by Simon Wright

Created on: November 02, 2011

Good motivational ploys to get yourself to write Even the most dedicated and talented of writers sometimes fall prey to outside distractions or find that they have become becalmed in their efforts to finish that great novel or complete all their allotted assignments. Writing can come extremely easily when the creative juices are flowing and when your energy levels are elevated due to the buzz that comes with thinking up a new venture. However, the mark of a consistently successful writer is that they find ways to keep writing even when their creativity is running on empty. Often, their success is based on the application of solid motivational ploys and we’ll explore some of these in this article.

Set writing targets and monitor progress:

Often, the most successful motivational ploy is to sit down and commit to a set of writing targets. Write them up, print them off, and pin them next to your computer. Every time you sit down to check your e-mails you will hopefully be reminded of the goals you have set yourself and this can drive you on to achieve them. Another useful tip, for those with smartphones, is to download a “To do” app and enter your writing goals along with target dates.

Targets are a proven way of achieving superior performance, whether they are used in household budgeting, work projects, or writing projects. However, for them to work, you also need to commit to regularly monitor how you are doing against them. The act of checking progress and seeing that you are behind target should trigger a corrective response.

Visualise why you are writing:

People’s motivations for writing can be quite different. For many, there will be a monetary motivation. Maybe you depend on your writing to bring in a regular income to pay the bills, or perhaps you see your writing income as a means of contributing to your retirement fund. Some budding authors may also dream of becoming rich by selling their treasured novel. For other people, the motivation may be more about a personal sense of achievement and fulfilling a burning need to transpose the stories that are bubbling in your head onto paper.

Whatever their motivation is, it can be all too easy to lose sight of the end goal, to become mired in the mechanical drudgery of research or typing on a keyboard when you could be socialising, playing sport, or just chilling out. To help combat this, it’s often very powerful to visualise what your end goal is and then remind yourself that your

• 1
• 2
• Next Page >>