Sometimes the writing comes easy. Sometimes it doesn't. When you're struggling to make the words flow, it's important to stay motivated.
This article by Owen Jones pinpoints this problem and he offers up some excellent solutions to make yourself keep writing:
"How To Stay Motivated As An Author"
By Owen Jones
Some people have a lot of trouble staying motivated, but not every has this problem for the same reason. It may be that you have worries about your capability as a writer or that you are uneasy about telling the story or it might just be that you are worried about your job, your family or money.
Whatever the reason, you have had the idea to write a book and the problem is that this kind of thought tends to bug you forever. For the rest of your life, you will probably wonder 'what if... ', if you don't write it. Therefore, do yourself a favour and get started right away.
If starting was not your problem, but finishing is, then don't worry, because we have some help for you too. Writing is a lonely process, so you may benefit from the (virtual) company of other authors.
Reading the biographies of other, famous, writers can help a lot. What you're feeling or going through isn't anything new. Find out how others worked through it. Find someone whose career you admire and read about how they kept going and the strategies they used. Read articles on various authors' websites - many share how they've broken through doldrums and what helped them along the way. You will be truly surprised how many of today's established authors sold books at book sales, through classifieds and nearly gave up.
It helps ease the loneliness to have a friend who understands. This is easy these days with mobiles and the Internet. I talk with several authors every day. Find a cheerful sort of person, one who knows a little more than you do, so that you can get help, but also work somethings out together.
Treat writing like a job and forget about being in the mood to write. Many famous names approach it this way, and it works for me too. I judge the length that I want the book to be, know that I can write 3,000 words a day and watch my book grow in the allotted time span. This approach suits me perfectly.
It is better to get the first draft down on paper as soon as possible without interrupting the flow, so don't critique your work chapter by chapter. Just write. As a rule, we are our own worst enemy and critic, especially when we're in a bad mood so forget about critiquing your work. Just get it down on 'paper'. The time to go back and fix it is in the editing stage later. This way, you will at least have something to work with as opposed to nothing at all.
Bribe yourself to work. I do it all the time! We all like pleasurable things and writing isn't always so. Come up with a way to give yourself a treat after accomplishing a task. The task can be big or small, whatever works for you. There's no right or wrong way to reward yourself. I usually promise myself a cold bottle of beer after I have finished my 3,000 words.
Make a promise that you have to keep. This works best if it is to people you care about. Tell them that you are excited to be writing a (new) novel and that you expect the first draft to be ready in x number of weeks. Ask some of them if they would be prepared to proofread it for you. Once you have boxed yourself in like this, you just have to get on with it or lose face.
Create a motivational image for you to look at. It could be a sketch of the cover of your new book, the cover of the magazine that you would like it reviewed in, something like that. It can help people to refocus on why they are doing what they are doing, if the image is near the desk and unavoidable.
Staying motivated can be difficult, but not impossible. Use one or all of the above tips to help you stay motivated. A successful writing career starts one word at a time. If you remember the most important rules of writing then you will improve as a writer: develop your own individual creative process and give it time to work.
The most important part of creating your own individual writing process is to let it evolve as your skill grows. The more you refine and polish your process then the better the work you produce. The key to developing a successful writing process it to give yourself time -- time to let your process evolve and time to let your writing develop. This means not to rush the development of your writing process. Let it evolve over many different projects. This also means not to rush your actual writing. Allow days to pass between various stages and drafts. The more time you allow to pass then the more work your subconscious will do for you and the fresher eyes you will be able to bring to the project.
If I can't be bothered to write, I say that I will write for 'just ten minutes'. It may take me twenty minutes to start writing 'my ten minutes' but then it is already too late to stop.
Read more about the problems of self-publishing and how to overcome them on Megan Publishing and Owen Jones' site
Reprinted courstey of:
Article Source: Owen Jones @ EzineArticles.com
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