When Your Writing Doesn't Cut It

Hello fellow writers! If you have ever written creatively, or for a living in less creative outlets, then you know where there are some days when your writing just doesn't make the cut. When none of the words come easy and none of it is very good.

I have those days when I'm writing creatively. I usually just mark it up to writer's block. But sometimes it's just me fighting where the story is taking me. When it happens in my content writing, however, it's a whole other issue. Writer's block typically doesn't affect my content writer because the company I work for provides the topics. What does happen, however, is writing fatigue.

When I spend eight or nine hours in a day writing articles that all feel the same, it's can be difficult to  keep my writing up to standard. My hands start to hurt. My eyes start to hurt. My back begins to ache and I'm usually hungry. None of this is conducive to quality writing. Sometimes what I write is boring and mundane, but that doesn't always bother me.

This week it bothered me. And my writing scores showed that it bothered me. It's frustrating, but it's understandable and it happens to everyone and anyone who writes for a living. If you lose focus and get bored, you make mistakes or miss important steps.

So here are some tips for avoiding fatigue that I need to do a better job of following too:

Take a break at least once every hour.

This is important because it's good to give your eyes, wrists and back a break when you're sitting at a computer. Even if it's just five minutes of standing and stretching or going to the kitchen for a glass of water.

Stay hydrated.

Writing might not be a sport, but you would do well to take a page out of an athlete's book. Staying hydrated while writing is important because it is a) good for you and b) helps you avoid cramps. It's easy to fall into a rhythm and forget to drink any water while you're writing for an hour, two hours or eight hours.

Change up what you're writing.

This can be a tough one when you write content like me. So write a couple similar articles then move on to one of a different length, with a different tone or on a different topic. This breaks up the monotony and helps you see mistakes later on when your eyes are more fresh.

I know I need to be better about following these tips myself when I'm writing for work. It can be easy to ignore my growling stomach or throbbing head when I have "just one more article to write."

What are some things you do to avoid writing fatigue when you're writing boring stuff for work?