Novel Writing

Staying Motivated

Amy Walters

This week has been a ridiculously busy one. I made a sale at work which is fantastic, but it has been a complete rush job, with print proofs and problems coming out of our eyeballs.

I haven’t been able to take a lunch break or leave on time most days. When I get home, all I want to do is relax, which I know is important but just isn’t very productive.

My writing has suffered. I’ve barely written 2000 words this week (and they are not very good ones at that)!

So my question this morning is how on earth writers with other jobs keep progressing at a reasonable pace? How do you make the time? How do you balance grown up responsibilities with your love of writing? All comments so very, very welcome! 

Published by Amy Walters

I am a twenty seven year old woman. I'm married to the weirdest and best man I've ever met, work full time in an office, and live by the sea in the South East of England. I love reading, music, and seeing my friends. I have recently started writing my first novel which I have been dreaming about since I was ten years old.

7 thoughts on “Staying Motivated”

  1. No sugar coating – it is not easy at all! I have a demanding full time job, am a single mother to two gorgeous but incredibly busy little ones and am finishing my degree… At first I was always asking myself where will I find the time to persue my passion, even finding an hour a day to write seemed like a daunting task. Now, not so much. I multi-task when doing chores and prioritise what I need to get done and knowing that it is to free up some time to write makes it easier to get the tasks completed. I originally set a goal of writing 500 words a day which is not very much but something I knew I could stick to and it got me into the swing of things. Then I started just writing as much as I felt like, enjoying the freedom of not putting additional pressure on myself which actually lead me to being more productive and writing more than before.
    Everyone is different and most have their own coping mechanisms – it may not be easy but it is worth it.

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    1. Ah thank you for your advice. I am in awe of your busy life and ability to write with a hectic schedule. I have found that setting myself a goal has really started stressing me out. I would rather write as much as I like and let it happen. I am a little concerned that I may just stop making progress at all though. I guess it’s just a case of finding out what works for you through time. 🙂

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  2. I used to have to force myself to write a bit every night, now it’s just habit. Sometimes I’ll manage to knock out only a few hundred words a night, other times it’s 1500 or so. The important thing is to write at least something, even if that something gets excised in the first cut. It’s brutal cutting out a slice of time with a full-time job, family, and other responsibilities, but it is possible. Eventually, it will become habit.

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