How Do You Stay Motivated?

To some people writing every day is a chore, they don’t understand why someone would want to write for a living. I am not one of those individuals. I get my quiet time when I’m working, it’s my creative time. It’s the way I engage my brain, but it’s also one of the ways I relax. Despite me loving the writing, sometimes I struggle, so here’s how I stay motivated.

Creative Writing

I adore creating. Imagining worlds for characters to live in, scenarios that push my characters to their limits, and spinning stories to entertain. So, during the editing stage of a novel it can become tough, I miss the creation. My flash fiction is how I enjoy creating and keep myself motivated to write. I can still create characters and worlds, while going through the editing stage, and that keeps me happy.

Mood Music

I Listen to music while writing to block out other noise. To help me concentrate on the writing and set the tone. I enjoy listening to the Focus Playlist on Apple Music, but having mood music can inspire when you’re writing something specific. For a crime-writer, when you’re trying to set a mood during a scene, it’s good to have mood music playing. That’s why I choose music like the Dexter theme music or soundtrack, or the soundtrack from One Hour Photo.

I love my Homepod with its connection to Apple Music.

Write First - Edit Later

It’s a difficult thing to write a story, seeing the words show up on screen and knowing they suck. What I’ve learned in my years of writing is you need to allow yourself to be rubbish. First drafts are trash, and that’s okay. The first draft, you’re telling yourself the tale, getting details written so you can rearrange and add to it later. It’s not meant for others to read and if it’s rubbish, that’s okay - the editing stage will take care of the rubbish.

Take A Break

Writer’s block, getting stuck. It happens. If I have followed my usual steps and still can’t get motivated, I take a break. I go for a walk. Kick start your creative mind by getting outdoors. Fresh air and being around nature can help with the creative juices and exercising is healthy. I walk every day, first thing in a morning, but the block can still stop me from getting on with writing, so I walk again.

Coffee

As long as I know what I’ll be writing the coffee gets me focused, and it’s a pleasant drink. My fingers fly across the keys and the words appear on the screen. I love my morning coffee, not only because it keeps me motivated but because it’s a tasty drink too.

Coffee, coffee, coffee.

Writing Tools

 
I use lots of tools to help improve my writing, and that helps battle the self-doubt demon. Self-doubt is awful because it can grip you and pull you down, but when I use these tools to develop my manuscript, I can keep the self-doubt at bay. Online tools help with grammar and style, books help with emotion in writing, and my planner helps me stay on task. 

 
Staying motivated is a constant battle, but when you find the right things, you can at least help yourself get, and stay motivated.

How do you stay motivated?