Finding Motivation to Write

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   Al Stineposted 3 years ago

   I would like to find out some tips from other hubbers on how to stay motivated to write articles not centered around the renowned COVID-19 virus. It is understandable to raise awareness around such a global pandemic, and obviously most people are looking for information regarding the virus. I find it difficult to write about anything other than the virus because at the moment any other topic seems less relevant to the current conversation. At the same time, practicing social distancing and staying indoors to avoid contracting the virus becomes a painful experience if your eyes are flooded with the word 'COVID-19' everywhere you click.

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      chef-de-jourposted 3 years agoin reply to this

      Tricky times, surreal, weird. I 'escape' from Covid by ploughing on with my niche topic - poetry analysis. It seems to work for me. After years of building up hundreds of articles I'm not going to succumb to the beast!! I feel a bit like a hamster storing up food for later while running on the wheel. But I won't stop.
      
      My tip for those who are fated to write about Covid 19? Mmmm...don't, unless you can find a unique angle, which probably means writing a diary/journal of some kind? Run of the mill articles on Covid19 will likely get swamped.
      
      Motivation - sometimes you have to be bloody-minded, ignore the mainstream, (allow yourself a few minutes each day with the beast?) then retreat into a cosy writing cave space, head down and start writing 100 words, 200 words, a half hour, an hour.
      
      My mantra goes something like: 'I ain't finished with you yet Mr TS Eliot, Mrs Angelou... I'll be back.'

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         Al Stineposted 3 years agoin reply to this

         Tricky times indeed. It is even difficult to have any conversation without addressing the elephant in the room first.
         I will try to adopt your mantra, otherwise, I might just take a much-needed sabbatical.

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      OldRosesposted 3 years agoin reply to this

      I'm fortunate because I write gardening articles which are quite popular now going into the gardening season.  For other people, I would suggest that you use this opportunity to write articles on subjects that you are passionate about or that you have been thinking about writing but were afraid that they wouldn't be popular.  Instead of worrying about the pandemic, use the time to explore new interests.  They may not make you a lot of money in the long run, but it you do nothing you will not make any money at all.

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         Al Stineposted 3 years agoin reply to this

         Thanks, OldRoses. I will try to explore my other interests.

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      TIMETRAVELER2posted 3 years agoin reply to this

      I hear you, but if this is the worst thing that ever happens to you, consider yourself fortunate.  I've lost all desire to write for the moment, because I'm really sick..and not with the virus.  Radiation therapy has brutal side effects...so, no, I don't care about what is being written or what to write.  My numbers have dropped significantly, but again, that is not at the top of my list!

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         Al Stineposted 3 years agoin reply to this

         That's unfortunate TT2, I hope you'll get well soon. You can take comfort in the fact that numbers have dropped for most hubbers, so you're not lagging behind during your absence.
         I guess I'll have to make the best out of this situation.
         Thanks.

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            TIMETRAVELER2posted 3 years agoin reply to this

            That is something we'll all have to do.  This situation will create new worlds for those of us who survive it.  If I had my health right now, I'd be spending time updating my work and creating new stuff...but my health will return and I can do all that stuff then.  In the meantime, my HP checks continue to show up...less than before...but still not bad.  I consider myself very lucky.

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               Al Stineposted 3 years agoin reply to this

               Indeed TT2, Will all pull through, this too shall pass. Am sure you'll come back stronger and rejuvenated. I cannot even imagine what you are going through right now, but am inspired by the fact that you still have enough strength left in the tank to look to the future with optimism. You can indeed consider yourself lucky, we also consider ourselves lucky to have people like you.

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                  TIMETRAVELER2posted 3 years agoin reply to this

                  ..aww shucks!  Thanks.

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      Aliswellposted 3 years agoin reply to this

      During this particular time of what I experience as "my reality"..I have way too much time on my hands

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         Al Stineposted 3 years agoin reply to this

         Agreed, Aliswell.
         It seems the reality of this particular time has also offered up way too much time on most people's hands.

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      Tidbits25posted 3 years agoin reply to this

      As we move on to the new normal, I believe our interests remain the same tweaked a little to adjust to the situation. I easily get discouraged so I read hubs about people starting out and their successes no matter how small.

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      peachpurpleposted 3 years agoin reply to this

      you could,write hubs about people affected by covid 19, how to work from home, do they get paid, those people who are forced to take unpaid leave, how do those infected victims survived, what tips you can do at home during lockdown, what hobbies, recipes, diy, so many more !

