Piara Strainge
  • Home
  • All About P
    • Recovery
    • The Writer
    • The Photographer
    • The Traveller
  • Books
    • Getting Ready to Freelance and Write
    • The Workings Of My Mind
    • An Introduction to the Publishing Industry today
  • Published Portfolio
    • Articles & Features
    • Guest Blog Posts
    • Web Copywriting
    • Poetry
    • Photos & Snippets
  • All Things WTP Blog
  • Contribute
    • DROP YOUR VERSE
  • Media Pack
  • DESTINATIONS

All Things Writing Travel Photography

Motivation for novel writing

7/4/2013

0 Comments

 
Picture
It's really difficult to not get distracted when you work from home because there are a million things you could be doing verses the one thing you should actually be doing. If you woke up this morning with only a smidge of interest in working on your novel or writing project, trust me, it will be very easy to achieve little or nothing today.

So how can you stay motivated?

First of all, set yourself a realistic target for the day. Something along the lines of editing 100 pages, writing the first draft of a chapter, or piecing together a sub plot using a spider diagram. Try not to beat yourself up if it doesn't happen for you, but do everything you can to complete the task by the end of the day. That in itself will give you a massive boost.

Allow yourself some day dream time (maybe when you're making and eating breakfast - or lunch - or both) and let the buoyancy of the day dream carry you for a moment or two. It's ok to get swept up in best case scenarios (I do it all the time!) but don't turn the dreams into your expectations. You'll only be setting yourself up for a mighty fall...

Finally, write what you love and love what you write - and do all that unconditionally. Trends and markets are important (and they should always be sitting in the back of your mind) BUT if it's coming out stilted, you'll know straight away and it'll put you right off. DON'T think too much about the technicalities. DO focus on the heart of the story. Tuning and fine tuning come much later. That's what second, third, fourth and fifth drafts are for!

As I was telling a friend, when I'm in the zone with my writing, I'm really in the zone. That writing place, that I hope for the writers out there you can connect with, is simply magical. The words flow, the plot thickens, the characters come alive in the visual inside my head - and the secret is to capture it in words before reality drags you back to, well, reality. When I wrote my first novel, I would say I probably only found that peace about four or five times in the space of six months. The rest of the time I teetered on the edge, my everyday To Do list sitting there in the back of my mind, bugging me and distracting me. Does it affect your creativity and output? Of course it does, and it also causes frustration and resentment. To escape is self indulgent and selfish, but that's how I write my best stuff, so I'll never change it.

A few years ago now, a friend and colleague gave me some advice when I kept making excuses about why I couldn't write daily. Apparently Yoda says in Star Wars "Do. Or do not. There is no try." Sandy wrote this on a piece of paper for me and I still have it pinned to my noticeboard in my home office today. It's amazing the impact a few words can have. They were the catalyst to get my first novel finished after so long. I guess what I'm trying to say is - find your motivation and hold on to it (for dear life in many cases), so you can fulfill your potential and complete whatever writing goals you've set yourself today, this week, this month, this year and beyond.
0 Comments



Leave a Reply.

    Author

    Blogging is an amazing concept so here I am giving it a whirl. You'll get words. You'll get pics. Sometimes a vid or two. You'll get tongue in cheek, the odd humble opinion and an honest insight into my travels and writing life. Maybe even a few gems along the way. I'll be musing on home turf as I see more and more of the UK and sharing my experiences further afield on holidays and adventurous trips across the globe. 

    Things you need to know about me: I love music. I love books. I love laughter. I love comedy, theatre and the opera. And mixed with all of that, I LOVE to travel, write and take photos.

    And, as of the 3rd April 2017, I'm on another journey, very different to my travel adventures. This is a journey of recovery. From grief, from depression and from Fibromyalgia. I will also be sharing the impacts these things have on my life now;  how I don't want them to change me, but they will, and already have, and yes, it's a rollercoaster.

    I hope you enjoy All Things WTP.

    RSS Feed

    Archives

    December 2022
    November 2022
    October 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013
    July 2013
    June 2013
    May 2013
    April 2013
    March 2013
    February 2013
    January 2013
    November 2012
    September 2012
    August 2012
    July 2012
    June 2012
    May 2012
    April 2012
    March 2012
    February 2012
    January 2012
    December 2011
    November 2011
    October 2011
    September 2011
    July 2011
    June 2011
    April 2011
    February 2011
    January 2011
    October 2010

    Categories

    All
    29 Of The Best Travel Experiences
    30 Things Project
    Author Platform Series
    Being Happy
    Freelancing Series
    Industry News
    Literary Memories
    My Book Reviews
    My Influences
    My Publishing Journey
    Photography And Travel
    Self Publishing Series
    The Journey Of Recovery
    The Publishing Journey Series
    Time Management And Well Being
    Word Play
    Writing Advice

Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.
  • Home
  • All About P
    • Recovery
    • The Writer
    • The Photographer
    • The Traveller
  • Books
    • Getting Ready to Freelance and Write
    • The Workings Of My Mind
    • An Introduction to the Publishing Industry today
  • Published Portfolio
    • Articles & Features
    • Guest Blog Posts
    • Web Copywriting
    • Poetry
    • Photos & Snippets
  • All Things WTP Blog
  • Contribute
    • DROP YOUR VERSE
  • Media Pack
  • DESTINATIONS