This is a new Meme created by another Sarah at Confessions of the Unpublished. It is for unpublished writers.Question(s) this week: Staying motivated? I've really been having a hard time staying focused lately. The end of my book is near but I keep finding myself struggling to just sit down and type. Any advice on ways to stay focused? What do you do to keep yourself going?
I have been having the same probelm lately. I ussually watch some of my favorite movies and just write.
Where I am in the Writing Process:
I have finished one book, Sister during NaNoWriMo 2009(Okay, it was written mostly during NaNoWriMo.) I decided that if I want to pursue that book, I would have to scrap over half of it and rebuliding all of those parts. I am working on my second book, which is currently Untitled. I am at about 10,000 words and I am really excited about this book.
My current probelm is:
Finding time to write. I have been extremely busy lately. In the last two weeks, I have written two chapters. I am blaming the end of quater here and just being busy in general.
Getting past the beginning is the hardest part and at 10,000 words you should be getting into the "good stuff." The farther into the book, normally the more fun it is to write and the more involved you become.
ReplyDeleteIf you've written two chapters over two weeks I don't think that's horrible at all. I have days when I sit at the computer (or more like my composition notebook that gets my notes and main points) and I can't think of anything, and that sucks, but if you're just busy but can still write when you have the few spare moments to - I think that's fine.
I actually heard Jackson Pearce talk about that very subject in one of her Youtube videos. Her logic makes sense as well, she said that if you are busy and doing something you're more likely to write in the time you have, but if you just sit and watch tv or don't do much of anything in a day you become complacent with that and don't feel like writing.
I hope this makes some sort of sense, and I'm sorry for my rambling :)
2 chapters in 2 weeks is pretty good. I guess it depends on how long your chapters are but still good. I've been working on the same thing since Aug of last year. I'd love to get stuff done that quickly.
ReplyDeleteAnd Jackson Pearce is great. She has great advice about writing. Here is something I do each day. I wake up a bit earlier and give myself 20 minutes to write before I leave for work. I do it very last thing in my routine. I bet a good 50% of my manuscript has been written then. I think just knowing--okay you have 20 minutes, that's it, just write--it makes me work harder.
But it is so hard to find time without neglecting everything else in your life.
Even two chapters in two weeks is good! As long as you are doing something. Even fifteen minutes a day will keep you motivated. If I miss a couple days in a row, that's when my motivation wanes.
ReplyDeleteI give myself set writing times to make sure I fit it in, even when I'm busy. In the evenings, I'll catch up on internet stuff for 30 minutes and then write for an hour and then read something else for a few minutes to clear my head.
ReplyDeleteI think 2 chapters in 2 weeks is great. That's steady progress, and your book will be finished before you know it. Happy writing!
I was tra-la-la'ing along on my book, about 38k in, and then ... I realized I had to kill off a character and change a love interest. And now ... I'm back to about 5k. It's tough staying motivated, even more so when I don't have any time to write. But I'm still excited about it, so that's gotta count for something!
ReplyDeleteI think if you can still manage to fit two chapters into the busy times in your life, that's a great thing. For me, writing takes a backseat when life gets busy, but then hopefully all the feelings and experiences of those busy times create more fuel for quieter spaces.
ReplyDeleteI've never tried to write a novel before (but I'm planning on joining NaNoWriMo this year), so 10,000 words is so impressive to me!
ReplyDeleteThere are a lot of short stories I've had to scrap big chunks from. It's really hard to do that sometimes. I like to keep the originals around, though. It's helpful for me to see where it started and how much better it's become because of the sacrifices.
Keep it up!