Image by Gerd Altmann via Pixabay.
First, some fun news. I spent last week redesigning my web site. It was a pretty fun project, and I’m happy with the results. Be sure to check it out and let me know what you think in comments.
Second, I asked my son what question he had about writing and he said, “How do you stay motivated and not get bored while writing—especially during a quarantine?”
Here’s the truth: It’s hard to stay motivated on a long-term writing project even without a pandemic mucking up all the works. Novels are hard, y’all. They require sustained effort for multiple months and sometimes years. Below is a list of some of the games I play with myself to get shit done.
Deadlines:
I need external motivation to get stuff done. If you’re an introvert you may not need this, since introverts are inherently internally motivated. But either way, it’s a good idea to get used to writing to deadline.
Don’t holler. I know some of you aren’t under contract yet. This is when you need to get crafty and force your own hand. I literally will not get any work done without a deadline hanging over me. So I create my own.
Find a submission call or a contest to use as your target date for completion. Sign up for a conference or a pitch session. Pay for a class that has submission deadlines. Create a critique group that will give you a hard time if you don’t turn in your pages weekly or monthly.
The point is if you don’t have the accountability already you’re gonna have to create some.
Bite-Sized Pieces
While you’re creating your deadlines, it’s best to focus on breaking the whole up into pieces. It’s overwhelming to set a goal of, say, writing 100,000 edited words in six months. that doesn’t jive with how my brain processes time. I need some interim deadlines or I’ll procrastinate for three months and then panic/cry write for two and edit for one.
So break your goals down. I’ve done word count goals, page count goals, and scenes-written goals. Or I’ll set a rough draft date goal, a first pass revision goal, and a send to beta reader goal. Use a critique group for weekly accountability check-ins via email.
Turn off Your Wifi
I am not too proud to admit that I lack self-control when it comes to shiny things on the internet. I can’t let an email go unread or a tweet go un-responded to. So when I really need to get things done, I either use an app like Freedom to block access or, because I’m sneaky and can’t be trusted not to exit out of the app, I’ll have my spouse remotely disconnect the internet. Or I’ll go work at a place where there is no internet or it’s a pain in the butt to get logged on to it.
The point is to be honest about your real behavior and then work around yourself for your own good.
Let the Rhythm Move You
When you’re working on a longterm project, there are going to be cycles of behavior. When I’m starting a project I’m usually all optimistic and having fun. Then, the choices I make early on catch up with me or I run out of that first burst of energy. And then doubt settles in and I’m wondering why I even started this $%^#%# story.
You won’t necessarily know your patterns now, but understand that no feeling is final. Doubt today could give way to manic pride tomorrow. There are upbeats and downbeats that create your writing rhythm. Self-doubt is a normal part of the creative process. So is fear. And procrastination. I’ll repeat: These are all normal. They don’t mean your book is bad or that you’re an imposter. They mean you are creating something from nothing. And don’t think that one day you’ll become immune to these things. I still have plenty of all of the above, but the difference is that now I can tell myself, “Self, this is normal. Just keep going.”
Know Your Motivation
We talk a lot about know your characters’ motivations, but it’s very important to understand your own, as well. Why do you want to write this story? What is it about this particular idea that made you commit to doing all of this work? Is it helping you work through something? Did you create a really awesome world and love playing in it? Does it explore themes similar to some big world event that fascinates you? Is the main character exploring deep conflicts that you are trying to understand in your own life?
If you don’t know why you’re writing THIS book, it’s going to be hard to keep going through the hard days. If you haven’t thought about this, sit down with a pen and paper and do some journaling about it. Make a list of everything you’re fascinated by in the story? List what you find exciting and just plain cool. See if that helps.
These are just a few big-picture ways that I stay motivated to write a story all the way to the end. What methods have you used to stay motivated?
Usually I just know the story is interesting, at least to me. But, after this first one and coming to understand what a long haul it is, I think journaling to get clear on the reasons why I think it is good will be helpful.