Let’s talk about a thing I’m grappling with in the freelance writing world: idea generation.

Ideas are EVERYTHING. Without them, we don’t write, we don’t get paid. A lot of editors like working with freelancers because we are good at generating fresh ideas.

Except when we aren’t. I’ve been completely out of ideas for the last few months. Like COMPLETELY out. The well is dry.

It’s really scary. I know that eventually, my creativity will come back, and part of the reason it’s probably gone is the perpetual exhaustion of having a very mobile, very rambunctious one-year-old, but. It’s hard.

For now, I’m dealing with it by pulling back on all creative projects/pitches/stories. I’m hoping that if I focus solely on my day-to-day stuff, that creativity will come back.

I know PLENTY of moms who are creative and amazing and have so many ideas, so I know it’ll come back eventually. But right now, I’m so, so tired.

And I’m so tired of feeling badly that I’m so out of ideas. So I’m just going to let myself off the hook for now.

All of this is to say, sometimes we burn out and it’s okay to step back and just wait it out, and that doesn’t mean it’s gone forever.

(but also it’s okay to admit that it’s scary and frustrating and that things suck?)