Hip Hip, Hurray!
You’ve already made the first step towards kicking your writer’s block and gaining your writing motivation back… otherwise, you wouldn’t have scoured through the internet for solutions on how to start writing again and stumbled upon this article.
Wondering what the next step is?
Well, you most likely already have an idea or two about what you need to do. This article is just here to push you in the right direction. We want to see you write and put your work out there.
Let us get right to it then, shall we?
Fostering Consistency and Good Habits
This is key. There are no shortcuts to success. It is a well-known fact that good writers consistently take time out to just write every day, not just on the days when they feel like it.
Let’s face it, life is not always pretty. You will not always be in a writing mood but like any other activity; you can only get the ball rolling if you actually do it.
That’s the big secret.
As children, we were always told that practice makes perfect, this just doesn’t apply only to mathematics but everything else in your life that you want to get better at-writing included.
Imagine a tap that waters a garden. The only way to get the water flowing is to open that tap. Sometimes, the water may take a little while to come up and out due to airlocks or other circumstances but the only way the water is ever going to flow out is if you keep opening it.
In this analogy your mind is the tap, the water is your writing inspiration and the garden is the writing project you are working towards.
Sometimes motivation will not just come to you. You have to push it out and having consistent writing habits helps with that.
Consistency makes it easier to get motivated. Telling yourself that you have to write at least two hundred words a day, even if it seems like gibberish at first or does not make sense, can really do a lot for your confidence and ultimately, your writing motivation.
They say it takes 21 days to form a habit, right?
Then why not try this: set a time to write every day (for 21 days, without fail). Not much—30 minutes or even an hour. Find a nice, comfortable place where you can sit down and write something during that time.
Fun Fact: Did you know John Grisham used to wake up every morning to get some writing done before he went on to his day job? That is how dedicated he was to get his writing out there. His consistency eventually paid off!
If he could set aside time every day despite his busy, demanding job, you can too.
In addition to setting a consistent time to write every day, you have to make sure you practice certain good habits to make that time more efficient. One of these good habits is to eliminate distractions when you are writing.
We live in an age where pings and buzzes are part of our natural environment as much (or even more) than birds humming about in the air or cocks crowing. It is not as easy to have the motivation or inspiration to write if you have something lighting up your face and taking your train of thought away every two seconds.
This new age of communication and the internet can be very distracting. You most likely have three gadgets to your name that are probably with you when you write.
You can easily eliminate distractions in three ways:
- Switch off your phone. If that is too drastic for you, at least put it on silent for those 30 or 60 minutes you have set aside to write.
- If you are working on a computer, switch off the internet. Some computers even have a no-distractions feature that lets you work without any notifications popping up.
- Alternatively, you could also isolate yourself. People can also be a distraction. If you are not able to get some time to yourself to write at home, a quiet space like the library would do or your workplace before working hours—before that way too enthusiastic colleague turns up.
Maintaining Good Health
When you are in a funk (like writer’s block) and just cannot do something, your body may be trying to tell you something.
Your body may just not be in the right state to be inspired or motivated to write. This could be for a number of reasons.
More often than not, small tweaks to your daily routine can benefit your health and keep you in a positive, inspired writing mood.
The following are simple tips to keep you healthy and encourage writing motivation:
- Keep a bottle of water with you during the special writing time we mentioned in the previous section. Challenge yourself to finish that whole bottle by the time you are done with your writing time.
- Keep a bowl of fruit on your writing desk. With time, you are bound to pick up an apple or banana while you write.
- Time your writing period for right after a morning run, yoga lesson or your preferred exercise session. Your endorphins will be flowing and numerous, plus these activities are a good source of writing inspiration.
Change of Scenery
Sometimes all you need is to take a break from your usual routine. It’s like a breath of fresh air (fresh inspiration) to bring you back into perspective, especially if you were feeling a little lost. These small breaks do not have to be major, any small changes to your routine will do.
Go write in the park, in a church, in a restaurant. Maybe, just maybe, what is keeping you stuck is that you’re literally stuck in the same location. Do this occasionally. Use a different route to work or to school. You might take note of something that will be the next focal point in your story or article.
Get out of the house. Meet people. People are readers and readers are your audience, it only makes sense that you hear from them.
Believe in Yourself
We have already covered one thing at the beginning of this article. You really want to write again. That’s why you are reading this right now. Congratulations on making it to the last step! The next part is simple.
Just don’t overthink it.
You are not going to create a masterpiece in a day (well, you actually could but let us just start with the baby steps for now). Masterpieces are made of time, consistency, good habits and dedication marinated in a special sauce.
Want to know what the secret sauce to this mix is?
It’s easy: small, conscious thoughts of positivity. Tell yourself you can do it. You can get up and write in the morning, you can write those two hundred words in a day, you can do this. You are good enough.
And if that doesn’t do it for you, this comprehensive copywriter salary guide sure will.
So what are you waiting for? Get to it!
There are plenty more ways you can kick-start your writing again. Online Courses from Small Revolution can equip you with good habits to make that happen.
