When Even Reading and Writing Feel Like Chores
What's left? And how to address it?
I know, folks. I know.
It’s February, and even in the best of times, this month can feel like a slog. Daylight is limited, the weather is often brutal, and the only real blessing seems to be that the month only lasts 4 weeks.
And that’s in a good year. This year, 2026…not so good, amiright?
If you’re like me, you might find it difficult to do much of anything lately besides doomscroll. Even on Substack, thanks to its excellent algorithm, once you like or comment on a single note or post about what’s happening in our country, your feed is flooded. There’s no shortage of content here—or anywhere online—that leaves us feeling furious and scared.
I begin each day writing fiction, and I do that as long as I can, depending on other commitments. But sometimes, it’s hard not only to get back to the writing later, but even to look forward to an evening spent reading a book. All too often after dinner, both my husband and I are on our laptops. After a few hours, we walk the dogs, then fall into bed and hope, just hope, to get a few hours’ sleep.
It’s not a good scene. And when I think about the many who have so much more to worry about than we do, it makes me feel worse.
How to break out of this cycle?
How to Do Something When You Don’t Feel Like Doing Anything
A few ideas I’ve been implementing lately are helping.
For your creative work:
Do just a little something. It doesn’t have to be everything, but do at least a little bit each day. One paragraph, one brush stroke, one chord, keeps your creative work in your mind. And if you’re like me, that brings a modicum of peace.
Do it as long as you can. Everyone has their own best creative times. For me, it’s morning. Knowing my creative energy wanes as the day goes on, I try to plan accordingly.
If a project isn’t coming together, put it aside. This can be hard. We feel like we’ve failed ourselves and/or our project. But I assure you, setting it aside doesn’t necessarily mean forever.
About this time last year, I put aside my novel-in-progress. When I’d started writing the novel in fall 2023, my agent had Anyone But Her out on sub, and I hoped that when/if I signed with a new publisher, they’d be excited about not only that novel but also my next project. So I made sure I had a next project (and, incidentally, a next after that).
By fall 2024, I’d indie pubbed Anyone But Her, meaning no publisher cared what else I had in the works. Then an election happened—and writing the new novel suddenly felt meaningless. But I kept going, figuring that if I pushed hard enough, things would improve.
Spoiler: They didn’t. Instead, I grew increasingly disappointed in myself and in the work.
Last February, I made a decision that changed everything: I put aside the novel-in-progress and began a different project—a short story collection that I’d been thinking about for a long time. Once I formulated what I wanted to do with the collection, my goals became crystal-clear, and I dug into storywriting.
A year later, I’m happy to report that the collection, now complete, is everything I’d hoped for and then some. I can’t wait to share it with you, and I’ll have more news about that soon. In the meantime, the point is this: Once I turned to the project that spoke to my heart, my creative work became a joy again.
The best part? After finishing the collection, I was eager to get back to that novel-in-progress. Today, I’m making great headway with it. So instead of falling into despair and not getting anything done, I’m getting two books done.
There’s power, friends, in trusting your gut.
It Works for Reading, Too
Middle of last month, I began reading my book club’s January pick. It’s a highly acclaimed novel, one of those “must read” books. I won’t name it, because I never want to dis another author’s work simply because it wasn’t my cup of tea. But this was definitely not my cup of tea.
The next time this happens to you, please give yourself permission to set that book aside. You are not obligated to finish reading any book. You don’t need to publicly state what you didn’t like (unless you want to, and if so, that’s your prerogative), but you also do not need to keep going if a book isn’t doing it for you.
If you’re struggling to read anything these days, here are a few ideas:
Read something short. I cannot recommend the literary journal One Story highly enough. The deal is, you subscribe and they send you a beautifully formatted single story in the mail—yes, the real mail, meaning your actual, physical mailbox—once a month. Damn good stories, too. When you’re finished, you can pass on the beautifully formatted story to someone else. Do yourself a favor and get a subscription. You won’t regret it.
Read Minnesota authors. It’s a small thing you can do to support this community that’s going through so much. Some of my favorites: Louise Erdrich, William Kent Krueger, Allen Eskens, Kate DiCamillo, and if you’re looking for a classic, there’s always F. Scott Fitzgerald. You can also support Minneapolis bookstores by ordering from them online. Find one here.
Read something that makes you smile. I just finished an advance reader copy of Wendy Fox’s new novel, The Last Supper. The story of stay-at-home mom Amanda, who, via a series of questionable choices, is desperately trying to create a not-just-a-mom identity, this one had me thinking, “Girl. Oh, girrlll...” more than once. But Amanda is endearing, as is the cast of secondary characters, and you’ll find yourself cheering them along. The novel releases on April 7, but you can preorder now; click here for links.
Read something that guts you, but that you also love. A few months ago, I mentioned in The What If Journal my discovery of Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie via reading her novel Americanah. I didn’t think I could love her writing more, but I recently read Half of a Yellow Sun, which is about the 1967 - 1970 Nigeria-Biafra War through the eyes of several beautifully portrayed characters. This one stayed with me for a long time after I finished it.
What If We Step Out?
On Saturday, February 21, I’m excited to be on a panel of local authors at Jefferson County Library’s conversational event with Lisa Gardner. The event will be emceed by Carter Wilson and, in addition to me, the panel includes Kristin Koval, Mario Acevedo, Mark Stevens, and Jon Bassoff. You can join us in person or watch a livestream. More info is here.
On a Personal Note
Today would have been my parents’ 64th wedding anniversary. They’ve both passed, and I miss them every day. They were generous, hardworking, and knew how to have fun and enjoy themselves. I was extremely fortunate to have them as parents.
We lost Mom 32 years ago, which means that half the time since their wedding day, she’s been gone. Dad passed 16 years after Mom, so it’s a quarter of the time for him. After Mom died, Dad remarried a wonderful woman, and my family is grateful that we continue to have my sister’s and my stepmom, and our kids’ grandmother, in our lives.
I’m sending blessings today to the memories of my parents, Audrey and Dennis. And to all, a gentle reminder that life is short. Please cherish every moment with your loved ones.
Wise advice. Cherish your loved ones, always.
So funny I sent Half a Yellow Sun to both of your boys because two of the main characters are twins. I wonder if they read it? This was a couple of years ago...
And thanks for the picture of Mom and Dad! I thought about them yesterday