During tough times, it can be hard to stay motivated to write.
All the bad news can drag you down, and if your routine’s been upended, it can be difficult to find or maintain any sort of writing rhythm. You don’t feel like writing, even when you have the time. You think about going to the keyboard and decide you’d rather sleep instead.
Stress and anxiety create all kinds of negative side effects, including fatigue, lack of focus, cravings for junk food, apathy, brain fog, and a lack of confidence in the future. You may look at your writing goals and say to yourself, “Who cares anyway?”
If you’re finding it more difficult to get any writing done, there are several tactics you can use to motivate yourself to get back to work. The more projects you complete during this time, the better you will feel about yourself when things improve. Better yet, if you can focus on your work now, you’ll reduce some of the stress and anxiety you may be feeling.
1. Remember: your writing is in your control.
One of the reasons you may feel anxious during times of crisis is because you feel out of control. You can’t control how many people contract the coronavirus, for example, or how many people die from it. You can do your best to protect yourself and your family, but beyond that, you simply can’t control the overall outcome.
We humans fear losing control. “One of the most prevalent fears people have is that of losing control,” writes Elliot D. Cohen, Ph.D., in Psychology Today. “This is the fear that if you don’t manage to control the outcome of future events, something terrible will happen.”
This fear of losing control is also one of the reasons people raided the toilet paper aisles. Rather than join your fellow toilet-paper hoarders, turn to your writing instead. You have complete control over your stories. On the page, you are like a god, making all the choices for your characters. While you’re in that world, all is as you want it to be.
If you feel resistant to getting to work, say to yourself, “In my writing world, I am in control!” It may be enough to motivate you to open that file and start typing.
2. Choose determination over desperation.
During the first few days or even the first few weeks of a crisis, you may feel desperate. Do you have enough food? Will you be able to get more when you need it? Will your job be there tomorrow? Will your family members be okay?
Fear and anxiety promote feelings of desperation. You may feel frantic, and like no matter what you do you can’t make everything okay. You may even fear for your survival or the survival of your way of life.
Desperation is a negative emotion and can send you into a downward spiral. The solution is to switch to determination. Determination is defined as the act of deciding definitely and firmly. Decide you’re going to control what you can control, and take persistent action each day to do what you can do to make your life better.
Be determined. Be bold. Adopting this mindset can help you get your writing work done because you’re determined not to waste the extra time you’ve been given.
3. Fill your brain with motivational audio and video.
We are a product of what we surround ourselves with every day. When all you see on the news is more tragedy and negativity, it’s easy to start feeling down, so it’s important to take purposeful steps to manage what you’re exposed to.
If you need to motivate yourself to write, listen to some upbeat music or choose a piece that will fit the mood of your upcoming scene. Pull up a podcast or YouTube interview with one of your favorite authors and discover more about him/her.
Check out an audiobook about marketing or networking or any other facet of the writing business you may need help with. Download an ebook you think will lift your spirits or help you focus on the positive.
Motivational content is available everywhere these days—you just have to look for it. Right now is the perfect time to make this a part of your daily routine.
4. Stick to 3 priorities a day.
I talk about this in my book, Overwhelmed Writer Rescue. Every night, write down three things you want to accomplish the next day. Keep it to only three. If you have other things you want to do, write this down on another list or separate the two lists with a line. On the top, list only your top three priorities.
This approach helps keep you on task without leading to feelings of overwhelm. In times of crisis, you may feel like your to-do list keeps growing and growing, leaving little time for writing. Or, it may feel like just the opposite—there’s not much to do but sit tight.
Either way, having only three things you need to do can simplify your day to the point that all three of those tasks become easier to complete. I’m assuming that writing or a writing-related project would be one of your top three, but it may not be every day. If you have one or two days a week when other tasks must come first, just make sure to put your writing in that top list at least half the time so you can keep moving toward your goals.
5. Set up a tip jar for complaints.
You may not have control over a disease pandemic or other crisis, but you do have control over your mindset. If you find you or your family falling into a negative spiral, set up a tip jar for complaints.
Every time someone complains about the current situation, he or she must donate to the tip jar, whatever amount you decide is appropriate. Stay true to yourself by listening to your thoughts as well—when you start complaining internally, donate to the tip jar. It’s just as important to keep your thoughts positive as it is your speech.
You may be amazed—just a few days of staying accountable with this jar can help you to adopt a more positive outlook, which can help you to then get your writing work done when you need to.
6. Get an accountability partner.
Everything is better if you have someone to do it with, and even in times of social distancing, a friend can keep you on track with your writing tasks. Choose another writer (or two) and make a pact to keep working toward your writing goals over the next several weeks.
Use the phone, email, or social media to regularly check in with each other. When you know someone else is going to ask you about your progress, you’re more likely to write even when you may not feel like it.
It may help to share your goals with your partner(s) and to set up timelines so they know when to check up on you, and vice versa.
7. Remember what you’re fighting for.
What keeps us going in tough times? Remembering what we’re fighting for.
Why is it important to write now? At those times when you’re fighting with yourself, your mind will want to know why it must focus when it feels more like vegging out. You’ll fare much better if you have an answer ready.
When your brain says, “But why do I have to work on this now? I’m bummed and I’d rather binge on Netflix,” you may say, “Because this story is important to you, and you know you’ll feel better if you make some progress on it.”
When you don’t feel like writing, why should you do it anyway? Write down at least five reasons, then have them ready to tell yourself on those days when your brain needs reminding.
How do you keep writing in tough times?
Definitely difficult to stay motivated these days. Watching/reading motivational content does wonders!
Hang in there, Eric! :O)
These are sure hard times, Colleen, and my writing has been affected by them. But I strive to push to envelop as much as I can. Thank you for your boost, I really need some good vibes and optimism. I’m participating to Camp NaNoWriMo to finish a novel I started last year, and my goal is to put an end to the first draft by April 30. Thank you once more, and keep up the good work.
It’s hard not to be affected, isn’t it? I’m glad you’re pushing through. I think for most of us writers we feel better when we’re writing. Good luck on finishing your novel! I’ll be pulling for you. :O)