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   How to - Answersposted 3 years ago

   There are other articles you could write about that people will be searching for other than information on the virus.  I am in the middle of writing a recipe for making bread with yeast.  The longer this goes on the harder it will be to get fresh foods.  I know we are being told there will not be any shortages, I live in the Republic of Ireland, but it would do no harm to be prepared. 
   
   Also those writers who know a lot about vegetable gardening and other prepping subjects will be searched for too.  These articles would be evergreen unlike any on the virus.  I also doubt very much unless you are a doctor that these articles would get very far on Google search engines anyway. 
   
   So I intend to keep writing and gardening while I continue to self isolate

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      Al Stineposted 3 years agoin reply to this

      That's a better suggestion. Articles that are useful now and will still remain relevant after this episode.
      The problem is, I do not have the stomach to write anything remotely related to the current conversation. I would much prefer to write or read something that will enable me to forget the dire times we are in.
      Perhaps a different indoor hobby might do the trick.

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   FatFreddysCatposted 3 years ago

   I've actually been more prolific than usual during the Covid outbreak. My company has had me on a work-from-home protocol for the past two weeks, which means I've had lots of time to sit around the house listening to music. It's given me time to get caught up on quite a few articles that I've had sitting around half-finished for a while.
   
   That said, I usually avoid writing stuff that taps into current events/trending topics, but in the past two weeks I've posted two tongue-in-cheek articles listing rock & metal songs about viruses & disease, and they're doing quite well. So there is a way to write about the Coronavirus without going all gloom-and-doom.

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      DrMark1961posted 3 years agoin reply to this

      I have been more prolific too. I have downloaded every episode of "My Name is Earl", "30 Rock", and "The Simpsons". Guess who has been binge watching the last few days?

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         Al Stineposted 3 years agoin reply to this

         I have a list of shows I intend to binge watch, then I realized my shows have too much science and end-of-the-world mumble jumble.
         I think I'll add "My Name is Earl" to my list, sounds like a refreshing show.

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            DrMark1961posted 3 years agoin reply to this

            The first seasons were better, but it is a good way to while away some time. Much easier to binge watch than The Simpsons, and a lot more fun than an end-of-the-world show!

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               Al Stineposted 3 years agoin reply to this

               I thought the Simpsons is the easiest show to watch. I have managed to watch all 30 seasons in the last few years. I will watch 'My Name is Earl' immediately after I finish watching 'Barry.'

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                  DrMark1961posted 3 years agoin reply to this

                  Okay, I had not heard of that one and just looked it up. Something new to download and binge watch!

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                     Al Stineposted 3 years agoin reply to this

                     You won't be disappointed, I can assure you.

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      Al Stineposted 3 years agoin reply to this

      I have bad taste in music. Strange enough, my music is all-out doom-and-gloom, completely inappropriate for this difficult time. I wouldn't even consider sitting at home listening to music, the plants in the house might start dying.
      I think I'll write an article on the best sneakers suited for a zombie apocalypse.

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   Eurofileposted 3 years ago

   I have a backlog of travel information and ideas for articles. I was wondering how relevant they are now. For escapism they might be okay. I anticipated having more time to write. I am spending so much time keeping in touch with friends via methods other than direct meetings that writing gets no more of a look in than normal. It takes me so long to get an article ready to publish, maybe the situation might have improved a little by then.

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      theraggededgeposted 3 years agoin reply to this

      Ah... then you must offer virtual tours for the time being. Be creative and see if you can think of a unique approach.

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   Cynthia Hooverposted 3 years ago

   I have avoided writing anything related to the pandemic. I assumed that any traffic or earnings relating to the situation would be short lived.  Once the dust settles and we get back to whatever will be the new normal my thought was they likely wouldn't be gaining traffic
   
   Instead I focused my energy on writing on other topics. Topics that would hopefully be more fruitful long term. I have written and published around 26 new articles since March. I seem to have the opposite issue, I have no shortage of post it notes for ideas of things to write that are not related right now.
   
   But I am currently working on editing an older hub. It seems to be my 'white whale' if you will. To get it moved over to a niche site, I got the friendly heads up to edit some time ago. Yet, the more I edit the less I like it.

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      Al Stineposted 3 years agoin reply to this

      I was advised in that direction by most hubbers. I have also found comfort in writing about how I am spending my time indoors. I am sure after this episode is done, we will have more flexibility to write about a lot of different topics.
      Did some edits too, always room for improvements on articles.

