How Do I Avoid Writer’s Fatigue?

You know the feeling – Eyes are raw and watery, maybe you find yourself blinking a little too heavily. Instead of writing, you’re actually typing random garbled strings of letters into the Word Document. You’re fatigued.

Writers get tired. Its a fact of life. After all, they’re not super-human and (if we’re sure of anything) writers get far less sleep than the average person. I was recently told by an author friend that, to stay alert, they drink five cups of coffee a day.

FIVE.

That’s just downright unhealthy.

Not to worry, though! There are other ways of tackling the fatigue that writer’s feel. Much of the time, for me, the fatigue is not born out of too much time awake, but instead out of too much time in front of the screen. By finding new ways and places to get my ideas recorded, I can avoid the headache and fatigue altogether. Give the following methods a shot – it may just work for you.

• Use a Notebook

And no, I don’t mean a Macbook or a Chromebook. How about a good old fashion spiral? I know a lot of authors who hate writing by hand – only at the keyboard of their familiar laptop can they be at home and comfortable. But you know the great thing about spiral notebooks? They’re not backlit. Notebooks don’t strain your eyes and they give you a break from the ‘glow’ of the modern writing world.

• Write in the Outdoors

Getting out of the apartment and absorbing the afternoon sun is a liberating experience. It’ll make you happier, more energetic, and ease some of the strain your eyes have had from the constant low-light of the indoors. I’m fairly sure there is even scientific support for this, like sun rays increase the production of serotonin and stuff.

Which brings me to this blog’s similarity to Fox News.

In that we both don’t like to be fact checked.

• Take a Shower

Showering can provide a lot of help to the weary writer. The flood of water can invigorate the eyes and stop the raw dry sensation. Its like using eyedrops, without the lingering feeling : if you’re using eyedrops to continue looking at a screen – you should probably find something new to do.

I hope some of those help you! Don’t hesitate to leave a reply at the bottom of the page. I’d love to hear from you.