It can be difficult to accept, but struggling to write or writing just a little is still one of the writing modes and is part of the writing process.

Having a separate work space is essential to creating an on/off switch for writing and maintaining a healthy work/life balance.

notebook and pen with text over it reading, Writer Prompts: Develop Your Writing Life, curated by Alli Martin

Looking for more writing prompts? This picture prompt comes from Rory’s Story Cubes. See what it inspires for you—and me!

Mental health and chronic illness are significant blocks to the creative process that can’t be solved by positive thinking alone.

When other elements of your life are shaky and disrupting your writing routine, your creative confidence is what holds you and your writing together.

notebook and pen with text over it reading, Writer Prompts: Develop Your Writing Life, curated by Alli Martin

Looking for more writing prompts? This prompt comes from the Writing Prompts Tumblr. See what it inspires for you—and me!

Alli shares her strategies for interacting with prompts to unlock inspiration from any source.

It is with great joy that I announce that after a very rough end to 2022, I’m back! There is still a bit of chaos in my home life as we wrap cancer & lung infection treatments for my mom (which will take at least through July), but life has settled enough that I can […]

Sometimes life throws a wrench into everything. That happened to me at the beginning of August with several family emergencies and health problems colliding at the same time. We weathered a multi-day struggle of figuring out which able-bodied adult was taking care of who and trying our best to not simultaneously burnout. During the worst […]

While writing is never an easy undertaking, I’ve been struggling more this year. Focus has been difficult, as has maintaining priorities. “Eyes on the prize” is a mantra I’ve been repeating as I continue to become distracted by other responsibilities and projects and things that Sound Cool but have been stealing my attention and energy. […]

This month has been a lot of Overworked, Stressed Out, and Too Much. All those things in combination make it very difficult to have a productive creative life. Most days this month I met my minimum writing practice by the skin of my teeth, but I met it and, even on the days when I […]

I’ve recently been focused on mental health, and since I write all the time, how mental health relates to—and sometimes hinders—writing. While I’ve discussed many methods I use to maintain productivity and focus (and will be doing so again in a workshop on June 12), and ways to repackage and reevaluate my goals to keep […]