Lately I’ve been staring at my writing project from a distance like a bike rusting away in the driveway. I rode that bike intensely every day until the master’s deadline, then stopped, had a break, and now struggle to pick it up from the ground, sit down and push the peddles again. And this is not writer’s block – I don’t believe in that condition – it’s just simpler to ignore the bike and sort out that drawer in the hallway – per se.
I went through a gym stage once upon a time, waking up to do a 5k run – the dullest days of my existence, and I never got that Instagram body that I was promised – but it did teach me about mindset – and the two; writing and exercise, (getting on that bike), are actually very similar.
Here are a few tips and tricks that I have learnt or done to help motivate me to write:
The Chain – Seinfeld has a giant calendar on his wall and puts a cross through the date when he has done his writing for that day. The aim is to not make it about the writing but about not breaking the chain.
Routine- Murakami, the writer of Norwegian Woods, wakes up every morning at 4am, writes for 5 hours, then does a 10k run. He keeps to the routine until he has completed his novel.
Time and space – Lockdown was horrendous for everyone, but during this time, I created a daily writing habit; I cleared out my mum’s caravan and went to it to write after breakfast every day. That worked well, but then I discovered the least distractions from waking up to writing was the best way forward. So, I invested in a writing desk for my bed. So when I’m in my routine, I lie there like a sloth, tapping away until my word count is done, and then I get on with my day.
Goals – talking of word count, you learn pretty early on that you need to either have a time limit or word count per day to keep on track or prevent burnout.
Playlist – like going for a run, a Spotify playlist is always a good way to pump yourself up. Mine includes beautifully cheesy hits like; Dire Straits – Money for Nothing and ACDC – It’s a Long Way to the Top. (Hey, nobody said this was a cool).
Feed yourself– art, books, cinema, photography, and conversation are protein shakes for all writers, so keep fuelling yourself.
Finally,
write a blog about motivating yourself,
to motivate yourself.
THE QUACK 