Post by Amanda Staley on Nov 7, 2016 9:15:32 GMT -5
Are you finding yourself struggling to find time to work on your writing?
Trust me, we all go through those phases. Sometimes we literally are just overwhelmed with life, others we are just making poor time management decisions. I have struggled many times to keep all the plates spinning and find time to write, sometimes the solution to my motivation problems are simple and other times they are much more complex.
For me, the first step is trying to figure out why I have a lack of motivation. It could be that I really don't have the time to dedicate to writing or my stress levels are just too high to attempt to create. But most of the time, it's a decision for me not to write (conscious or not). When I discover that I am purposely avoiding writing, I attempt to find out why. Many times I realize the project is just not serving me; it has some how become a drag and additional stressor.
So, you are probably asking yourself, how do I fix that? Well, there are a number of ways. First, I will see if there is a different project I would rather work on. If not or if there is a deadline, I will try to make the project fun again. Perhaps I wrote yourself into a corner, or I don't know what happens between where I am now and a scene three chapters away. If those are my issues, I like to jump ahead in the plot and write what I want to write that scene and worry about how it all fits together later. Occasionally, I will write a scene that I know will never appear in the book (two secondary characters interactions in a first person POV) just to understand how they feel about the circumstances.
What are the ways you work around or conquer your struggles?
Trust me, we all go through those phases. Sometimes we literally are just overwhelmed with life, others we are just making poor time management decisions. I have struggled many times to keep all the plates spinning and find time to write, sometimes the solution to my motivation problems are simple and other times they are much more complex.
For me, the first step is trying to figure out why I have a lack of motivation. It could be that I really don't have the time to dedicate to writing or my stress levels are just too high to attempt to create. But most of the time, it's a decision for me not to write (conscious or not). When I discover that I am purposely avoiding writing, I attempt to find out why. Many times I realize the project is just not serving me; it has some how become a drag and additional stressor.
So, you are probably asking yourself, how do I fix that? Well, there are a number of ways. First, I will see if there is a different project I would rather work on. If not or if there is a deadline, I will try to make the project fun again. Perhaps I wrote yourself into a corner, or I don't know what happens between where I am now and a scene three chapters away. If those are my issues, I like to jump ahead in the plot and write what I want to write that scene and worry about how it all fits together later. Occasionally, I will write a scene that I know will never appear in the book (two secondary characters interactions in a first person POV) just to understand how they feel about the circumstances.
What are the ways you work around or conquer your struggles?