3 WAYS TO FEEL MOTIVATED TO WRITE
3 ways to feel inspired to write!
A lot of writers I know struggle with feeling motivated to move forward with their plots, after a while of writing they describe the story as “bland” or “dry” this is only because they are feeling uninspired to write.
Let's be real, if you had to finish the same assignment bit by bit everyday, it WILL become a bore. Writing a novel takes perseverance and motivation, it's natural for a person to feel uninspired to write when they’re focusing on the same task over and over again. But don't let this bring you down!
Feeling unmotivated isn't a curse, it's an opportunity! If you feel your story is boring, your writing will also be boring, so the only way to make things better is to spice things up a bit and make yourself and your readers go WOAH! Here are three ways you can turn this writing flaw into a writing opportunity!
1. ADD CONFLICT
Your soup needs spice, AKA drama.
When I say drama, I don’t mean the exaggerating type, I mean conflict. Read this post to find out more about conflict
Conflict is an integral part of your story, your plot depends fully on the conflict, which without, your story will have no aim. Give the character some struggles, make him or she seem like they have troubles like us too, relating to the reader is the first step to building a bond between the character and the reader.
There are two types of conflict your story needs, 1. Internal Conflict, 2. External conflict. Why two? Because the more drama the more better! Keep the stakes high and give the character some flaws that obstruct him/her from achieving their goal, give them something to learn and full character development, that is a well-planned story.
Both types of conflict, internal and external, are useful because they create:
Tension: Because of conflict’s uncertainty, we want to know how it resolves and keep turning pages to find out
Stakes: Conflict suggests worst-case outcomes and makes resolution urgent (the hero must overcome the antagonist/environment or themselves ‘or else…’)
Character development: Conflict allows for dramatic incidents and confrontations that test characters and cause them to learn and adapt. Add a bit of drama to heat things up and cause tension to rise!
2. FIND INSPIRATION
If you’ve already done with writing the conflict, and you still feel unmotivated to write, it just means you’re feeling uninspired. There are six ways you can start feeling inspired again.
1. Find writing partners to collaborate with, writing doesn't have to be alone! Grab a friend and exchange ideas together!
2. Search for information on Pinterest. I like reading articles related to writing on Pinterest, it inspires me to write. Alternatively you can also look for character inspiration or setting inspo through Pinterest.
3. Create a writer's Notebook. It's basically a book bible, where you can write everything about your characters, setting chapters, outlines and plot in details, in which you can add on or refer too when you feel uninspired.
4. Have a playlist. Find some music that matches your book's genre, I suggest classic or instrumental, but whatever works for you is fine. I prefer light academia instrumentals or soft music.
5. Take a break, have a shower, do some chores or just relax, the biggest thing that's hindering you from writing your story is feeling overwhelmed with how much you have to write and the scenes you have to pen down, take a break and take your mind off of writing, and once you come back, you’ll feel a lot better.
6. Create a routine. Find the time you write best, maybe in the morning before the family wakes up or in the evening when everyone is taking their naps, find a time and place where you can work quietly without disturbance or distractions.
3. CREATE NEW SCENES.
This method works best for me. I have a bad habit of adding a lot of fluff to my story (scenes that are out of context) and the best way to make my story look more alive is by adding more scenes, emotional or conflict-related. I find adding suspenseful scenes inflicts the sense of thrills which makes me want to keep writing, for myself and my readers. Create scene-cards so that you don't forget them, they usually have: GOALS, CONFLICT, DISASTERS, REACTIONS, EMOTIONS & other details like CHARACTERS INVOLVED, SETTING, TIME, CHAPTER. Like in this example:
GOAL: For Paige to make up with Kyara after the fight by talking about their feeling behind the woods.
CONFLICT: They misunderstand each other at first, but whenPaige lashes out at her, saying how bad she feels about herself, Kyara realizes she’s been so harsh towards her.
CHAPTER: Chapter twelve: Paige’s POV
CHARACTER: Paige, Kyara
PLACE: Near the regal academy, at the end of the woods.
EMOTIONS: Angry, conflicted, sudden realization, upset, sympathetic.
