oil prices do, or even the economy…so definitely this does not apply to me.
2. Do not dare call it something it’s not, especially “Writer’s Block,” who came up with such a thing? You are just not feeling it and that’s okay, so read that book.
3. Read. Yes, read as many and diverse books as you can. You’ll find that January has slipped into February and before you wrap up that book you are in March and you bought a stack of 10 novels awaiting your attention. I mean, isn’t a Writer a Reader?
4. Buy stationery; the cuter and brighter, the better. You need new notebooks and pens and highlighters because you have to write fresh ideas on fresh slates, right?
5. Revise what you’ve written. It’s your first or tenth draft and something is definitely missing, so why not read what you wrote and cherish the characters you got right, frown at the typos and dangling clauses, and kill the characters you don’t want.
6. Watch Netflix! Come on, they made it easier, brought entertainment and distraction right in your hands and face- with the mobile device subscription. How about watching some K-Drama? Watch not one, or two, but six of them…Gwaenchana?
7. Listen to music, it’s what makes the world go around. How about that new album by Stray Kids?
8. Get some work done. You are not a full time Writer, you are in Kenya and you have to make ends meet, to pay bills and all, so get your work done too. You can always right when there’s not a work report hanging over your head.
9. Visit new places, seek out experiences like eating at that restaurant everyone keeps talking about on Instagram, or walk into that shop you always pass by, try new stuff- you may just have a story to tell and that’s a good thing.
10. Write. Yes, you haven’t been able to focus on it for almost three months and that’s forever, so why not just sit down and write!

And if these ten things do not get you out of the writing slump, then…well, shall we send a rescue party to remind you of how good you are and of the works you created before, maybe that would boost your confidence and ease the anxiety. Until then…