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Writing is a lonely career. There are no guarantees, no instant gratification and, unless you're one of the very few, no huge royalty checks. Most people don't realize how hard it is to be a writer, but we know. So why do we keep doing it?
Most of us write because we have to write. But some days, we all need a boost. The following eleven tips help me stay motivated.
1. Acknowledge your love of writing: It isn't enough for a writer to enjoy writing. I enjoy doing a lot of things-some of which could earn me a fair living-but writing is the only activity that I can't imagine never doing again. If you're like this, too, recognize this need and let it motivate you.
2. Forge human connections: Writing is a lonely business. No one understands us, but another writer at least has the vocabulary to try. I feel better, and I write better, when I am connected with other writers. Critique partners, writing pals on an e-mail listserve, the librarian who thinks your characters rival Tolstoy's-all are integral to a writer's support system. Find friends who understand your devotion and can pick you up when you're feeling down, and hang on to those friends. You'll need them.
3. Celebrate each small success: Perhaps the editor who rejected your manuscript added a handwritten postscript-"I enjoyed your heroine's foibles in the kitchen." Revel in that. Other writers get form rejection letters, but your manuscript warranted a hand-written comment. Okay, it was rejected, but she liked your heroine's foibles! So, celebrate- Everything!
4. Read inspirational materials: There are a million inspiring stories out there, and not just in the "how to write" section. I've found inspiration in spiritual stories, biographies, children's history books and even Disney movies. I get a monthly boost from my writing magazine subscriptions. Keep your inspirational materials readily at hand in a file, a videocassette, or in your bookstore. A few minutes reading can keep you going for days.
5. Keep a feel good folder: Remember how that e-mail from the reader who'd liked your article made you smile for days? What about the perfect score from a contest judge? Or the note from the editor who said you had talent and that you'll make it as long as you keep writing? Don't hide these feel good items-wallow in them. Display the ones you can, keep the others handy when your motivation starts to dip. If it makes you smile, put it in there.
6. Take vacations and happy days: I have deadlines and goals, but some days, despite my best intentions, I'm not feeling up to doing much, especially writing. Nothing picks me up more than a writing vacation. Even if it's only a 24-hour getaway, when I return to my deadlines and schedules, I'm more energized, my thoughts are clearer, and I'm raring to go. Writer Rebecca Vinyard declares Happy Days whenever she needs a dose of motivation. As she wrote, "On Happy Days, I forget about everything except doing things that make me happy. Whether that's diving into my to-be-read pile, going shopping, playing on the computer, taking a long bubble bath or simply sunning myself outside like a lizard, I do it. I don't do chores, dinner is whatever we can scrounge, and I wear my comfiest clothes. Once my happy day is over, I feel energized and ready to tackle anything."
7. Fill-and refill-the well: Julia Cameron, in her life-changing book The Artist's Way: A Spiritual Path to Higher Creativity, talks about filling the well. Most artists dip inside themselves and take what's there (energy, inspiration, soul) to feed everything and everyone else. They work too long at the office, skip lunch, then write until midnight. One day, there's nothing left. They've neglected their inner well so long, it's dried up. Cameron advocates Artist Dates, a few hours every week when you "fill your well." Everyone's inspirations are different, but I paint, draw, read, go to museums; frivolous stuff I can't believe I'm enjoying when I have so much else to do. But, since I've started doing these Artist Dates, my well hasn't run dry. That's reason enough for me to keep doing them.
8. Pace yourself: Anne Lamott, in her book, Bird by Bird, wrote about putting a one-inch frame over her workplace. On those days when she didn't think she could write anything, she told herself all she had to do was fill that one-inch frame with words. Most times, she filled the frame, and then some. I do something similar. On days I think I have nothing to give, I tell myself I only have to write for fifteen minutes. If I truly have nothing to put on paper, I can stop after fifteen minutes are up. Most days, I keep writing. Use whatever tricks help you beat the mind monsters.
9. Identify goals and stay motivated: Post your goals near your work area. Not just lofty ones, but everyday ones, too. I find having a work schedule and sticking to my own, achievable, deadline helps to keep me motivated. Writer Margaret Parker made a banner and put the date she planned to have enough money from her writing to quit her day job. With every step she makes toward that goal she adds a gold star to the banner. Voila! Instant, visual motivation. How about trying that with your manuscript? A gold star for each chapter. It's worth a try.
10. Celebrate your improvements: Sometimes I feel like I'm making the same, dumb mistakes. Rereading my first (lousy) full-length manuscript makes me wince (did I really mail that out?), but it sure does show me how far I've come.
11. Be a writer: Shelley Cooper, whose first book, Major Dad, was an August Silhouette Intimate Moments release, writes, "On those days when I feel like it would be more fun to clean out the dust bunnies from under my bed than write, I remind myself of all who are where I want to be. So, I say to myself: ‘Sandra Brown is writing, Tami Hoag is writing, Linda Howard is writing…' Works like a charm. The dust bunnies are thriving."
No one can be energized every day. I have my days when I'm tired, grumpy, and my words feel as substantial as stale marshmallows. When I moan and ask my husband to tell me again why I'm doing this, he hugs me, points me toward the computer, and says, "Because you're a writer."
Of course. I'd almost forgotten.
Lisa E. Arlt's first book, Smoke and Mirrors, was released by Harlequin Temptation in April 1998. You can visit her at her new home page at http://www.pobox.com/~LisaArlt.
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