10 Tricks to Motivate Yourself to Write with Guest Jill Kemerer

By Jill Kemerer

Your manuscript taunts you. It’s there unfinished on your laptop or in a half-filled notebook. Sure, you want to keep working on it. In fact, you can’t wait for it to be done so you can move on with your life and start developing the new idea calling to you!

Maybe you already have a few unfinished manuscripts tucked away. Maybe this is your first. Either way, the excitement about your current work-in-progress faded long ago, and you’re frustrated that you just can’t seem to motivate yourself to keep working on it.

I have some experience with this. Believe it or not, I just finished writing my 23^th novel. Now before you throw darts at me, I want you to know that of the 23, three are contracted for future release, ten are published and ten aren’t.

Yes, a solid ten unpublished books linger on my laptop. I wrote them with no guarantee they would ever be published, but I finished each and every one of them, and I’m glad I did.

For me the act of writing is a contract with myself. When a story is in my head and I decide to write it, I write a complete draft no matter what. This helps me avoid the distractions of wondering if an editor will like it, if the book is any good, and if I’m going in the right direction career-wise.

If I only wrote when I believed an editor would like it, when I thought the book was good, or if I was convinced it would be good for my career, I would quit every four days! I have little control over those things, and they’re all based on feelings anyhow. Who knows if anyone will like the book or if it’s any good or if it will hurt my career?

That’s not why I write. It’s not why you write either.

The writing merely stalled. Let’s figure out why.

Why isn’t the book already done?

• The opening scenes came easily. Now you’re not sure where the story is going.
• You’re in the middle. The saggy, terrible, total-waste of a middle. And you have no idea how to get out of it.
• You’re closing in on the end of the book—but you don’t want it to end. The characters are part of you. You’ll miss them!
• You haven’t touched the manuscript in over three days (or three months), and it feels daunting to get back into it.
• You don’t have time to write.
• Your loved ones aren’t supportive of your writing.
• You’ve been trying to get published for a while, and you worry you’ll never get a yes.
• The day job, laundry, bills, Hallmark movies, children, spouse, hunting season, donuts…

We all have excuses as to why we’re not writing. And some of them are legitimate (like donuts—yum!). The thing is, though, when we’re not working on our stories, we feel guilty and icky and bad.

First, it’s important to remind yourself there’s a reason you’re writing. Not everyone feels compelled to write even if they have ideas for stories. The fact you took the plunge to write a book is a big deal! It doesn’t matter if it’s your first, fourth, or seventy-fifth. Books don’t exist until the writer commits to getting it on the page.

Second, whatever your “why” is that’s been keeping you from writing, pray to move past it. The following verse helps me.

Psalm 90:17 (NIV) “May the favor of the Lord rest on us; establish the work of our hands for us—yes, establish the work of our hands.”

Third, you’re far from alone. We all have ways to push past the slumps in order to finish our books.

10 Tricks to Motivate Yourself to Keep Writing

   

1.  If you don’t have a deadline, make a deadline.

Set it for 6 days, 6 weeks, or 6 months from now, but create a firm date when you will have the book completed. Write it down.

2.  “Gold Star” it until it’s done. When I was a kid, teachers sometimes gave us gold stars for reading a certain number of books or getting all the words correct on a spelling test. Create a chart for yourself to put an X (or a gold star) for every thousand words you write.

3.  Track your page count, word count, or both.

Create a simple chart on paper or in a program like OneNote and track your progress. Make a column with the date, page/word count, and total pages/words. It’s motivating to watch your progress add up.

4.  Get out of the house.

If you find a million-and-one excuses not to write when you’re at home, go to a coffee shop, library, or anywhere you can write without distractions. 

5.  Rewards!

Create mini-goals and reward yourself when you meet them. Example: If you write for one hour every weekday, at the end of the week treat yourself to an hour at the bookstore. Or every time you add 10,000 words to your manuscript, buy a small item you’ve been too cheap to get.

6.  Fall in love with the story all over again.

Read through what you’ve written. Spend time thinking about why you initially set out to write the book. My finished books rarely resemble my initial idea, and that’s okay. The story that needs to be told always comes out. Fall in love with it!

7.  Use your creativity to gain insight into your story.

Our local writing group recently had a guest speaker, Alyssa Alexander, who encouraged us to write down any impressions that came to mind when we thought about our works-in-progress. They could be colors, seasons, objects, feelings—anything really. When we went through our lists, things stood out that we hadn’t expected. For instance, I saw wheat fields and blue skies, telling me the book would be set in the summer. I really enjoyed this exercise!

8.  Consider your personality. What motivates me might not motivate you.

Gretchen Rubin wrote a fabulous book, The Four Tendencies, where she groups people into four types. You can take the quiz HERE to find out if you’re an Upholder, Obliger, Questioner, or Rebel. The book gives detailed advice on motivating yourself according to your tendency.

9.  Think about how you’ll feel if the book NEVER gets written.

The thought makes me sad. I’ve spent hours, days, maybe months thinking about these characters. I want to know how it ends for them!

10. Write for ten minutes.

Everyone can squeeze out ten measly minutes to write. I don’t care if you get one sentence down or two paragraphs, writing fuels writing. Stop overthinking it! Open your manuscript and start.

Still not ready? Try these.

“I Almost Quit Yesterday—Again” Excellent blog post by Carol Sparks.

The Motivation Myth: How High Achievers Really Set Themselves Up to Win Fascinating book by Jeff Haden. One of my favorite quotes:

“You’ll stay motivated when you find a process you trust and commit to working that process for as little as a week.”

I found this to be true. My trusted process involves creating a schedule for my writing with set dates and times, engaging in a little ritual before I begin and end each session, and tracking my progress. It made a world of difference in my attitude and my writing output.

“The Best Motivation Apps of 2019” via Healthline.com.

Please share YOUR tricks on how to stay motivated! I’d love to hear them!

Thank you, Seekerville, for hosting me today!

My tenth Love Inspired novel releases in a few days! Her Cowboy Till Christmas is the first book in my new series, WYOMING SWEETHEARTS, in stores November 19, 2019! I’m hosting a cozy giveaway on my website. Stop by and enter—click on “Her Cowboy Till Christmas Giveaway” and scroll down for the easy entry options. (US only, 18+)

HER COWBOY TILL CHRISTMAS

Can a Christmastime reunion become forever?

She’s only home for the holidays…Can he convince her to stay?

The last person rancher Mason Fanning ever expects to see again is the girl who once broke his heart. Brittany Green is in town for Christmas and trying to convince her ailing grandmother—the only maternal figure the widower’s little boy has left—to move away. Can Mason show her all she really needs to fulfill her dreams is right here in Wyoming?

For purchase links and more, click HERE!

Seekerville peeps, if you'd like a chance to win a copy of Jill's latest release, Her Cowboy Till Christmas, simply leave a comment for a chance to be entered. Paperback for US, ebook for international readers.  

Jill Kemerer is a Publishers Weekly bestselling author of inspirational romance novels for Harlequin Love Inspired. Her essentials include coffee, M&Ms, a stack of books, her mini-dachshund, and long walks outdoors. She resides in Ohio with her husband and two almost-grown children. Please visit her website, jillkemerer.com.