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Top Tips To Stay Motivated

By on March 18, 2019
Top Tips To Stay Motivated - Writer's Life.org

When it comes to writing, staying motivated can be a challenge. Many of us try to fit writing into our lives amongst other, equally pressing tasks such as our day jobs and running a busy home, and while we’d love to make writing a priority, it can be challenging to find the time.

Not only that but if you find that your writing sessions aren’t as fulfilling or productive as you wanted them to be, this can also cause upset, frustration and end up meaning that we lack the motivation or desire to continue. So what are some of the things we can do to try and keep our motivation to write high?

Use visualization techniques

Before you start writing it is essential to get into the right frame of mind. Try using positive visualization techniques to help you get into the writing zone. Take ten minutes to sit quietly and imagine yourself having a productive writing session. Focus on how you’ll feel at the end of it, the sense of achievement and self-worth. Imagine completing your novel and how brilliant that will feel, you can even imagine receiving your publishing contract or seeing your book in a shop window to help you find the motivation to keep going.

Write through the bad stuff

You are not always going to find that the words come as easy as you want them to, and that’s OK. Just as we all have bad hair days, we all have bad writing days too so just allow yourself to have those times where you’re not very good and accept them in good humor! Write through the bad stuff, see it as a rite of passage to get to the gold that you know is within you. If you stick at it and write regularly, you’ll find it gets so much easier and the time you spend dragging your heels and worrying about whether your writing is good enough will get shorter and shorter.

Start and end on a high

Try to start each session feeling energized and confident. Pay attention to the times that you choose to write and try to find slots where you are in the right frame of mind and have the energy to be productive. Ending on a high can also help as not only will you come away feeling pleased with yourself, you’ll also return the next time with the memory that you enjoyed your last session and therefore be more motivated to get going again.

Eliminate distractions and take breaks

Sometimes staying motivated is just about doing small, practical things that will help you. So turn your phone off, shut down your email and ask your family to leave you alone for a couple of hours (!). Taking regular breaks if you’re planning a long writing session can also help to keep you focused and clear-headed so don’t forget to get up, stretch your legs and get some fresh air at least once an hour.

By following the above tips, you can help yourself to stay motivated to write your book, and have more fun with it too. Staying positive and productive will help make the book writing process a pleasure, and if you aren’t enjoying your writing time you’ve got to wonder why you are bothering in the first place!

bethany cadman

Bethany Cadman - bethanycadman.co.uk

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