What works as quick motivation?

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   CroftRoanposted 12 years ago

   What works as quick motivation?
   
   I can't seem to bring myself to write today and I wanted to get a lot done with Mageling, Grace Under Fire, and Paragon this weekend. Any suggestions?

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   Laura Schneiderposted 12 years ago

   Take a walk/run around the block (or your equivalent thereof). Or, swing for a few minutes at the local park. Drink a cup of coffee or tea. Write about something else for awhile. Or, set a timer for 5 minutes and tell yourself that, like a bad pill, you'll for sure just sit down and write for 5 minutes--usually when I do this the timer goes off and I keep right on writing. Don't believe in "writer's block" whatever you do--it doesn't exist and never did. Just tell yourself that over and over and soon enough you'll believe it. I'm a professional fulltime technical writer, and I write all day long every day 40++ hours a week and then write articles for fun when I'm not working. (I do more than just write, don't get me wrong). I wrote an article on getting motivated to write--maybe that will help you. There's a video in it from another writer about motivation, too. http://lauraschneider.hubpages.com/hub/ … -to-Write. Hope this helps!

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      CroftRoanposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      I'm going to take a look at your article right now. Thanks!

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   UndercoverAgent19posted 12 years ago

   I've always had trouble with getting the ball rolling when I write. Somethings that help me which may help you: listening to music you like, listening to music you hate and tell yourself you can turn it off when you've written a certain number of words, write somewhere you're not used to like at a library or outside if those aren't your usual places, or reinforce your writing with snacks. We are surprisingly beahvior-based creatures. We do things that give us rewards, so small reinforcements can help.

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      CroftRoanposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      Hmmmm... I never thought of using snacks. I'll have to look into that one.

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   MaeMGposted 12 years ago

   When I get stuck writing a scene from one of my stories, I try to work it out by actually writing out what I want to actually happen in the actual scene. Just the other day, I actually had to write out the purpose of a particular scene or character and what overall conflict I wanted them to deal with. Maybe, seeing where you want to go will help clear the path to get to that point. I also am a big fan of music. I tend to immerse myself in music when I'm writing (especially a difficult scene). I usually select music that'll put me in the mood to write out that scene.

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      CroftRoanposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      This is great advice! I'll give it a test run today and see if I can work with it.

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      MaeMGposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      Oh, I also started a writing calendar recently to schedule a deadline when a chapter will be done that way not to overload myself. Sometimes, you have too many stories floating around. It'll help with setting priority over what needs to get done.

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   Lucia Wysposted 12 years ago

   I write tons of stuff I don't have any particular interest in, it's the nature of the job when you write for a living. As a freelancer, I'm constantly taking jobs that have absolutely not interest value, they pay well and they are the job. Motivation can be hard to come by so I alternate.
   
   I do not usually have any problem writing novels or doing things like fan fiction or role play writing so I tell myself, write this article or set of articles and you can write your own private stuff for however long (the time is usually determined by how close my deadlines are on my other work).
   
   I always make sure to keep my schedule. I also listen to upbeat music. In my case, never in English. I have a tendency to sing and end up typing what I'm singing so I pick languages I either don't speak well or don't speak at all. The music then becomes something to help keep up the pace and keep me from getting mired in "writer's block".
   
   If I'm having a really hard time and none of the above work, I take 15 minutes put on meditative music ( I like singing Bowls personally) and meditate. It helps me clear my mind and refocus on what my task is, it makes getting the job done a little easier.

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      CroftRoanposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      I like the meditation. My schedule is so crammed with school, writing/work, and figuring out how I'm going to move out I spend very little time just cleansing my mind. It's a great idea!

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