Motivate Yourself

You know, we could sit here and talk about writing all day, but there's one thing many writers have a severe problem with: motivation. The act of just sitting down and writing.

I know I do. When I was in college (what has it been now, three weeks?), the only reason I ever finished my papers was because they were due the next morning. Without that ever-present deadline, who knows what would've happened?

But don't worry. I have a few tips here that might help you motivate yourself. They've helped me out.

Find an audience

While I do believe that all great writers write for the sake of it, the passion, it doesn't hurt to have an audience. Getting feedback and reaction really does motivate a person to keep going, and if that feedback is positive, all the better. Having an audience gives you a greater sense of purpose.

That's what makes blogging so popular, I think: instant gratification. Well, maybe not instant, but you're letting your voice be heard and opening yourself up to the possibility that someone will appreciate what you've written and maybe even toss you a comment.

The motivation here lies in the fact that you're wriitng toward the expectation of others; if you have an audience, you'll always want to write for them.

I'm not a fan of critique groups, but if you're seriously having motivation issues, it may benefit you to join one. Just for a while. Then, get the hell out once you're up to speed.

Schedule a block of time

Many aspiring writers (or just writer writers) often have trouble making the time, and that in turn hinders their motivation. Find a slice of time that works for you and stick to it. Perhaps you could cut back on watching television or collecting toenails and rework your daily schedule to allow yourself more writing time.

Releasing the pressure of constantly having other things to do will free your mind and give you a chance to unlock your creativity. That's not always possible -- we all have obligations -- but if you're serious about writing, I'm sure you'll find a way.

Read some really crappy writing

This sounds mean, but that's because it is.

I know you've done it before: you've picked up a book, glossed over a few pages and said, "I could drool on an index card and it'd be better than this crap."

I'm not exactly saying this is a great way to motivate yourself to write; it's almost sinister. But understanding that it really isn't difficult to let yourself be heard, that others before you, perhaps even those less talented than you, have accomplished what you'd like to accomplish, will definitely push you forward. Try reading some random blogs.

Stop writing altogether

What did you say? Stop writing? Don't even think about writing? Heresy!

I think there's something to it, though, I really do. If you think you'd like to be a writer, but all you ever do is think and maybe once in a while you write something but it never goes anywhere, perhaps you should reassess your aspirations.

I believe that if you truly want to be a writer, you'll invariably end up writing. There's no forcing it. Don't drag yourself to the keyboard, don't glue an ink pen to your hand. Let it happen naturally.

If you're meant to write, you will.

Punch yourself in the face

This is a bit contradictory to what I just wrote, but there are two sides to every story.

Sometimes, if you want to do something but you just don't feel like it or you're not motivated, you just have to say, tough, I'm doing it anyway. It really is a matter of perserverance. You have to see it through.

Think of something you like, anything, and just write about it. Write gibberish, for all I care. Then e-mail it to me. I enjoy reading gibberish.

By the by, what motivates you? What keeps you writing?