Part 2 of the Writer Motivation Series
In the last blog post in this motivational series, we talked about motivation. Where does it come from? Where does it go? (Cotton-eyed Joe). We discussed how to take big things that motivate writers, like publishing a book, and change it into smaller accomplishments that can help motivate you. You can read that post here.
This week, finally, we will be discussing tools to keep you on track and motivated. There are a lot of different tools you can use. I will be discussing many from ones that helped me to ones which have been suggested by other writers. Because there are so many great tools out there, I broke it down into four categories: time management, inspiration, writing, and people. Try out some of these tools and create your own little “writing toolbox” so you remember what helps you!
Time Management
This is a hard thing for a lot of people, including myself. Some people can just wake up and jump right into their day. But if you are more like me, you might lose yourself in a Pinterest hole while you sip your morning coffee. Suddenly, half the morning is gone and you haven’t done a single thing. I’ve found some great tools that help me to organize my time and motivate me to write. When I use my tools, I can create habits which allow me to set achievable goals and keep me from feeling like a total screw up.
My number one go-to tool for time management is my bullet journal. A bullet journal is basically your own personalized planner, journal, list holder, etc all wrapped up in one. I’ve gone back and forth on consistently using one, but I find that when I do, my days end up being better planned out and more productive. You can make yours as pretty or ugly, as cheap or expensive as you want. I’ve used dollar store notebooks, pencils, and highlighters to designing fancy templates on my computer to print off. The important thing is that you use it.
I start with planning out my week in a weekly spread on Sunday night or Monday morning. I have a printable weekly and daily spread available for download after you sign up for my newsletter below! I begin with creating my week’s goals, filling in broad events, appointments, and to-dos for each day. Then, I use a daily spread to create to-do lists for each day. I use a certain color highlighter to distinguish events and a different color to mark off one or two high priority must-get-done activities for that day.
Creating priorities in my to-do lists really made a difference. I don’t feel stressed to get everything done that day, just the most important things. I also break down large tasks into small, manageable tasks. This helps me track that even if I don’t accomplish the big thing, I’m still accomplishing things to lead up to it.
So how do I go about doing all the things on my list? The Pomodoro timer. Some of you may have heard of this, but basically, you set a timer for 25 minutes and stay focused working on whatever project until the timer goes off. Then, you take a 5-minute break. Breaks are so so important and using the timer gives you short scheduled breaks to check social media, get up and stretch, eat a snack, make some tea, go to the bathroom, maybe even all of the above!
The timer is also great for people like me who have anxiety and tasks can become overwhelming. Looking at a huge pile of dishes or thinking about the thousands of words I need to write can make me run straight the other direction into procrastination! But knowing that I only have to do it for x amount of minutes and I get rewarded with a break at the end allows me to dive into that task.
Inspiration
When I was talking to other authors, inspirational tools were a HUGE motivator for people. It’s a lot easier to stay motivated to write when your creative juices are flowing! One thing that is very helpful for me in getting that writer tap going is walks, especially walks in nature (or just being in nature). I love walking down to our ocean bay boardwalk and listening to the seagulls. We also are surrounded by tons of forests and forest trails. These can help inspire me as well, or at least can give me a nice break filled with fresh air.
Another tool of inspiration is Pinterest, though I have to be careful because it is easy for the tool to become a distraction. I have found Pinterest is fantastic for finding inspiring quotes as well as excellent writing prompts. Some of the writing prompts I have found have inspired new stories while some prompts, including dialogue prompts, have inspired scenes within stories I am already writing. If you want to check out my writing prompt board Ready, Set, Write, you can find it here.
Other forms of inspiration people have mentioned are movies and books. I definitely believe in reading a lot. Reading can help you study writing and give you new ideas on how to craft scenes and dialogue. Both movies and books can also inspire character ideas or story ideas. For example, I recently finished The Fifth Season by N. K. Jemisin (highly recommend the book). The way she crafted her character (I won’t give any spoilers in case you want to read it) was so fascinating and definitely gave me some ideas for a future character one day.