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   Jodahposted 3 years ago

   Good question, Al. I find myself writing mainly poetry but even then I am usually beginning with an introductory paragraph that mentions the virus. Some poems may have an indirect link but are not glaringly about the virus.
   It is just a hard thing to ignore totally as it has infiltrated almost all aspects of life. Saying that, I have never been busier than I am right now as a freelance writer and a lot of my paid jobs have been to write about the virus. As far as popularity and views, my gardening articles seem to be the most popular at the moment.

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      Tidbits25posted 3 years agoin reply to this

      I have a few direct and indirect mentions of the virus and the situation too.

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         Al Stineposted 3 years agoin reply to this

         I prefer not to mention it, I see it everywhere, and its getting depressing now.
         I read your article on "Simplifying Your Wardrobes ", it's really beneficial in these times. The indoor time has made me realize I am a low key hoarder.

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            Tidbits25posted 3 years agoin reply to this

            Oh wow! Thank you. I am taking advantage of the time available due to work from home as well as skeletal workforce arrangement to simplify. I just recently placed my smartphone icons into folders. I left messaging and calling as well as camera, browser, and youtube on the landing screen of my smartphone. It is more peaceful to look at.

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               Al Stineposted 3 years agoin reply to this

               Micromanaging the smartphone screen..
               I prefer my screens scruffy, it makes me feel like am doing important things on the screen. I will also try to do that too, time is very generous nowadays..

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      Al Stineposted 3 years agoin reply to this

      Very true John, it's hard to ignore it. I have been spending a lot of indoor time like most people, so my recent articles are a reflection of what am interacting with indoors. Hopefully they remain relevant when the dust settles.

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   lobobrandonposted 3 years ago

   I am taking up a new hobby one that I had a few years ago: an aquarium. But this time a planted aquarium, so I'm assuming that I'd be writing some hubs on the topic soon enough. I have many more that I want to write about gardening too. Time and motivation are an issue, I binge watch stuff instead. I binge-watched "into the night" last weekend and right now I'm watching "Lost in space". I've already completed the usual stuff that most people watch. I haven't heard of Barry will check it out.

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      Al Stineposted 3 years agoin reply to this

      If I had enough space and resources I would build an aquarium too, but my locality doesn't have enough aquatic animals.
      I finished watching "Lost in Space", I just fought the urge to drop some spoilers here. If you enjoyed it, I would recommend you watch, "The Expanse" and "The 100", they are not as good, but they look similar.

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         lobobrandonposted 3 years agoin reply to this

         No spoilers please Thanks, I'll check those out.

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   Isivwe Muoboposted 3 years ago

   You are right; there are quite a number of articles on COVID 19 and its becoming rather depressing. These days I just skip any article on the topic and go for lighter subjects. I still try to stay abreast of the situation once a day though and go on to a few authourity sites to do so.
   
   As to topics to write on, I would browse through the forum reading articles of interest and who knows, a topic might jump at you.

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      Al Stineposted 3 years agoin reply to this

      I agree Isivwe, I have also started reading about topics I would have otherwise had no interest in before the pandemic. Instead of focusing on the doom and gloom, this is also a good time to search for new experiences.

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   EricFarmer8xposted 3 years ago

   My motivations to write are getting all the things I want to say about my favorite video games published.
   
   I have a lot of video game guides and reviews and things I think will do well.
   
   I work in a local Walmart so I suppose I am more at risk than most people. But things are going OK. I still find a tiny bit of time to write some.

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      Al Stineposted 3 years agoin reply to this

      I went through your videogame articles, and I saw a lot of Poker. I have zero experience in anything Poker.
      However, your article on setting up multiple monitors caught my eye. I have multiple monitors too, two to be specific. I was planning to add a third monitor. My GPU is a low-end NVIDIA GeForce GTX 750Ti, it has provision for three monitors on the HDMI, VGA and DVI ports. I managed to connect monitors on the HDMI and VGA ports, but it seems DVI monitors are not easy to find here. My computer has a free separate VGA port, so I thought about getting a second VGA monitor, then I had concerns about lag and integration of the third monitor because the VGA port on the GPU is already occupied, so the system might not identify the third VGA monitor as a separate monitor. I don't know what you think, I don't want to waste my money on a third monitor that might not function.

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         EricFarmer8xposted 3 years agoin reply to this

         I am not sure about mixing motherboard video and GPU video. But you can use a dongle that allows you to connect a VGA cord to DVI.
         
         You need something that looks like this.
         
         https://www.monoprice.com/product?p_id=2397

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            Al Stineposted 3 years agoin reply to this

            Thanks, Eric.
            I'll try to find that connector. I'll add it to my long list of dongles I need to purchase. It seems standard cables are becoming less relevant, you just need the right connectors and you are good to go.

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