The first half of 2025 has been a bit hard going for me. I won’t go into the details of the challenging events/circumstances, but they’re the kind of things most people have to deal with at some point in their lives, so I’m not going to dwell on them here. Alongside those concerns, I’m very aware of the fact that this is my last year of being in my 40s.
I am definitely sensing a shift in my thinking. I’d describe myself as being a pretty optimistic and half-glass full kind of person, so I’m not particularly keen on the gloomier, Eeyore-like thoughts that my brain now sometimes prefers to dwell on. However, I think it’s only natural to become a touch more morbid the older one gets, so I’m trying to acknowledge these thoughts then let them go.
There’s also the changes in physical health, particularly my eyesight which seems to require stronger – and vastly more expensive – glasses, as well as the craziness which is perimenopause/menopause. As symptoms go, I don’t think I’ve had it too bad, but I put that down to a mix of HRT, karate, swimming, strength training and (mostly) healthy eating.
As Bruce Banner would say “I’m always angry.” 😆
That said, being an introvert who’s happiest at home, I often have to push myself out of my comfort zone, be it attending an event or driving to a place that I’ve never been to before (oh the horror!), but now that I’m perimenopausal, I am definitely much more emotionally wobbly and physically creakier, so I do think I’m finding it harder to put myself “out there”.
I’m also finding this with my writing. I have so many projects – novels, novellas, short stories, poems and pieces of art – on the go, yet getting them polished and “out there” (i.e. submitted) feels more daunting than ever. Yet, the longer I take over these projects, keeping them in a kind of needs-more-thought/editing/polishing limbo, the less enthusiasm I have for them, and the more I think that no one else would be interested in them. Also, it doesn’t help that the more I learn about the traditional publishing world, the more I truly understand just how hard it is to get a break. And don’t get me started on how AI is disrupting the industry…
Anyway, the point is that in the first half of 2025 I was finding stuff to do with my writing life tough too, but thanks to my wonderful family and supportive writing friends (and a brain that, I think, is naturally wired to positivity) I’m now feeling much more upbeat about my work. What helped a lot was taking a bit of a break and allowing myself some downtime. Instead of looking backwards and considering all the work that wasn’t out there (and therefore dusty with a sense of failure), I looked forwards and asked myself: what am I excited about creating in the future?
I ended up making a rather long list. It includes around 20 novels of various genres, a few novellas, another short story collection or two, a graphic novel, an illustrated poetry pamphlet, some short films, as well as a memoir-ish type book. I’ve also got ideas for more editing projects: a non-fiction and three speculative fiction anthologies. And then there’s the whole host of artworks I want to create. Phew!
After completing my list, I rounded off my downtime with something that never fails to uplift me: creating art in a new medium. This time it was cyanotype, and although I’ve had more “failures” than successes so far, I’m loving the process and pretty happy with the below image.
Right, it’s time to crack on with getting more of the “old stuff” out there as well as creating new stuff. Happy days!
p.s. if you’re a writer who’d like to share your tips for how to move through creative rough patches, please do leave a comment. I’d love to hear from you. 😀
I freewrite for 10 minutes a day, usually first thing. Then even during those periods when I’m stuck, at least I’ve written something. Doesn’t matter if it’s rubbish. But sometimes the very act of doing this frees me up and the words start to flow once more.
Hey Clare, I’m glad to hear that free writing works for you; I think that anything that frees up the brain and hands and helps to silence the inner critic is incredibly useful. Thanks for the reminder about this useful tool. 🙂
I’m a fair bit older than you…and a kind of ‘morbid’ does increase…but the way I deal with that is getting on with priorities (I don’t keep a list of ‘future projects’…because my kind of ‘morbid’ means I might not even get through the creative project that’s grabbed me at that time). Submitting stuff is very rare for me now…I’d rather be doing stuff! But I think the doing …the act of creating something… puts out good stuff into the universe…I share stuff on FB…including processes…and put art stuff up on my Outside In page. The “50’s”decade is a really good one…you’ll enjoy it 🙂
Hi Karen – good to hear from you! And it’s really comforting to me to hear how you’re dealing with getting older by focussing on priorities. I’m like you, I’d definitely rather be creating than submitting stuff but I agree that just the act of creating something is hugely positive. Thanks again for your useful and inspiring comment. 😀
I really like that idea of creating a list of things you’re excited about creatively, as a way of looking forward. I’ll try doing the same thing next time the negatives start to feel overwhelming, see if it can drag my mind onto more positive tracks.
I’m glad to hear that you like the idea of making a list of creative projects. Given how imaginative you are, no doubt you’d have a very long list! Just hope the negatives keep at bay for a good, long while. Thanks for stopping by and commenting, Andrew. Much appreciated. 😀