Last but not least is, of course, music. Music can do wonders in keeping you focused. Even just having a little bit of background noise can help. For me, music and background noise can sometimes drown out my background thoughts that would otherwise distract me from the thoughts I am trying to focus on. Here is my key suggestion: don’t let the music or noise be more distracting that what you are doing. Some people work best with the TV going in the background. I will get very distracted if the TV is on, even if I’ve seen the show 20 times, even if it’s super boring. Sometimes coffee shops can be too distracting too and music makes me want to sing along so here are my rules:
1) No music with language that I understand. I prefer to stick with video game music as it is specifically designed to focus the listener.
2) Organize your coffee shops (or libraries) into noise levels and atmospheres. Pick them based on the noise level and atmosphere you need for that day.
3) Use ambient noise apps like Ambient Mixer to achieve your perfect background noise. In Ambient Mixer, you can customize backgrounds with nature sounds, talking, fires, music, etc and control the noise level of each. You can also find lots of fun backgrounds like Gryffindor Common Room, Apartment 221B, Fantasy Tavern, and more.
Writing
Some people can just use basic writing tools like a notebook or a computer. But there is a lot to be said for the benefit of different writing programs and how they can keep you motivated. The two that I use most often is Google Docs and Scrivener. Google Docs is basically Microsoft Word online. The reason I like it better than Word is 1) it’s free and 2) I can access my writing from any computer, tablet, phone, etc as long as I have internet (or data). This means I can be walking through the local farmer’s market, have a thought hit me, pull up my google doc, and jot things down.
Many writers I have talked to have a love/hate relationship with Scrivener. Me? I love it. Honestly, I haven’t had many, if any, complaints. Scrivener is a writing program that allows you to organize writing projects into chapters, add research, look up names, create random notes to attach to documents, even compile your book into a manuscript for you. This happens all in the same place, in the same program. On the writing motivation side, it has a word count with project count, document count, and a daily counter to keep track of your progress. It also has the ability to go full screen so all you can focus on is your document and what you are writing.
There are two other online writing tools I’ll mention here though I’m not as familiar with them. Zen Writer is a simple writing program which allows you to control colors and music on the screen you are writing. If you have trouble with constantly rewriting as you write, then you can also try Ilys. The program only shows you the last letter you typed. You can’t see any of your work until you hit your word count goal. This is perfect for forcing you to get words on a page instead of focusing on how well you are writing.
People
Lastly, people can be great tools to motivate you. One of the most important tools is finding people who will keep you accountable. Who is going to keep bugging you and asking if you made your word count today? Who is going to ask you if you’ve written today? For me, my fiance is good about getting on me (most of the time: sometimes he caters to my wishes more than I need him to). Find someone who will continue to pester you and pester you until you’ve done at least some work. Remember that even if you only write 100 words a day, (or 10 words!) you will still eventually have a story. But you can’t have one if you don’t write. So find that person and beg them to be the annoying buzzing fly in your ear.
Writing critique groups are another great tool. I will admit I have been bad at this one, but I blame living in a small town and only living here for a year. However, having writers to write with or share your writing with is very important. The ideal is to find a group that meets every week so you are motivated to have something new to share with them every week. It also helps to get me out of the house (which sometimes can be motivation enough to help me write) when I know that someone is expecting my presence. It’s much easier to dismiss going to a coffee shop that day when I know no one is waiting for me there, even when the closest coffee shop is only like a two-minute walk! If someone is there, expecting me to show up, then I don’t want to disappoint them and I am actually motivated to go there.
Another way to share your writing in a weekly or daily way is to publish on a blog or other site like Wattpad. If you can build up enough of a following, then you will have readers who are waiting for new writing material. They will probably bug you if you don’t write for a while! They want your story and providing them will little bits at a time will build your readership and force you to keep writing. It’s a win-win!
Staying motivated doesn’t have to be some complicated, impossible thing. Try out some of these tools until you find something that works for you. For any of my non-writer readers, you can still apply many of these tools to your daily life as well! Remember to sign up for my newsletter below to get my free bullet journal templates to help you get started with bullet journaling. Next week, we will move on to part three of the series: Healthy Ways to Respond to Writing Obstacles.