#MotivatedWriter Series ~ HOW TO STAY MOTIVATED TO WRITE

How to stay motivated to write.

If you'd begun writing you'll soon realize that your mind will wander in a million directions. If you haven't given yourself permission to write you're going to be thinking of the dishes in the sink and the clothes in the washer.  Make sure your writing time is important to you and that will help motivate you.

Another key factor in writing is reading. Yep! You need to read to write. Now, I say this from experience. While writing my first book when I was much, much younger, I stopped reading. My purpose was because I didn't want to accidentally steal anything. But the truth is reading other writers only encouraged my creativity. Think about it...when you were younger and you danced until your heart was content you'd follow along at some point, right. It didn't make your dance any less yours. There are only so many story lines and so many words. It's how you string them together.

Think about how music moves you to work out, or dance, or sing at the top of your lungs. That creative spark sparks another. Reading is much the same.

A less popular method of keeping motivated (this is usually by newer writers) is share your work. Find someone who is so enthusiastic about reading what you've wrote and share it with them. Their enthusiasm will spark yours. I'm not talking a critique partner either. I'm talking someone who just loves what you do. It might take some guts to find that person, but I tell you it's worth it.

Again, journal everyday. I'm not saying you need to even journal your trip to the store. However, there is something in everyday. Look up writing prompts on Google. There are tons of them and they will spark your creativity a little bit. We can all use that.

Create a blog. Everyone is an expert in something. Yes, even you can write a blog about something. Heck, Sienfield had an entire show about nothing--and that was the tag line! Create a blog calendar and search how to create blog content. It may not be a book, but it is keeping you writing.

The best way to keep motivated is to have a goal. Do you want to publish in magazines or write books? Are you going to submit to a big house, small house, or self-publish? If you're working with publishing houses you're going to be under contract to do certain things with your writing. A contract certainly motivates you!

Motivating yourself to write will NEVER come easily. After 22 books published I still have to convince myself that I have to sit and write and not just mess around with it. Those dishes aren't going anywhere. They'll be there when I'm done. Writing is important to me. Luckily it pays my bills. So that is one motivating factor. The other is that I crave it and love it. Be true to yourself. That might be all the motivation you need.

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HOW TO GET MOTIVATED TO WRITE
HOW TO STAY MOTIVATED TO WRITE

 Author Bernadette Marie is known for building families readers want to be part of. Her series The Keller Family has graced bestseller charts since its release in 2011, along with her other series and single title books. The married mother of five sons promises Happily Ever After always…and says she can write it, because she lives it. 

When not writing, Bernadette Marie is shuffling her sons to their many events—mostly hockey—and enjoying the beautiful views of the Colorado Rocky Mountains from her front step. She is also an accomplished martial artist with a second degree black belt in Tang Soo Do.

A chronic entrepreneur, Bernadette Marie opened her own publishing house in 2011, 5 Prince Publishing, so that she could publish the books she liked to write and help make the dreams of other aspiring authors come true too.

I've got that writing feeling...ohhh that writing feeling

There are days like today in which my mind will just not focus on that tasks at hand! I have a publishing company to run. Contracts to send out. It's a launch day--launch WEEK! And yet my mind is not here!

Well the best part of my jobs are they work well together. After all I am one of my own authors. So it is important for me to do the creative end of my job as well.

I think there are certain days that the creative part of my brain takes over. And if you have a creative brain, you probably don't have a lot of organization skills. Not to say that you don't, but someone would probably argue your method of organized! I keep looking at my charts, my lists, my calendars and thinking...I wonder what is happening in Aspen Creek today (that would be one of my series title!) The book for November 2013 keeps popping in my head.

Yes, not only am I too creative brained, and not organized, I'm a multi-tasker! I currently have three books in the works from three different series! The joy in that? I get to hop from the fictional town of Aspen Creek, Colorado to Nashville, Tennessee back to Palmer's Gulch, Oklahoma everyday! Currently two of my heroines are martial artists. One runs a school, the other is trained in martial arts and that's how she met her husband. So I know that thinking about my karate training has me plotting books!

As scatterbrained as it seems it sure does keep me happy. But there is that time when you realize that the book work will have to wait until tonight, late. For, if I don't get the creative part of my brain working it will hinder me until I do.

So with that, good bye publishing world, for a few hours. There is currently a woman in Aspen Creek who has just met the most discombobulated of all men and she needs to put him in his place. But then again, in Oklahoma there is a woman about to have her world rocked by her dead husband. Hmmmm, Nashville...I'm sure the next of the Keller clan had some things planned.

I'm checking out. I'm too busy to worry about the real world. I've got that writing feeling and it needs to be taken care of ASAP!

Professionalism...does it exist?

I have to say... when you receive emails from prospective authors, readers, and really--anyone in general, it makes an impression when you don't even use words.  Believe it or not I daily receive emails where YOU is spelled U, ARE is R, etc.

Even beyond just emails from adoring readers, I get these kinds of emails from perspective authors who want me to publish them. Yes!

I have had submissions in all caps. Submissions where they sent in one and then knew it was riddled with misspellings so they highlighted it and sent them back. And then I've had emails from authors using "text language."

What happened to the days of professionalism?

Likewise, when you send an editor, agent, or publishing representative a submission and preface it in bold letters, I HAVE OFFERS ON THIS MANUSCRIPT, I would like the general public to know that I delete it right then and there. Obviously, you're on the right track then and you don't need me. I'm not going to vie for your BIG work with my little company if you're so amazing.

What happened to the days of proving you were worthy of attention?

I have sons. I have five of them ranging from 14-7. They hold open doors for people. Some days I can't find them because they are still opening doors because people don't understand the art of saying thank you and taking the hint to hold for the crowd.  They say, "Yes, Ma'am," "Yes, Sir." and oh my, "Mrs. Smith, how are you?" (I'll admit the latter part comes from years of martial arts training starting very young.) They are gracious and kind. And never would they write a letter to a company who rejected their all caps proposal and say, "You can't just tell me no!" (oh,but I can!)

I don't know if reinventing professionalism in a world where it is all virtual needs to start at home, or in the schools, but it still needs to exist. Just because I can't see your face as you shoot off an email to tell me where to go doesn't mean writing it poorly is still acceptable.  You can burn bridges virtually just as well as you can when you slam a door in someone's face.

Think it over. Before you sign off with C U L8TR.