The tiredness

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   Rising Carenposted 12 years ago

   After a few weeks of hiatus, I realized I should probably come back to write a few more hubs.
   
   How do you get over the tiredness. Yesterday I had a day off and wrote 4 (purty good) hubs. Today I worked and although I can think up topics to write about, I keep going "let's try to think of a simpler topic because this sounds too long and I'm way too tired for it"
   
   How do you keep yourself motivated to write after a long day's work and bad weather? Or do you just not write and instead relax so you can be ready another day?

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   1. 77

      Shadesbreathposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      Set yourself an amount of time you are going to write or a word count you are going to meet. Make it reasonable, the kind of thing you can say, "Well, I"m not in the mood, but I can at least make myself do THIS much."  For example:
      
      Monday through Friday, I will write 800 words or for 45 minutes, whichever comes first.
      
      Doing that takes some of the edge off of procrastination. Part of what makes it hard to write is that without a fixed time limit, emotionally, you don't know what you are really in for. By having a time limit, you know that there is an end. Humans like to know what the game is, where the light is at the end, etc.
      
      Secondly, it takes the edge of procrastination because you know what you are looking for: 800 words or an hour. Both of those are achievable outcomes, quantifiable. You can do either one for sure; you know what the finish line looks like. This eliminates the need to write "good hubs" or "funny hubs" or whatever. Just write. Worry about quality later.
      
      What typically happens is once you get going, you stop thinking about writing and get into the writer zone, which I'm sure I don't have to tell you about. The trick is making yourself start so you can get there.
      
      Hope this helps.

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      1. 79

         Rising Carenposted 12 years agoin reply to this

         Hmm that's a great idea, especially the word count limit. The time limit would be bad for me as I could procrastinate as I write (chatting and such) and end up "writing" 10 words in an hour if I really go into full procrastination mode. A more tangible goal like 300 words (800 is a bit big for tiredness....) might be ok ^^ I think I'll choose a topic and only write 300ish words.

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2. 0

   Valemanposted 12 years ago

   I can't force myself to write, I really have to be in the mood.  If I do try, I tend to produce a lot of rubbish.  If I feel inspired, and can't write quickly enough to get my thoughts down, then the work is of better quality.

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3. 61

   megs78posted 12 years ago

   this is exactly the reason I decided not to pursue journalism.  i just can't write if I am not inspired.  I need to feel the urge to write and when that happens, my writing is at its best.  I've said it before in the forums, but I can go months without writing and sometimes it scares me.  I always think that maybe I lost my ability.  But generally, the months I am not writing, I am reading avidly and keeping tabs on current events and uncovering historical facts.  Then suddenly, I am writing like a demon. It seems to me, its kind of like filling a well.  I drain myself after writing and then go in search of new information and inspiration to replace the void in my brain.  Unless writing is your main source of income, I would take the hint that 'tiredness' is sending you and take a break and regroup.

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   Jenne Joyposted 12 years ago

   Since I freelance from home as a full time job, I've made myself an 8-4:30/5:00ish schedule that lists all the work I need to get done. This way I make enough to pay the bills but still spend time on important long term projects like my novel. :] I'm still pretty new here at hubpages, so it's hard for me to put in work when I'm still so low on the totem pole yet, so to speak.
   
   One thing I've found that really helps get me motivated and get my daily to-do list done a lot quicker is to go for a run in the morning... On days that I go for a run, I can finish a day's worth of work by 2, maybe 3 p.m. but on days that I don't go, I might work the entire day because I'm so exhausted. Maybe that sounds strange, but it works for me! :] I think you just have to find something that works for you. :]

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5. 63

   Lisa HWposted 12 years ago

   I basically use a "steering into the skids" (as when driving on ice) approach to my extra-time writing.  I have to, because I can't approach the extra-time writing the same way I do for "day-job" writing (although "day job" isn't always day hours for me).
   
   I have to separate the different types of writing. 
   
   It doesn't take motivation/inspiration for me to do most of the things I do for other people (on assignment).  That kind of writing is more "mechanical".  I do need x amount of incubation time before writing, but from there it gets "mechanical".  I have a system.
   
   With something like Hubs, I have to write a "middle-ground" kind of writing.  Not "hard-core" business kind of writing, but also not the emotionally draining "best" kind of my own writing.  That's for yet another time (when/if there is any).
   
   With Hubs, I keep it kind of casual but also try to offer the reader something.  I'm not going to put my most serious, or best, work on the Internet anyway; and since I want to keep the writing enjoyable enough to want to use my extra time for it, I don't want to get into the whole thing about researching some subject in which I have zero interest.
   
   Then I write when a Hub occurs to me and I'm in the mood.  If I have time to kill (or need for a break) I go to the forums or questions and see if I get new ideas for any Hubs.  I'm not particularly thrilled with most of my Hubs, but they are what they are and earn what they earn.  A benefit to writing Hubs with this approach is that sometimes in the middle of writing (and being in the writing mode) I get ideas for writing something else (that isn't in a Hub, and that I can get a little more "inner reward" from).  As it is, I live chronically exhausted (for reasons unrelated to writing Hubs), so if I tried to take a more "hard core" approach to writing them, I'd stop - because there's only so much a person can do in any day.
   
   Also, if I'm between projects or only have a little to do for one of them, I may use the work time to write a Hub.  When writing something like Hubs is an extra-time thing, I don't think you can always have the same kind of approach as you would with, say, a day job.

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6. 61

   FloraBreenRobisonposted 12 years ago

   Perhaps for that particular day, just write in a journal about how you are not feling inspired.  maybe just write that day to record what is going on with your life lately so that you have written something to keep yourself in the loop, so to speak.  Meanwhile, you won't feel as if  you have wasted time, because  have at least recorded how you are feeling.

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