Hey everyone!

This week I’ll be talking about the best ways to motivate yourself to write. Every writer struggles with motivation at one point or another, so if you’re feeling guilty about not having written for a while, you’re not alone. This is a list of things that have helped me when I’m feeling unmotivated to write. Let’s dive right in! 

1. PINTEREST/AESTHETIC BOARDS

 Starting off with one of my favourites— making an aesthetic board for your story. There’s something really satisfying about putting together a bunch of pictures that fit the aesthetics of your novel. Pinterest is by far my favourite way of making and keeping aesthetic boards of my stories. Of course, there’s also the danger of spending way too much time doing this, which I am 100% guilty of doing on multiple occasions. But having an aesthetic board for your novel is a really good way to fuel ideas and motivation for your writing. 

2. WRITING/STORY/CHARACTER PLAYLIST

 This is another one of my favourite methods. It’s really fun creating a playlist of songs that fit the vibe of your novel or songs with lyrics that match certain characters. Listening through your playlists is a great way to get yourself in the writing mood. I especially love character playlists, because it’s a good way to get into your character’s mindset, and it’s also just really fun to listen to a song and think “wow, that fits that one character really well!”. Making playlists also has the potential to be a bit distracting, but if you need to get into the writing mood, music is definitely one of the best ways to do it. 

3. SET A TIME LIMIT

 This is definitely an effective one. If you’re a procrastinator like me, then you know that having limited time to complete a task is a good way to motivate yourself to do anything. Whether its using a timer to write smaller sections or having a deadline to complete your novel, having a time limit is a (stressful) way to motivate yourself to write. 

One of the most effective tactics for me is writing sprints. If you don’t know what a writing sprint is, basically it’s setting a timer and seeing how much you can write in that amount of time. It’s a good way to challenge yourself, and it also doesn’t give you much of a chance to second-guess what you write.

 4. ACCOUNTABILITY

 Another great way to motivate yourself to write having someone hold you accountable. You could look for beta readers for your novel, start a blog and have writing updates, or even just ask a friend to check in with you every week and ask if you’ve written anything. Knowing that someone is expecting you to write is a really effective way to get yourself to write.

 5. TAKE A BREAK

 Sometimes, all you need is a break. You might just need a break from that novel or a particular place in your story. You could write a later scene in your novel or start writing a completely different story. But sometimes you need a break from writing all together. Step away from your computer and notebooks and give yourself some time to rest. Go enjoy another hobby, talk with your friends, go on a walk, or get that thing done that you’ve been avoiding for the past few days. You might just need to give yourself time to recharge before you can get back to writing. 

 6. JUST WRITE

 This one is obvious, and while you may be thinking, “but that’s exactly what I’m trying to do and it’s not working!”, it’s actually a lot easier than you think. Just sit down in front of your computer (or whatever you use to write), open your novel, and write one sentence. Even if that’s all you write, it’s one sentence more than you had before. But even writing one sentence, even if you don’t feel like it or think it isn’t good, can help jump-start your motivation. 

 So that’s my list! Hope it helps my fellow writers out there who’ve been feeling unmotivated and want to get back into writing. (Now go write!)

 Thanks for reading! – Em