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Motivation Tips



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Thu Jun 22, 2017 2:47 pm
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Mageheart says...



I'm getting pretty close to finishing up my first draft of my novel, but I've once again encountered an enemy that is certainly as bad as writer's block - lack of motivation. I know that once I overcome it, I'll be able to finish writing my novel.

So what do you all do to get motivated to work on your writing projects? I would especially appreciate any advice from other novel writers, but I'll be grateful for any help that you can give!
mage

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Thu Jun 22, 2017 2:57 pm
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Persistence says...



What could work is talking about it, like you already said. Then, maybe thinking about the end result, like what you end up with and how cool that'll be because come on! You'll have written a novel! Then maybe thinking of a sequel can get you motivated to finish your current book, even if you end up not doing it. Also, sometimes sitting down to write and actually getting the process going can get you excited about it, or at least get some sort of OCD spark inside you that tells you you've started something and you need to finish it.

I'm really curious to see other people's suggestions ( :
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Thu Jun 22, 2017 3:06 pm
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Sheadun says...



Hi Mage!

This had happened to me many times! First of all, what made you come up with your idea? Music, people in your life, etc.? Go back and see what made you fall in love with the idea in the first place. And my other advice is picturing the finished product. Imagine what it's like to have a first draft! All this hard work, and you are almost there! Keep going Mage!
  





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Thu Jun 22, 2017 3:30 pm
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inktopus says...



If there were any tv shows, books, movies, etc that inspired you to write this book, reread or rewatch them! Be careful about that though because you don't want to have your book accidentally copy anything. Consuming media often helps you create your own. Planning can also get you into the mood. I often do some mindless task like knitting or weeding and let my mind wander so I can think about my projects.
insert profound quote here

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Thu Jun 22, 2017 3:58 pm
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BluesClues says...



Tip Number 1: Don't wait for motivation! Tell it, "FINE, motivation, then how about I just do THIS?" and sit down at a set time with a pen and paper (or laptop or whatever) and start working. Write even if you feel like what you're writing is no good and you hate it.

Like actual real motivation is great and all, but sometimes you just have to buckle down and get to work and work through your non-motivation until you find your motivation again. You know I love you, but you are always talking about the latest story idea you've come up with, and caving to new ideas and neglecting old ones results in stories that are never finished! Sometimes you just need to say to yourself, "Self, we need to finish this story before we work on that one. Or at least work on them both at the same time. Maybe one in the morning and one in the afternoon. Maybe one on Mondays and Wednesdays and one on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Whatever. But we can't neglect our babies just because a new one's come along."

I mean, prewrite all you want for every story, and God bless. But the actual writing, you should probably focus on one or two at a time - the ones you like the most or that you think can go furthest or that you've already worked on the most, or whatever criteria you come up with.

Okay, real tips now. I mean, that one was serious, but if you'd like to ignore it or get help making it easier to convince yourself to just sit down and get to work, I have other tips.

Join a contest. Typically I hate feeling competitive and I'd rather sit a fun game out than be in competition with people. I don't know why. BUT when it comes to writing, I'm all over contests of all sorts. Hence my love of LMS and Nanowrimo (although Nano is nice because it's more like you're competing against the clock/yourself). Contests give you deadlines, specific goals, and accountability, all of which are good for motivation.

Find someone to hold you accountable. Outside of a contest, find someone (or several someones) who can make sure you're working and hold you responsible for reaching a deadline or goal. Example: I have to finish this draft of The Book Man by the end of July, per my boyfriend's orders. It helps if the someone wants to read the completed story or is otherwise excited about it/your writing, but as long as there's SOMEONE who's willing to say, "Hey, you should be writing!" it can help.

At least if you're like me, and it's harder to disappoint other people than it is yourself.

Tie up your inner editor and throw her in a closet. To be fair, I don't know what your lack of motivation is caused by. But in my case, sometimes it's that I start feeling like I'm totally horrible (especially when I'm revising). So you have to learn to just push through the feeling of "omg I can't write I'm terrible the story is terrible everything is terrible" and work until you've moved on to somewhere that doesn't seem as bad. Inner editors can come out and play when it's time to edit. But while you're actually writing, rewriting, and even sometimes when you're revising, they need to shush and let you work.

Skip around. Not literally. Unless you want to. That can be pretty fun.

But what I actually mean is, maybe you're bored with the scene you're working on, or you think it's not going well and aren't sure how to make it work, or you're looking forward to writing a different scene. If that's the case, it might help to skip ahead and write the next scene you're looking forward to or back to write a flashback or a scene you've come up with that would work best earlier on in the story. You don't have to write chronologically 100% of the time.
  





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Thu Jun 22, 2017 5:57 pm
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Rosendorn says...



Revise the idea for the ending.

Does it still interest you? Did a better ending reveal itself along the way that you've ignored? Does it plain old not make sense anymore but you don't know what else to put there?

Motivating myself through parts that just seem completely "ugh" has two solutions for me: butt to chair and wondering if something's broken.

So if you're not excited— figure out what makes you excited. Is it a tweak to that idea? Or completely rebuilding a new ending that fits the story better?

If you are excited— butt to chair and have a list of rewrites you want to do handy. Having a next project lined up can help.
A writer is a world trapped in a person— Victor Hugo

Ink is blood. Paper is bandages. The wounded press books to their heart to know they're not alone.
  





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Thu Jun 22, 2017 6:01 pm
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occymay says...



BlueAfrica is so right about not waiting for the motivation, I could spend years waiting for mine. I have written at least a hundred words every day since the beginning of May and it makes me love writing so I would definitely recommend. The first week is really difficult, trying to find the time, trying to remember to do it, trying to find what to write but seriously it is worth. It so easy to do now and it becomes a part of my everyday routine. To really help make it easier, I would download some form of word onto a portable device and use any spare minutes to write something. This is something that is really good to get yourself into when you have got the time because it makes it a lot easier.
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Sun Jun 25, 2017 2:13 am
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Kale says...



And sometimes, it helps to take a break from that particular project. There comes a point where you plug through the lack of motivation, and keep plugging, and keep plugging, and one day, you realize that you've come to hate writing that thing, and that the only reason you're still writing it is because you feel obligated to.

That's usually the point where I take a step back, try to figure out why I wanted to write the thing in the first place, why it's not currently working for me anymore, and work on rekindling my love for the project, sometimes by hopping right back in, but other times by working things related to the project (short side stories are great for this), or working on a different project entirely.

I usually have multiple projects going on at a time, however, so project rotation might not be the best option since it's a lot easier to drop a project than it is to pick it back up later on if you're a one-project-at-a-time sort of writer.
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Sun Jun 25, 2017 1:35 pm
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BluesClues says...



Kyllorac wrote:I usually have multiple projects going on at a time, however, so project rotation might not be the best option since it's a lot easier to drop a project than it is to pick it back up later on if you're a one-project-at-a-time sort of writer.


Amen to that. I have so many different stories I could work on, and I do have two that I'm actively working on right now, but if you take a break from one to work on another, you have to make sure it really stays just a break and not a permanent hiatus.
  





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Mon Jun 26, 2017 4:38 am
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Featherstone says...



You don't really strike me as a competitive person, but the only way I find to get myself motivated is to either compete or to do something like 100 Words a Day. If I don't have a goal and a challenge that other people see or I'm not working to win, I procrastinate and lose all my motivation, but for me, the minute there's a goal I get it done.

I'm not sure if that is something that will work for you, but that's all the advice I've got, unfortunately.
"All that is gold does not glitter,
Not all those who wander are lost;
The old that is strong does not wither,
Deep roots are not reached by the frost."


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