*This post comes from a handout created for RRWG September 9, 2023*
Ways to Motivate Yourself to Write
Don’t confuse passion with motivation
You can’t rely on passion. You’re not going to feel passionate every single day. Motivation doesn’t always mean loving what you’re doing. It’s okay to write when you don’t “feel motivated” if what you mean is, “I’m not stoked about doing this right now.” You don’t have to be stoked about it. You just have to start writing. If you’re writing, you’re motivated. Period. You’re doing it.
You can’t rely on passion. You’re not going to feel passionate every single day. Motivation doesn’t always mean loving what you’re doing. It’s okay to write when you don’t “feel motivated” if what you mean is, “I’m not stoked about doing this right now.” You don’t have to be stoked about it. You just have to start writing. If you’re writing, you’re motivated. Period. You’re doing it.
At its core, writing is just communicating ideas. You want the ideas you capture to be relevant to your book. That’s why you should always outline first—so you can capture all your ideas about a specific section before you move on to the next one. An outline is also the greatest defense against fear and writers’ block. It’s a lot harder to get stuck when there is a roadmap guiding the way.
Create Small, Attainable Goals
An outline is so powerful because it helps you see your book in terms of smaller, more attainable goals. Set goals that will set you up for success. Try writing 250 words per day (250 words is ½ page single-spaced or 1 page double-spaced). That word count is low enough to be easily achievable. It leaves you no excuses. It’s more important to be consistent with writing than have epic writing sessions. Aim for 250 words every day and stick with it. And remember, if you’re doing it, you’re motivated.
An outline is so powerful because it helps you see your book in terms of smaller, more attainable goals. Set goals that will set you up for success. Try writing 250 words per day (250 words is ½ page single-spaced or 1 page double-spaced). That word count is low enough to be easily achievable. It leaves you no excuses. It’s more important to be consistent with writing than have epic writing sessions. Aim for 250 words every day and stick with it. And remember, if you’re doing it, you’re motivated.
Make It a Daily Practice
Notice the goal is 250 words every single day. You’ll be much more motivated to write when it becomes a daily practice. In addition to the 250 words per day, a writing routine will help keep you on track. Pick a designated writing time and stick to it every day. The same goes for your writing place. A writing routine gives you the fuel to keep going, even when you think your tank is running low. When writing becomes an automatic part of your day, it’s a lot harder to procrastinate.
Notice the goal is 250 words every single day. You’ll be much more motivated to write when it becomes a daily practice. In addition to the 250 words per day, a writing routine will help keep you on track. Pick a designated writing time and stick to it every day. The same goes for your writing place. A writing routine gives you the fuel to keep going, even when you think your tank is running low. When writing becomes an automatic part of your day, it’s a lot harder to procrastinate.
Don’t Be Perfect – Vomit on the Page
Don’t fall into the trap of unrealistic expectations. Use the first draft to spew words and thoughts onto a page. It’s a lot easier to motivate yourself to write when you free yourself from the need to be perfect. A first draft is exactly what the name implies—a first step. For now, stop worrying about how good or bad your writing is and start capturing your ideas. You can make them sound great later. Don’t edit as you go. It’s a lot easier to fix writing when you actually have writing to fix. Just write.
Don’t fall into the trap of unrealistic expectations. Use the first draft to spew words and thoughts onto a page. It’s a lot easier to motivate yourself to write when you free yourself from the need to be perfect. A first draft is exactly what the name implies—a first step. For now, stop worrying about how good or bad your writing is and start capturing your ideas. You can make them sound great later. Don’t edit as you go. It’s a lot easier to fix writing when you actually have writing to fix. Just write.
Practice Self-Care
If you want to motivate yourself, you have to take care of yourself. Writing can be a slog. If you don’t take care of yourself, it’s easy to lose steam. Take time to do things that will make your body and mind feel better. You want to develop good writing habits, not become a writing machine. To do that, you need to check in with yourself from time to time to make sure you’re at the top of your game.
What is Character Motivation?
Character motivation is the reason behind a character’s behaviors and actions in a given scene or throughout a story. Motivations are intrinsic needs: they might be external needs and relate to survival, but they might also be psychological or existential needs, such as love or professional achievement. A ‘goal’ is something that a character wants to achieve. It is a conscious objective like getting rich or winning the World Cup. Motivation is the underlying reason why a person has that goal, like the fear of being financially insecure or the need to prove themselves as someone exceptional.
Why is Character Motivation important?
Motivations make it easier to put yourself in the head of the character. Think of the old cliché of actors asking for their ‘motivation,’? They sometimes call it a “playable note” and it’s something that can help you write believable characters. Give your characters “playable motives”.
If you want to motivate yourself, you have to take care of yourself. Writing can be a slog. If you don’t take care of yourself, it’s easy to lose steam. Take time to do things that will make your body and mind feel better. You want to develop good writing habits, not become a writing machine. To do that, you need to check in with yourself from time to time to make sure you’re at the top of your game.
* * * *
What is Character Motivation?
Character motivation is the reason behind a character’s behaviors and actions in a given scene or throughout a story. Motivations are intrinsic needs: they might be external needs and relate to survival, but they might also be psychological or existential needs, such as love or professional achievement. A ‘goal’ is something that a character wants to achieve. It is a conscious objective like getting rich or winning the World Cup. Motivation is the underlying reason why a person has that goal, like the fear of being financially insecure or the need to prove themselves as someone exceptional.
Why is Character Motivation important?
Motivations make it easier to put yourself in the head of the character. Think of the old cliché of actors asking for their ‘motivation,’? They sometimes call it a “playable note” and it’s something that can help you write believable characters. Give your characters “playable motives”.
As an author, it’s tough to write an “angry” character — much better to create a situation that frustrates their motivations, resulting in their anger. Give yourself a playable note. Every character needs to have motivations, no matter how unlikable they are. Relatable antagonists are much more interesting and terrifying than ones who care about senseless, abstract villainy. Readers need your character’s motivations to be credible. Readers don’t have to like, approve of, or share a character’s motivation — they just have to believe it.
Character motivations are critical to getting readers invested: "Who do you know in life that doesn’t want something? Exactly. Everyone wants something, and so should your characters."
Prompts
- Being as descriptive as possible, describe your ideal writing locale. How do you feel in this space?
- What makes someone interesting?
- What excites me? Why?
- Think of one of your characters. What excites this character? Why?
Links
Ways to Motivate Yourself to Write adapted from
ScribeMedia.com – 9 Ways to Boost Your Writing Motivation (That Actually Work)
https://scribemedia.com/writing-motivation/
Additional Resources
https://www.nownovel.com/blog/motivation-to-write/
https://bang2write.com/2019/04/23-powerful-examples-of-character-motivation.html
ScribeMedia.com – 9 Ways to Boost Your Writing Motivation (That Actually Work)
https://scribemedia.com/writing-motivation/
Additional Resources
https://www.nownovel.com/blog/motivation-to-write/
https://bang2write.com/2019/04/23-powerful-examples-of-character-motivation.html
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