I always find a new year to be a time of tremendous excitement and motivation when it comes to my writing goals and creative projects. But I know not everyone feels that way, and outside circumstances often have a tremendous bearing on the trajectory of our creative lives.
That’s why I recently posed this question to my newsletter and social media followers and webinar attendees:
On a scale of 1 to 10, with 10 being the highest, where is your creative energy coming into the New Year?
Taking a moment to assess your creative energy and what’s driving it (or not driving it) gives you a good baseline for setting your goals for the new year. Perhaps you’ve succumbed to writer’s block or are feeling stuck in the weeds of a creative project and you’re not sure why. Take a moment to think about where your energy and focus is, and ask yourself what is one small step you can take to move the needle on this creative work.
Perhaps you’re flying high and feeling ready to conquer the world with your creativity. Take a moment to ask yourself where you could specifically channel that energy to make the most progress in your creative work.
When I asked, “On a scale of 1 to 10, where is your creative energy coming into the new year?” responses poured in. I collected them into a single document to share with you. You can read them below.
I share these responses to give you a glimpse of the tremendous range of emotion and situations that other writers find themselves in. Together, these responses show that, regardless of where you place yourself on the 1-10 scale, you’re not alone.
Perhaps you’ll resonate with some of these, recognize yourself in one of them, or empathize with a particular situation. At the end, download the Create Energy 2024 Reflection page to answer the question yourself and set a clear and achievable next goal on your creative project, regardless of where you place yourself on the creative energy scale!
Here is what others shared when it comes to their creative energy:
I’d put myself somewhere between 8 and 9 on the creative energy scale. Some of the positivity stems from receiving a grant to finish a project within the next year. Hate to have to pay the [darn] thing back, so yeah, I’ve got the initial energy.
***
I’m at 4. I’m no higher because I’ve been there, done that with the writing-energy thing many, many previous years—and it’s never given me enough momentum to stick with my goals for the long run. At this point, I struggle with learned helplessness.
***
But I’m above 1 because I’ve taken a couple of concrete steps to introduce structure and support into my writing life, and I hope that might make a difference.
***
Right now, I’m a 10, because I’m participating in a “30 Days to First Draft challenge!”
***
I would put myself at about an 8. At the end of 2023 I signed a contract to write another book … The only reason I am not at a full 10 is that I still don’t have a lot of motivation to write posts to my blogs with any regularity.
****
My creative energy is about a 6. Lots of stuff to say but not much time to say it!
*****
My creative energy is at a 7. I hope I can plan and finish a book this year!
*****
My creative energy is around an 8. I’m working on memoir.
***
My creative energy is about a 5. I’m feeling overwhelmed, which leads to procrastination. But I hope to finish my book in 2024.
****
I’m at a 3 because my day job for a paycheck takes a lot of my energy.
***
I’m at a 2 because I am just getting started.
****
I would put myself at a 4. I am refocusing after some time away from writing.
****
I’m at a 10 because I’ve got energy and clear goals!
****
I would say 6. I have projects I’m working on but I’m totally squeezing that work into spaces between life and work stuff, blah blah blah.
****
I’m at a 6. I have ideas, but finding time is the problem.
****
I’d put myself at an 8 because I have too many projects. Yet, I am working on them.
****
I’m at 7. I just finished my degree and am super excited to have time to write and have fun with it again!
****
I’m at a 4 or 5. My creative energy has been good, but there’s been a lot of external things getting in the way.
****
I’m on fire – probably a 9. Writing every day has been HUGE!
So, dear reader, where would you place yourself on this “creative energy scale?” Which of responses do you most resonate with? Or is your response something entirely different? Feel free to share in the comments or email me directly at kate@katemeadows.com. And, don’t forget to download your own 2024 Creative Energy Reflection here.
Happy writing!
