There’s nothing worse for a writer than staring at a blank screen, fingers idle and words being withheld. Motivation is something that we all struggle with unfortunately. This is something that I have struggled with and continue to struggle with to this day. I’ve found some different ways that can help me get over being unmotivated and finally getting the words flowing again. Hopefully they can help you as well.
The Reward Method. Both young and adult love getting rewarded, whether we want to admit it or not. The question is, how do we apply that to our writing? By setting a goal, you have something to work towards. The reward can be anything really, a short break, a set amount of screen time, or even my personal favorite, a snack. I love sitting at my desk and writing when I know I have something yummy waiting for me. Whether its a piece of candy, a scoop of ice cream, or even a sip of Hard Seltzer, I find myself getting my goals done and even making more.
No Distractions. Keep away from distractions whether it is your phone, TV, family, etc. I like to work where I have nothing going on. Unfortunately, I can’t really listen to music and work, but I do love putting on ASMR. It just helps me focus and get my writing done. Without distractions, you’re forcing yourself to sit there and write. It also helps put yourself in your story more.
Plan It Out. Plan out what you’re writing about. You may be stuck on a particular scene, but you can still figure out how you may want your writing to go. You can write it out or keep it in your mind, but I’ve found if you get to see what you’re working towards it helps a ton.
Try A New Location. If you’ve been in the same writing location for a while, sometimes a change of scenery is all you need to get inspired. Go to a coffee shop, a park, but wherever your decide, just make it someplace completely different. Get in your writing mode and get inspired.
Write Something Else. When I get stuck on my writing, I’ll write a different scene, a blog post, or even a completely different story. It gets you writing, and you may even come up with an idea while working on something else. My current WIP was inspired by another book I was working on at the time. I like the new direction I took, and I get to have a series instead of a standalone.
Edit. Read and edit what you have already written. Read back through it all and take care of your mistakes or even fill in some missing blanks. You may come up with something for the scene you’re working on or find something you’ve missed talking about.
Highlight. I like highlighting where I start working from. I’ll write until I feel like I can’t go on any further, then look back to where I started. More often than not, you’ll be surprised by how much you have done. It makes me feel a bit better seeing how much I achieved, and it helps me challenge myself to write even more the next time.
Talk it out. When I’m stuck, I’ll bounce ideas off my mom. She’s contributed quite a few ideas to my writing and has helped me get through quite a few writer’s blocks. Find someone you can sit down with and talk about your writing. They may just have the missing piece you need.
Don’t Expect Perfection. Your writing will probably never be “perfect”, but as long as it is something you’re happy with, then that’s all that matters. Your rough draft is going to be full of mistakes. Don’t worry about that while your writing. Write just to write. Write just to get words down. You can always clean them up later.
Don’t Sweat the Details. Yes, details can make or break a book but if you’re having trouble just writing a vague scene, leave them out for now. Write how you want the scene to go so at least you have a rough outline. You can always add details later on.
Exercise. Sometimes all you need is to get your blood pumping. Go for a walk and clear your head. Enjoy some fresh air so when you return, you can write with a clear mind and a more calm demeanor.
Read. Read someone else’s work. Admire how their book turned out, and in turn it may inspire you to get your book done. Don’t try to be the other writer. Try to be inspired so that you can accomplish as much as they did.
These are some of the ways I find the motivation to write. There are times when even trying all of these things won’t help. It’s okay to not feel like writing, we are humans after all. We all need days off to just forget about it all. Its these days that I feel really contribute to the writing process. Let yourself make mistakes. Its the mistakes that sometimes makes it all worthwhile. Rome wasn’t built in a day, and your book won’t be written in one either. There’s a lot of hard work that goes into it, but it will all be worth it. I want to leave you with one last point. Find your motivation and get writing.