It’s difficult to create great work when your confidence gets rocked or when your emotional self is in turmoil. There are so many things that can put a kink in anyone’s creative drive. Moving, marriage, childbirth, divorce, illness, construction projects, job changes, or a death in the family among many other things can really throw you off your creative game.

So, what do the guys do when life gets in the way of writing?

For Dave when life feels out of control, he focuses on the things he can control. Look for consistency and build on that. Take something you’re doing every day anyway and attach your writing practice to it. Don’t forget (like Dave often does) to reach out to friends for emotional support. And never, ever forget to leave cookies for Santa!

When Sean goes through a hard time, he tries to be realistic. Don’t just say you’re fine when people ask and pretend nothing’s wrong. Get to the root of the problem, figure out what’s really there, then decide if it’s something you have to deal with now, can it be dealt with later (after writing time) or is it even something for you to deal with at all. Pick your battles.

Johnny finds that when one part of his routine falls apart, everything does. As goes his exercise and diet, so goes writing and mood and everything else. To maintain productivity, he needs to try to maintain it across all aspects of his life.

The best way to still be able to write even when things in life are crashing down around you is to be working on the right project. Sean, Johnny, and Dave all talk about what the right project looks like and feels like to them.

But what if the project is part of the problem? Well, the guys have ideas to help turn a project stuck in the doldrums into something you can’t wait to get back to again.