It’s been a long month. And by “long month”, I mean a lazy, do-nothing month.

I haven’t written anything in roughly four weeks; not for the blog here, not for SabresHockeyCentral.com (even with the NHL’s return from the lockout), not for any short stories, and not a darn thing for my novel.

Without getting into the little details, I fell face-first into a bit of a funk. I’m occasionally over-dramatic—that might be the author in me—and when personal problems hit, I often lose interest in everything around me, including my writing.

So, it’s a new month. How do I reignite that creative fire and get back to work? I do what I’ve always done, because this is far from the first time that I’ve needed to rejuvenate my enthusiasm for writing after some down time.

I think a lot of writers would relate to me in that my drive to write a good story is always at its highest after I’ve been emotionally impacted by another, which is why I’ve got a laundry list of novels, comics, movies and video games to dive into.

That means the $50+ I’ve spent on Amazon in the last week on such books like the Elf Queen of Shannara, Shockrockets, Kong: King of Skull Island will soon go to good use; I’ll dive into another writer’s worlds to get ideas on how I want to continue building mine. I’ll probably use my days off from work to watch a few movies that I’ve downloaded on my Kindle, and yes, I’ll spend great stretches of time with my eyes glued to my Nintendo 3DS or WiiU; Fire Emblem: Awakening, Castlevania: Mirror of Fate, Rayman Legend and Monster Hunter Tri Ultimate will do that.

I’m a video game nerd, and proud of it.

The other way I get back into the groove is something I’ve been doing since I got into my rut, and it’s the best piece of advice I can give to fellow writers—just wait it out.

Forcing yourself to write will only drive you to that level of insanity that’s a cliché for authors. That’s why, sometimes, you just need to turn away from the keyboard, and forget all about your project. Clear your head, and place your focus elsewhere until that passion returns. If you truly love the craft of writing, it always does return eventually, so don’t fear.

I knew that I would eventually figure out where I was going with my work. I’m certainly upset that it took me almost all of January, but in the end, I feel like I have regained that enthusiasm. Now I just have to sit down and drum up some diligence on my part.

I’ve got a feature article in the works about the Buffalo Sabres, a couple of games lined up where I’ll cover the team from the press box inside of First Niagara Center, a short story about an MMA fighter that I only have a couple of scenes left to complete, and of course, I have a better idea of what direction I’m taking with my novel/s.

With that said, I should probably get to work.