Hi Y’all,
Does anybody have tips/tricks for pushing through a lack of motivation to write combined with writer’s block on certain difficult scenes? I was writing consistently almost a month and half even prior to the 90-day-novel, making steady progress on my WIP. Now, I catching myself searching for every little excuse (many of which are very legit) to neglect my writing and when I do sit down, I don’t make much progress due to being left to write the big, complicated scenes… which only compounds my lack of motivation, LOL.
Thanks so much!
When I’ve had to work through difficult scenes I open a different document. I tell myself if it works, I can add it later. Then I write as much as I can think of as in: what is a necessary conversation? What is the most important action in this scene? I do bits and pieces and remind myself that it’s easier to edit something that’s already written down. I go as far as I can go.
If it doesn’t work to write beginning to finish, start with the last line of the scene. How does this scene have to end? What has to happen in this scene to make get there? Writing backwards helps me figure out what must occur before hand to get to each section whether it’s dialog or action. If it’s a particularly painful scene, set up a reward for yourself so that when you accomplish it you get a nice treat! Or write the next upbeat scene so you’re not ending on a down note.
I can totally relate Jaela! After many years wrestling with those types of feelings, I’ve determined that they’re usually a symptom of fear.
- Why am I doing this? If I can get clear on why I’m doing this hard thing, oftentimes I won’t run into those emotional blocks. What’s my mission? What am I hoping to achieve? What’s the minimum I’m hoping to achieve? In the case of a project like this, am I trying to write a bestseller or is it enough to just finish the project? If I can get clear on that, suddenly I’m able to plug in.
- Is there something I don’t feel sure about how to do? A lot of times those feelings, for me, are fear of incompetence. Sometimes that means I need to get more competent! Is there something that I need to learn how to do, or something that I just need to verify I know how to do so that I can proceed with confidence? Oftentimes solving my competency will put me in a position to move forward.
Sometimes those feelings are solved by just buckling down and doing the work. But when I find that there’s just something I can’t do, one of these two guys is often to blame. It’s not a motivation or discipline issue. If I can get real and solve these two things, then that insecurity will lift and I can get back to work.
Powering through might not work. You might need to take an afternoon with your journal and do a little self-work. Invite the Holy Spirit to help you with that, and see if the joy returns to the project.
Don’t feel like you’re wasting time, working on yourself is sometimes the work of writing a novel! 🙂
I always pretend the scene is a movie and then I dream it up with music and everything in my head. Sometimes that brings things up. But other times I have conversations with people in my head, and I explain what the story is about, and that helps me too. It’s kind of a silly answer, but dreaming always helps me. LOL
Somebody else will probably have a better answer. Haha! ;P
Sometimes just a good idea really gets me moving towards that spot cuz I want to write it so bad!!
It is the thinking time that opens up the writing and builds excitement. Take some time to think during a walk, a drive, some task you do so that before you sit you have a scene laid out in your mind.
Make sure you take good care of yourself. Don’t push yourself too hard. Even with a deadline you can still give yourself breaks here and there if need be.
Rewards are really helpful. Set a goal or deadline and once you’ve made it, do something you love or buy yourself something you really want to get. I often reward myself with an either re-reading my favorite book or buying myself a new book.
I also find showers give me inspiration for scenes I need to write.
Role playing with friends is a great resource for inspiration too. I can elaborate on that more if you don’t know what it is. 😉
look up writing prompts that go with your genre if you don’t know how to continue on. This can be really helpful sometimes.
Make sure you eat well and drink plenty of water. Dehydration and hunger can make things really hard especially on the computer I find. I often have a bottle full of water with me and sip as I write.
ask questions. If you don’t know how to keep going or you’re getting confused by the plot, asking people to help you continue on with the plot is really helpful.
That’s a lot and I could go on but I’m going to stop for now. I can give more later if you need it. Feel free to lmk. 🙂
Not silly at all. I am new to this but feel that I have to be dreaming this up if I am able to write at all. You are immersing yourself into a fictional world. As Brad likes to say, ‘You make all of the rules.’ So pretending is a great idea.