You know you need to get your work done. You know you need to do it now. You sit down, crack your knuckles, put your hands on the keyboard and… nothing. You try to keep at it, you dig deep and look for the motivation, but it’s not there. Suddenly, you feel like doing anything but writing. There are three movies on your Netflix queue that you need to watch. For the second time. Your dishwasher needs to be emptied. The ducks at the pond need your bread scraps or they may starve. Anything but writing.
It happens to us all at some point. Except for Stephen King, who seems to have a limitless well of material inside him. Or Ray Bradbury who wrote every day until he died. Okay, fine, maybe it is just me, but I am willing to admit to the possibility of others who have run into the same thing.
If you wait for motivation to come to you, you’re in for a long, long wait. If you are waiting for inspiration to strike, it might, but there’s always the chance it may not. Here are some tips to create your own motivation. Even if you’re not a writer, these tips can be modified for motivation in any area.
1. Get into a Groove, Not a Rut
Create a groove for yourself. Write the same time every day, if possible. I have a sliding schedule and have a hard time with this, but I found a time that works for me. It may not be as often as I like, but it’s better than not doing it at all. A writer I knew used to get up an hour earlier every morning to write. She got up at 5 a.m. instead of 6, but she got her novel written that way. When you do finally find your groove but have to miss your scheduled time, don’t beat yourself up about it. Just get back on it at your next scheduled time.
2. Visualize the End
Visualize your finished piece. What do you want it to look like? Who would you like to see reading it? Putting a finish line there for yourself helps you to see that there is just that. An end. It’s not just a endless cycle of sitting down and writing. You are working toward an end product. This will also help you from getting into the dreaded rut from number 1.
3. Put Yourself on the Hook
Make yourself accountable by committing to a deadline. Publicly. Whether it’s with your writer’s group, on your Facebook page or Twitter, or just telling someone, make your deadline known. You will be more motivated to get it done if there are people paying attention.
4. Dust off that Photo of David Hasselhoff
Do you have a book that always makes you want to write? Don’t put it away on a shelf; keep it next to your writing space. For me, it’s a newspaper article written by my stepfather about my birth father before he died. I want to make both of them proud, which is a great motivation. Keep your muses close to you to inspire you at those moments when you need inspiration.
5. No Labels
Don’t limit yourself with labels. Avoid ideas like “When I publish this, I’ll finally be a writer” or “When I sell a million copies, I’ll be someone.” You are already a writer. You are already someone. Work instead on being a great writer. Don’t place your worth in the future. The only thing that will accomplish is the feeling of worthlessness now. Feelings of worthlessness never got anyone anywhere. You know the trap is there; you don’t need to throw yourself into it.
6. Do Not Deliberately Throw Yourself into the Sarlacc* Pit
Don’t be hard on yourself. Don’t constantly punish yourself for not having sold as many books as Stephen King or writing as much as Ray Bradbury. This is a greased trap every writer should avoid. Falling into a hole of despair will not help you accomplish anything. Stop yourself when you start to recognize the signals. Don’t let yourself fall in. It’s a hard climb back up.
Do pat yourself on the back when you do well. Reward yourself when you reach your goal. Your day-to-day efforts deserve some acknowledgement. You don’t have to throw yourself a parade every time you write a paragraph, but, hey, you got it done. Have that double-shot macchiato with extra whip as a reward. You deserve it.
*http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sarlacc
7. Don’t Sabotage Your Progress
If you have found your groove and are in it, don’t let anything stop you. However, don’t take it too far. If I overdo it one night and stay up until 2 a.m., it may take me out for three days and I don’t produce anything. Keep it on an even keel and don’t exhaust yourself. I also find that the quality of my work suffers if I drink that third cup of coffee and push through. The time spent in revision is not worth the effort spent on sub-par work.
8. Work through the Suck
A friend of mine once gave me some advice that I have never forgotten. Work through the suck. It may not be going the way you imagined, but keep going. It will get better. It’s not going to get worse the more you practice. Quite the opposite actually. Natch.
9. Keep it Moving
If you don’t feel like working on your novel, short story, or whatever you’re working on, don’t push it. But do write something. Journal, blog, write story outlines longhand on your Snoopy notepad that you keep because it’s cute, it doesn’t matter. Just write. It doesn’t have to be a masterpiece, but it will keep your chops up. After all, that is what Steve and Ray do. Imitate your heroes. Pretty soon, you’ll be up there with them. And if not, at least you didn’t end up in the Sarlacc Pit.
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