Being An Author: Staying Focused

The hardest part of writing a book is always the first few pages. No matter how strong your motivation or how compelling the topic, motivating yourself to start is a large task. Here is how I do it:

1. Write Every Day

One trick that artists use and that works well for writers too is to write often. Even when you don’t want to type a single word, do it anyway—just write. It triggers something in your brain, so the pathway between your daily routine and your creative side is easier to find. Create small writing goals you can achieve every day. You can set goals like committing to writing 100 words or one page a day. At the end of 365 days, you’ll have a 365-page book.

If you want to complete your book faster, you can write a chapter a day. Make the time you sit down to write each day a habit. If you set a time to write in the morning, sit down and write at the same time each morning. You can also pre-release your book on Amazon and date it to give you extra motivation to have it finished by a certain date. Write down your goals and review them every day, and you will complete your book quickly.

2. Don’t Edit As You Write

One of the biggest mistakes we make as writers is trying to edit as we’re writing. Save editing for the very end. Switching back and forth between being creative and editing causes you to lose steam. One of the greatest tools to cultivate motivation is progress. Keep writing and save the editing until you finish the book.

3. Get Rid Of Distractions

Get rid of distractions when you write. Writing a book requires all your attention. Create a space where there are few, if any, outside distractions. Put your phone on silent or turn it off. Leave a do not disturb sign on your door. Filter outside noise with a white noise machine. Your goal is to eliminate all distractions and get into a state of flow.

4. Take A Break

Don’t be afraid to put your book aside for a few days when you’re feeling blocked, then when you are ready, resume writing. Just specify the time that you’ll come back to writing. Give yourself a strict deadline and adhere to it. Changing your environment may be all you need to jumpstart your motivation. Try writing in a different room, outside, or in a different color.

5. Talk It Out

If you have trouble writing, try talking it out. Write as if you’re talking to a friend. As you write, consider that you are telling your story to one of your friends and as you do, write it down. When you tell your friends you are writing a book, what do you tell them? Write it down. What message are you trying to convey? Conversing with your book is an excellent technique for talking through the problems to solve for others casually. Talking is often easier than writing, which is why this technique helps break your writer’s block.

6. Try Creative Writing Prompts

Try creative writing prompts to challenge yourself to write. Those might include: Describe your surroundings — look out the window and describe the first thing you see in great detail. Try a word challenge — open the dictionary and choose the first word you see. Use that word in a haiku or short quote that your main character might say. There are many writing prompts that writers use to jumpstart their brains and their motivation. Find a few that work well for you.

Being motivated 100% of the time just isn’t possible for most authors. So, don’t get discouraged if you’re having a hard time getting started. These tools and techniques have helped me often persist when I simply did not feel like writing.

Conclusion

How do you motivate yourself to write?

1. Write every day
2. Don’t edit as you write
3. Get rid of distractions
4. Take a break
5. Talk it out
6. Try creative writing prompts