When the words don't flow

Cat got your tongue? An ironic ode to writers block

Hello lovely,
I’m Jenna, a sensitive soul trying to navigate and romanticise life through poetry and soft words. Letters of Everyday Romance is all about learning to find and appreciate those small moments in life where things feel magical for just a beat. The beauty of slowing down, the art of noticing, living with each season, romanticising the everyday — it’s all within your reach.

I’ve had a pretty hectic few weeks… beautifully hectic that is. Weeks filled with starting my new job as a barista (something I’ve always wanted to do), navigating my first client for my freelancing, life admin and chores, and going away with my family for a few days.

But with all that, it has meant I haven’t had much time, energy, or headspace to write. Let alone the times when I do have a moment to write, and inspiration seems to have vacated the building.

So, this made me ponder… What do you do when the words don’t flow? When the desire to write is so strong, yet inspiration has migrated along with the birds.

A while ago, I had an entire month’s worth of posts lined up and scheduled. It felt great — I felt so organised and somehow it eased the pressure of needing to write each week. However, that’s all well and good when life is on the quieter side, and time to write is aplenty. And, yes, I know that Substack is probably the least pressure-filled space on the internet, and I could quite easily take some time off from posting. But I don’t want to. I simply love writing for you all each week, and I just adore sending out weekly love letters.

What happens when the words dry up? Lost to time, like aging cracked paint in an abandoned house. When inspiration packed its bags and left — ‘I’ll be back next week, I promise.’ — Only next week never came.

When the urge to call yourself a writer niggles at the side of your brain like that itch you just can’t scratch. How can I call myself a writer when the words have faded into the depths of the forest, so deathly quiet that even the trees don’t shed a whisper?

I’m currently trying to ride the wave of wanting to write to you every week… to send these weekly Sunday love letters, but also, perhaps I need to give myself some space to feel through new ideas and to let myself relish in the summer.

One thing I am grateful for is keeping up with my morning pages every day since I attended the creativity retreat in Tuscany. And yes, I’m fully aware of how ironic it is for me to say that the words have dried up, when here I am, writing. But as writers, I think you know what I mean deep down. The words that don’t feel good enough. The ideas that feel overdone, overwritten.

The lovely

Claire Venus ✨

wrote about how much she’s felt the change in Substack recently, and I feel it too. Substack is getting busier by the day, and growing on here seems to have slowed drastically. But I still wholeheartedly believe it is the place I am meant to share my words.

Why I won't leave Substack even though my growth fell off the cliff last month 🏔️

It’s always difficult to take our own advice, especially as writers. If I were talking to a fellow writer friend in the same position, here are five things I’d tell them when the words have shied away:

1. Take some time to live, to just be. Read a new book. Get coffee from a new coffee shop. Go thrift shopping. Sip your tea slowly in the evenings. Watch a film. The words will return when they’re ready.

2. Try a different creative outlet. Cooking, baking, painting, whatever takes your fancy, just take the pressure off yourself to write.

3. Spend some time by the water. Flowing rivers, crashing waves, and rippling ponds are always inspiring.

4. Journal. Writing my morning pages has been a salve to my soul during the days when the words have dried up. Getting pen to paper and thoughts out of my head is the best form of free therapy, and the best writing advice I could give anyone.

5. Spend time with people who light you up. No explanation needed.

---

Let me know in the comments what you’d love to read more of — inspire me.

I understand that this space here is mine to write freely, but I am forever grateful for you as readers and would love your feedback. I want Substack to be that sacred place where my words flow… the place where I can be myself and eventually become a full-time writer.

I’d love to know if you would be interested in more behind-the-scenes style pieces about my life and writing journey. A peek behind the cover, so to speak. If so, this would be for paid readers.

---

Thank you for supporting my dreams. If you do feel pulled to support me further, why not consider upgrading to a paid subscription, or you can buy me a coffee here. Your kindness is the fuel that keeps me writing and sharing.