Do you ever find yourself staring at the computer screen with no motivation to write? I’m not talking about writers block. There are ways to work through that. Sometimes the motivation to write just isn’t there. I guess that is the equivalent of a lazy person’s procrastination. It’s not uncommon to go days or even weeks and months where the motivation to write has abandoned you. It’s kind of like that old country song cliché where the girl left you and took the dog and your truck with her. Having no motivation to write leaves me feeling sad. I guess that analogy is kind of old school. I guess in a few years we’ll hear country songs about how the self driving truck left on its own free will. I suppose there’s no stopping technological advancement.
I’ll toss this out to our AAG members and hope to get some feedback in the comments below: How do you stay motivated as a writer? How do you keep writing when you’re uninspired?
If you’re going through something like this, one thing I have found helpful is to jot down my writing goals and keep that handy on my desk. I want to see it the entire time that I have blocked for writing on my current work in progress. During times of procrastination and lack of motivation, it has been helpful to have smaller writing goals. Having a goal of finishing a new novel in six months is daunting. Actually, it has discouraged me from writing when I’m already lacking in motivation. I might make a smaller goal of writing a six page short story instead.
If you want to get into shape and drop some pounds, you don’t start one day one jogging ten miles, do you? That would make no sense. I’d drop dead if I tried that! But if you start out walking a couple of miles and work up to jogging that distance a little bit at a time, that makes a lot more sense. Writing works the same way. Maybe start out with a writing prompt or two, spend ten or twenty minutes a day on those. Smaller writing tasks are much less daunting than trying to come up with the next great American novel. During that time it is also a good idea to revisit your old writing projects and reflect on why you starting writing in the first place.
What works for you?
I’ll toss this out to our AAG members and hope to get some feedback in the comments below: How do you stay motivated as a writer? How do you keep writing when you’re uninspired?
If you’re going through something like this, one thing I have found helpful is to jot down my writing goals and keep that handy on my desk. I want to see it the entire time that I have blocked for writing on my current work in progress. During times of procrastination and lack of motivation, it has been helpful to have smaller writing goals. Having a goal of finishing a new novel in six months is daunting. Actually, it has discouraged me from writing when I’m already lacking in motivation. I might make a smaller goal of writing a six page short story instead.
If you want to get into shape and drop some pounds, you don’t start one day one jogging ten miles, do you? That would make no sense. I’d drop dead if I tried that! But if you start out walking a couple of miles and work up to jogging that distance a little bit at a time, that makes a lot more sense. Writing works the same way. Maybe start out with a writing prompt or two, spend ten or twenty minutes a day on those. Smaller writing tasks are much less daunting than trying to come up with the next great American novel. During that time it is also a good idea to revisit your old writing projects and reflect on why you starting writing in the first place.
What works for you?
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