Part 1 of the Writer Motivation Series
We all know how it starts. A brilliant idea pops into your head and you get the urge to write. Your inspired pen flies all over the page until the next day when you sit down to write and you get nothing. You start questioning if the story was really any good. Coming up with anything feels like pulling teeth so how can you keep writing it?
Or perhaps if you’re a freelance writer. You’ve come across an article that you’ve agreed to write, but once you get started, you hate it. How can you stay motivated to write when you don’t want to write about what you need to write? In this series, we will look at things that motivate writers, tools to keep you motivated, healthy ways to respond to obstacles, break ideas for when you just can’t find the motivation, and how to encourage your writing community.
Where does motivation come from?
Motivation is not so different from an emotion. It is something that makes it pleasurable to pursue and achieve your goals. Motivation can come in the form of excitement, feelings of achievements, even physical rewards. However, when life gives us obstacles, we react in different ways. Some might become angry and feel more driven to achievement as if the obstacle was a challenge to their ability to achieve it. Others might just give up out of fear.
Becoming motivated is about finding what drives you and what activities bring you pleasure. Then, figuring out how to respond healthily to obstacles. If an obstacle stops you from what you want, how do you plan to deal with it?
What motivates a writer?
There are a lot of things that may be motivating to someone, but let’s be honest. Writing isn’t always one of them. Just because you love to write, doesn’t mean there aren’t some days when writing feels boring, exhausting, or even painful. However, does that mean you give up when an obstacle gets in your way? No!
However, there are writing things that can motivate a writer. These things aren’t necessarily physical rewards, but they give you a feeling of accomplishment. That feeling can motivate you to keep going on a new writing project, or the goal of this accomplishment can motivate you to keep going. Unfortunately, if you only have big goals, it’s easy to lose motivation.
Here are some things that can motivate writers and ways to chop bigger goals into more manageable pieces.
1. Finishing a Book
There is nothing more exciting than finishing that last chapter or that last sentence. However, only working towards a goal as big as that will soon leave you feeling hopeless and disappointed. Instead, break up your book into word count goals, chapter goals, or scene goals. Make the goals as small as you need for you to feel like you accomplished something, even if it’s just “write at least one sentence a day.” You will be surprised how quickly a story builds up if you write every day.
2. Publishing a Story (especially for the first time)
Publishing a story is the writer’s version of birthing a child. You had this story inside you and finally you get to share it with the world. Whether you self-publish or traditionally publish, there is huge satisfaction in looking up your name or book’s title and seeing it online.
Novels can take a long time to publish, especially if going down the traditional route. Consider polishing and publishing a few short stories in the meantime. Short stories are faster to write and can give you a sense of accomplishment during the in-between space of your book.
3. Bringing a new Idea into the world.
Writers write because they have words inside them that must be released. Even if you’re a nonfiction writer, your writing can bring new ideas and thoughts into the world. It can change people’s thinking, understanding, and behavior. Watching your ideas grow can be pleasing.
But too often we get stuck, caught up in creating characters, world-building, plots, dialogue, and making it perfect. Instead, giving yourself the permission to create absolute crap. One great way to do this is freewriting. Freewrite your stories. Create lists which you’ll throw away. Brainmap and make it sloppy. Make it a goal for your first draft ideas to be bad.
4. Getting your book bought
The first little blip I saw on my book’s sales page made me ecstatic. It’s one thing to write, edit, and publish a work, but the excitement can expand when you realize you are getting paid to write, to do something you’re passionate about. However, when those sales decline or become spotty, you can lose your drive. As writers, we may begin to question our books worth and whether our writing is really good enough when the answer could really be a lack of marketing.
Many writers have trouble marketing themselves in the world (and you’re listening to one of them!). But marketing yourself doesn’t have to feel like you are a car salesman. Setting goals for each day of posting on social media, a blog, a website, or scheduling book discount days can help boost sales and keep you motivated.
These simple tips are just the beginning of staying motivated as a writer. Part 2, Writing Tools for Motivation, discusses some of the tools in my toolbox to keep me motivated. Comment below what you thought. What goals did you make too big that left you drained and disappointed? What goal setting has helped keep you motivated?