Writeblr Life Week Day 5: Motivators
This one is hard.
I have read a lot about this. And tried almost everything.
What helps a lot is managing things in smaller chunks.
I know I want to write my book. And I want to see this published. Sometimes this things are motivation enough.
Sometimes they are not.
Dan Brown said something like “print a dust cover of your book” one of those that hardcovers have, and put it on a hardcover that you already have and think, “this is how it’s going to look like.”
I have not done that.
But I like to go to bookstores and see the best sellers and this gets me motivated in two ways. “This thing is a bestseller???” and I think, yes my book will be taking one spot instead of this trash.
I live in Mexico, and I am a bit ashamed to see that, having a very low literacy and reading rate, a lot of what is sold is, well, garbage, most teen best sellers are reality star-youtubers, literature is relegated to bad minecraft/dbz fanfiction. Don’t get me wrong, there is good fanfiction. This bestsellers are not.
So I get back to work and write. I know I can write something better than that.
But then there is the problem. How to sit down and write.
First get rid of distraction, set the phone aside and lock it with an app like Forest, use a page blocker in the computer. Leave mail, facebook and whatever you’re reading for a different moment.
I have talked about the magical journal thing to get rid of the blank page.
And sometimes I play lo-fi on the background since the semi-looping beats help with the writing process. It is no longer dead silent that way and the girl with the infinite journal on the screen is a nice companion.
Depending on how I feel I pick a different kind of the drink.
If feeling restless, there is a cup of lavender tea by my side.
If feeling uncreative, there is a glass of some kind of wine.
If the act becomes a dredge where I cannot get myself to write.
Coffee.
Coffee always helps.
Weeeell... except at night. Which is when there is more quiet at home and hence the best time to write.
In those cases it’s better to have something to snack handy, I said before that a plate of olive, ham, cheese and strawberries is my go-to when I sit down, since more sugary things will end up making me feel restless and more easily distracted. Buuut... sometimes cupcakes and chocolates or donuts are not bad...even if I end up regretting them later, they do tend to help with a dopamine rush.
A change of pace helps at times, take a walk to get inspired, to get out of the routine get to a new cafe or a park or a library. But make sure you get to do the thing, otherwise you are just procrastinating.
It is hard to get down to write.
But no one else will write this story. So make it fun, make it manageable, and with things to help along the way.
Until next post.
