writing motivation

The Secret to Writing Regularly

Dear Editor…

How do you motivate yourself to write daily? How do you structure your day/environment? How do you get in the mindset or zone?

Thank you,
Jennifer

Dear Jennifer…

There are a zillion tricks for cranking out the pages. (Your favorites, Readers?) All of them come down to “motivation.” Here are 5 ways to get and stay motivated to write: Write what makes you happy – When a task is enjoyable, you’re more likely to start and stick with it, so instead of writing to trends, write what you want to write. Write as often as makes you happy – People think they must write daily, so even when they write 6 times a week they’re bummed. How about twice a week? Two times out of 2 is 100%, and 100% feels good. Write the amount that makes you happy – Small bites are OK. Fifty scenes a year is better than 5 full chapters sporadically produced. Compare yourself to yourself – Cultivate authentic inner power by improving yourself rather than competing with others. Celebrate often – Wrote a scene? Cheer on Facebook. See an improvement? Draw a happy face on your calendar to memorialize the day. Build yourself up, and build your WIP in the process.

Happy writing!
The Editor