Staying Motivated

Recently with working on my newest novel I've been focusing a lot on motivation and inspiration. I think especially with the start of a new novel is when the author needs motivation the most. It's easy to fall behind, and writing is something you can easily be distracted from. Everyday I have been seeking out motivation of some kind, and some days I fall a bit short.
Over the past few months I've learned more about motivation. Motivation comes in different forms for everyone. For some it might be listening to music, looking at artwork, finding that perfect image that matches your story. For others it might simply be someone saying "don't give up." At any point in writing a novel I believe all forms of motivation are acceptable. I have been searching quotes and images on Instagram and Tumblr for this very cause. Writing can often times (a majority of the time --if we're being honest) be a lonely job, but when motivation is everywhere around us. All you have to do is find it, and I'm share this with you because both you and I need to hear it.

On days when I've been doubting myself or my work, I find making my own motivation works as well. Life can get in the way of writing, but there is always some time in the day to write. Lately I've been telling myself if I can write for at least 30 minutes to an hour that is good enough. I would prefer to write longer than that, or if writing during that hour to actually write more, but we're talking quality over quantity here. It's not November yet; we're not racing to the finish line. But that doesn't mean that we should be slowing down either. 

Here are a few of the tricks I've been using to stay motivated:

• Quotes -several times a week I find a quote usually on Instagram or Tumblr that has a positive meaning to it. It has to be something motivational/inspirational, but it does not necessarily need to relate to writing. Just something to remind me that I need to keep going. I've posted several of these quotes on Instagram over the past few weeks.
• Pictures -I use Pexels for a majority of stock photos I use on social media. I try to visit the site every day to look at their new photos. But more importantly, I like taking a closer look at the pictures. Every now and then I find ones that really speak to me and my new novel specifically. That kind of thing isn't rare, but it's satisfying to find those images and stare at them while working.
• Pinterest -this isn't including in the "pictures" category because Pinterest is something entirely separate --at least to me. For each of my books in the past I've created a board to pin pictures that relate to the book. With my new novel it's nothing different. Once again I'm constantly searching for images that go along with my story. When I'm feeling lost on where to go next I look to my board for motivation. There's a whole story there waiting to be written.
• Goal and Reward -this isn't something I've talked about in great detail on the blog, but this year especially I've used it. Setting up a goal and reward system while writing a book is great and exciting. I haven't set up anything major for myself yet, but definitely as I go past 5k and in the two digits for word count I want to set up more rewards --that are bigger. I'll share more about this in a later post when I have more of my own examples.

While that doesn't cover everything that keeps me motivated those are the major ones. It really does help me get through the week by finding motivation --no matter how small. 

So tell me, what are ways you stay motivated while writing? I would love to hear what works for you,  and there's no such thing as too much motivation. Who knows, maybe we can all help each other stay on track.

Lindsey R. Sablowski