Guest Post: How Non-Writing Activities Can Enhance Your Writing

Many people view writing as a hobby, but if you’re a writer, your writing commitments might start to feel more like a chore if you aren’t careful. Most writers likely started writing because it was something they enjoyed, but it’s important to maintain other hobbies and passions outside of your writing to ensure you don’t start getting burnt out by all your writing commitments.

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Why It’s Important to Have Non-Writing Activities as a Writer

Maintaining an active life outside of writing is vital. If you start to prioritize your writing and nothing else, you’ll likely find yourself facing a bad case of writer’s block. Or worse, you might burn yourself out to the point that getting any kind of work done feels like an impossible challenge.

If you keep your mind active in other ways, it can help recharge your mind and your body. This enables you to show up feeling refreshed and inspired once you do sit back down to write.

Unfortunately, it’s not uncommon for writers to find themselves locked away, spending hours on end typing away without any other kind of engagement. While shutting out the world might feel like the best way to achieve your writing goals, it will eventually come back to bite you.

You can and will burn yourself out writing if you don’t give yourself a break and find enjoyment in other hobbies and passions.

Non-Writing Activities You Can Do to Enhance Your Writing

If you feel like your creative inspiration is starting to dwindle, consider trying one of these non-writing activities to give you a boost:

Reading

If you’re too caught up in your own writing, sometimes it can help to hit the refresh button by trying someone else’s writing on for size. Reading is likely what led to your passion for writing in the first place. If you’re feeling stuck, one of the simplest things you can do is pause your writing for a period of time and start reading again. Many writers have pushed through their burnout by putting the laptop away and picking up a book instead.

Socializing

Maintaining social relationships as a writer is so important. Having people you spend time with boosts your mood, it can inspire you by placing you in a change of scenery, and it can help you remember that there is more to life than writing.

Traveling

Lots of people travel as a hobby because they want to explore the world and learn about new cultures. Traveling is an excellent activity for writers who are feeling a bit stagnant. Traveling can also make you a better writer.

Meeting new people while traveling can inspire you to write new characters. The places you explore can give you inspiration for new settings in your books. Learning about other cultures can make you a more inclusive writer. Traveling also forces you outside of your comfort zone and can teach you to find inspiration in the unexpected.

Just make sure you’re safe when you hit the road since driving across country is actually more dangerous than most activities. You don’t want your new hobby to hurt your writing life.

Exercising

Your brain needs oxygen and nutrients to function. Exercise is one of the best ways to get the lungs and heart pumping oxygen and blood to the brain. So if you lead a very sedentary life, sitting around writing all the time, you aren’t giving your brain what it needs to write good stories.

If you want to write better, move your body more. You can try yoga, cycling, swimming, pilates, or you can even run to improve your writing. It doesn’t really matter what kind of exercise you are doing, as long as you are moving your body every day.

Art Class

Trying some other creative activity can also help you find more inspiration for your writing. Perhaps you’re blocked because you’re struggling to visualize your story the way you want to. If so, a painting or drawing class might help you unlock the more creative parts of your brain. Taking an art class is also a great way to get out and meet new people who can inspire you and the characters in your stories.

How to Balance Your Hobbies with Writing Commitments

It doesn’t matter what non-writing hobbies or activities you pursue. You could pick up boating as a hobby or even start volunteering at a local animal shelter. It’s often less about what the hobby is specifically and more about getting you out of the house so you can take a much-needed break to avoid getting burnt out.

However, it’s also worth noting that too many hobbies can also be a distraction from your writing. The key is to balance your hobbies with your writing commitments.

Before you start growing yourself into too many non-writing activities, take some time to assess your priorities and create a schedule. Scheduling time for when you will do your hobbies and when you will write can help you find the space you need from writing to feel inspired again while also making sure you still stay on track with your writing goals.

Final Thoughts

If you are feeling stuck and uninspired, it might be time to put the laptop away and find something new to get those creative juices flowing again. This doesn’t mean you need to completely forget about your writing, but it is okay to occasionally put it on the back burner to focus on yourself and your other passions.