Not Feeling Motivated To Write?

Are you not feeling motivated to write? It’s not uncommon for writers to have difficulties remaining motivated. Writing is extremely creative and often even the smallest interruption or a seemingly insignificant flaw in the environment can interfere. This is commonly called writer’s block.

Many writers wonder how to get motivated. I know the feeling, I’ve often sat motionless, staring at the screen for hours, without typing a single word.

However, writing is required to be a writer. That sounds obvious, but you might be surprised at how many people claim to be a writer yet never write or only write a few paragraphs a week.

You could say that out of all of the steps to become a writer actually stringing words together to form readable sentences is the most important. It’s pretty basic, yet even the most prolific writers sometimes get stalled.

What Makes You Not Feeling Motivated to Write?

Even a simple, apparently innocent statement such as, “it was okay,” can devastate a writer’s creativity. It’s easy to say that authors should toughen up and ignore those kind of comments or take them in stride, but sometimes these uncaring or even malicious words plant themselves in the unconscious mind and sit there, waiting to spring when least expected.

Yes, a comment such as “it was okay” doesn’t help a writer. Believe me, writers are not working towards creating an “okay” manuscript, article or story. Just as with any artist, they put their and soul into their work. It’s better to tell them that you didn’t get a chance to read it than it is to say their work was just okay. Generalized negative comments do not help; in fact, they harm. On the other hand, a specific, actionable criticism can be useful.

I worked with a coaching client recently who sent his manuscript to a top-notch editor to be reviewed. He received a huge document filled with lots of good advice  on how to make his book better. However, he also included some general comments “the flow of the story needs to be improved.” There’s nothing specific and actionable in that criticism. The client approached me to help. He was desperate to find out what he needed to do to “fix the flow.” Because of this and other general comments, he’s been stalled as a writer for half a dozen years.

What should the editor have done? Given some specific, actionable advice. Instead of general comments about the flow, it would have been better to give some examples of what could be improved about the flow. Perhaps he could have even edited a chapter to show what he meant.

Sometimes writers get blocked by a less-than-ideal working environment.

For example, writers who demand a quiet environment can find their writing process blocked by noises from outside such as a barking dog. On the other hand, those who write best in the presence of music or other background noise can be put off by silence.

Interruptions from well-meaning family and friends can stop the all-important flow of consciousness between a writer’s mind and the written word. This is especially common for writers who work at home, since it is often erroneously assumed that they are available since they are at home. After all, that’s normal for most jobs.

There are many other things that can block a writer’s ability to write.

I’ve got a few tips that I found help me prevent or overcome writer’s block. Hopefully, these suggestions will help you spot anything that might be getting in the way of your creative processes and leave you motivated to write more often.

1. Set up the perfect writing environment; the closer to ideal the better. I’ve set up an office with books all around me and a wall of butterflies in plastic frames to one side. Very relaxing.
2. Set the sound level and type to encourage your writing. I like complete quiet when I write, others prefer some kind of music.
3. Turn off social media and cell phones. Being interrupted is a sure way to slow down your progress.
4. Turn of the TV. Who can write and watch (or listen to) TV at the same time?
5. Schedule time to write and stick to that schedule.
6. Make sure anyone who lives with your or visits understands your writing schedule and agrees you are not to be interrupted during those times.
7. Write every day if you can. Set a goal for how many words to write and stick to it.
8. Separate writing from editing. In other words, don’t keep fiddling with paragraphs or sentences. Just write them, then come back after you’ve written a few pages and edit them.
9. Don’t allow or tolerate criticism of your writing. Sure, critique is important, but do it in a structured way. Find beta readers, join critique groups. Random negative or passive/aggressive comments don’t help.
10. Get up from sitting at least once an hour or so. Even if all you do is stretch and walk around the yard.
11. Make sure you get enough sleep. Lack of proper rest can torpedo the creative process.
12. Find other writers both online and locally. You can search meetup.com for “writing critique groups” to find groups of people who will read and critique your work.
13. Don’t concern yourself with “negative nellies”. Maybe they should focus on their own issues and problems instead of wasting your time and theirs.
14. Create rewards for reaching specific writing goals. I like to treat myself to dinner at a nice restaurant after finishing 100 pages or a weekend vacation for completing a book.

Hope this all helps.

What do you do to get and remain motivated to write?

Richard Lowe Jr

Richard is the Owner and Senior Writer for The Writing King, a bestselling author, and ghostwriter. He’s written and published 63 books, ghostwritten 40+ books, as well as hundreds of blog articles.