Write a novel

Tips for motivation to write a novel

Sometimes I just lack the motivation to write. Then I can procrastinate for hours and suddenly think of 1000 other things I still have to do: take out the trash, cook, watch a series....
That's why I've collected my favorite tips for instant motivation here.

1. NANOWRIMO.ORG

NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) is a challenge to write 50,000 words in 30 days.

As if the thought of thousands of people around the world doing the same wasn't enough motivation, you can register for free on the website and make friends, chat with other writers, and track your word count. You can also set your own goals - all year round. The forums, where members can motivate each other, laugh together, share their progress, and enter contests, as well as chat and post photos of their BuJos, are also open year-round.

The writing challenges both keep you on your toes, but also motivate you immensely.
I highly recommend participating!

2. (MICRO)HABITS & ROUTINES

Solidifying a habit is a difficult thing to do.

That's why I recommend starting with a micro-habit.

For example, if you want to go jogging ten kilometers every day, the micro-habit would be to first put your jogging shoes on and then take them off at a fixed time every day. Then you will get used to this activity and it will be easier for you to jog every day later.

Now a more practical example: you want to write 500 words a day. Then first get into the habit of writing 50 words a day. You should always be able to write 50 words, and most of the time, instead of 50 words, you will write 200.

Then you can try the bigger habits and jog ten kilometers a day, or, as in our case, write 500 words a day.

It helps if you have an anchor. So if you make yourself a cup of coffee every day after you get up, you can get into the habit of turning on your laptop (or whatever you write with) every time you pour the coffee and start writing. Then you have an activity that is already your habit (making coffee) and you can connect your new habit to it.

3. HABITICA.COM

At habitica.com you can track your to-dos, daily/monthly/yearly tasks and your habits.

You can also register here for free. Then you create an avatar for yourself.
By completing tasks or a positive habit you get coins, life points, experience points and other rewards (e.g. items or pets).
Negative habits will drain you of life points.

There is the function of joining a party and together mastering so-called quests, i.e. defeating baddies by completing tasks. If you don't do a daily task or perform a bad habit, the others suffer as well. There are rewards for completing quests.

4. REWARD YOURSELF!

The human being tends to give up. To prevent this, you should do one thing above all: reward yourself!

You can do this with habitica.com, but also with a piece of paper or your bullet journal.

You write down a goal, or preferably several, such as:
- Write 25,000 words
- Write scene x
- invent character y
- etc.

To these you then write rewards such as:
- Eat 1 bar of chocolate
- put 1€ in the money box
- do 1 hour of yoga
- etc.

You should keep the following in mind: "Writing a book" is not suitable as a to-do or goal. Sure, it's your goal. But you should break it down to stage goals, such as a standing plot, 10,000 words, 20,000 words, ..., finish rough draft, 20,000 words corrected, ....

Do it! Now. Write down at least 5 goals and at least 5 rewards now!

What do you mean, you're still here? Write it down now! Otherwise you will forget it in the end!

You're reading this and you still haven't written it down?
Don't say I didn't warn you....

5. WRITING TRACKERS, BULLET JOURNALS & CO.

This is a tip for all BuJo fans and statistics lovers.

Those of you who keep a BuJo may already be doing it: keeping a writing tracker. There are a thousand different variations of this. I suggest the following:

Make a monthly overview, where each day corresponds to a 3*3cm box.
Depending on the deadline, enter the number of words/minutes to be written on that day in the corresponding box.
Color the days on which writing was done and write the number of words reached in it

If you don't have a bullet journal, you can of course keep statistics (e.g. on NaNoWriMo.org, in Excel or by hand).

A tracker motivates you immensely to reach the word count. Of course, you can also set a goal, for example, if you reach the goal on at least 60% of the days and write on at least 80% of the days, you get a reward.

But what is a bullet journal?

In short, it is a notebook with page numbers. Most of the time, an index is used to keep track and the notes are written in unordered.
A bullet journal is a combination of a calendar, a notebook, a project planner and a to-do list.
Many people create real works of art out of their BuJos, but the purpose is more the order.


Now you:
- How do you motivate yourself to write?
- Have you ever participated in NaNo?
- Have you tried any of the tips?

I look forward to your comments!


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