#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.

Follow the #MotivatedWriter Series
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.

That is SO going in my book!!!

As an author I was very careful, early on, to not make anything real to me. No character had a name of someone I new. There were no locations that were real. Certainly there were no traits that would get me in trouble. (With that said, and I digress...when you say you write romance that's the first thing people think they are reading about...your love life. UMPF!)

After twenty-one books, and numerous other isn many stages of publication or editing, and four years in publishing I have gotten over this little stepping stone. It is now most fun to watch the world and stick it in my book.

The very first "real thing" I ever put in a book was this passage:
Finding Hope, book 3, The Matchmakers Series

Sweat beaded on his brow. Trevor reached for his bottle of water. It had grown warm. He drank it down and tossed it into the backseat with the other bottles he’d discarded there. He knew he wasn’t the ideal patron for a car rental company.

My poor husband. Yes, this was him once upon a time (I'm being nice.) The entire back floor of his car was piled with empty water bottles. All these years later you will find if someone's looks intrigue me, there is a character. I even had the infamous wandering eye of someone close to many of my friends. (Not as if he's looking at a hot woman...he's looking at the world while having a conversation with you! Awesome, yet annoying, character trait for a character to have.)

There are so many little thing from the way someone eats to how they watch TV that can make for one fascinating character.

Once you're established enough, too, people love to share little things with you and you certainly end up putting some of them in your books.

I like to share when my real life mimics my craft. For instance I have a beloved Star Wars hat. Wouldn't you know that one of my characters wears that hat? I have a second degree black belt...yep a few of my female characters do too. The decor of comfortable restaurants has peeked into my books and wouldn't you know it Eduardo Keller drives my truck! Speaking of driving, it is from experience that I wrote Courtney Field, who is blind. My suite mate in college was blind and yes, she did drive my car!

It's so much fun when you can make your characters live out all the fun pieces of your life and not necessarily drown them in your sorrows.

Do you write in personal things? What are they? Now I want to know! :)

Bestselling 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. Bernadette Marie currently has over twenty books published in the contemporary romance category. 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. She is also the CEO/Founder of Illumination Author Events which brings authors and readers together.

Monday Marketing Series

I'm very excited to announce my newest blog series, the Monday Marketing Series. This series will run right here every Monday and I will share with you some Marketing insights that might be of use to you.

This specific thread will have a list of the topics and I will update the links as they go live as well, so you'll always have the list handy when you're looking for topics.

I hope you enjoy...Marketing Mondays

MARKETING MONDAY SERIES

Marketing Monday

8/26 Let'sTalk Associations: do you need them?

9/2 Let'sTalk Conventions: how to get the most out of your experience.

        

9/9 Let'sTalk Branding: What is it and how do you get it?

9/16 Let'sTalk Marketing: How do you market you?

        

9/23 Let'sTalk Promotion: Before and after publication

          

9/30 Let'sTalk Interaction: meeting people in the industry

         

10/7 Let'sTalk Swag: What works...what's a waste of your time and money      

10/21 Let's Talk Free Books: Write it to give it away.

         

10/28 Let's Talk Keeping it Fresh: What to do when you've blogged, talked, tweeted, and facebooked everything you know

        

11/4 Let's Talk Promoting Others: Helping other authors find an audience through your blog

         

11/11 Let's Talk About Keeping the Preaching in Church: Remember that your blog IS full of your opinions, but keep your audience in mind

         

11/18 Let'sTalk Making Friends: Other authors aren't competition, they are allies

          mentor, shoulder, ear, friend, promoter.

Is there a topic you'd like to know about, but perhaps it isn't on the list? Send me an email and I'll look into it.  Remember I'm not the only authority on the subject, I just know what has worked for me!

Bestselling 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.

Bernadette Marie began writing at the age of thirteen and submitted her first manuscript at sixteen. Just as any aspiring author has learned, the publishing world is full of rejection. So how does an author find readers and allies before they have a book? Self-promotion! Bernadette Marie shares her experiences in building a name for herself before her first book was ever published.

The 5 Minute Writer

Yes, I have five sons (six and a half years from top to bottom), I run a growing publishing company, I still have a few salon clients, AND I’m the best selling author of seven books. At the end of 2013 I will have fifteen books on the market with 5 Prince Publishing (mine) and our catalog will boast over 50 books (of other awesome authors)! So I am asked, almost on a daily basis, “How do you find time to write?”

I often answer that this is my calling. I was born to be an author. The story ideas have never run out and neither have the words. But often, yes, the time does diminish.

The other day I was asked again about my writing and I told my friend “I write in 5 minute increments,” which I do. I’m a HUGE fan of the kitchen timer, and have always been.

I was raised this way. My mother always had a ToDo list and she chunked it off in increments. Because, admit it, you’ve started a quick project and then it led to something else…and so on…and so on… By making a list, and breaking it down into timely increments, I can chunk away that list and feel some accomplishment. So, back to writing this way.

I’ve had days where I have nothing to do but write. Wow! An entire six to eight hours at my disposal, and yet I only get a page or even a few words written. However, my mind stays fresh and engaged if I work hard and walk away—often.

I’m sure, those of you who are authors—or of any creative persuasion—understand that our minds cannot focus on one task. We read more than one book at a time, have more than one project going at a time, and yes, we write more than one book at a time. By allowing yourself that stopping point you give yourself permission to move to something else, even for just a few minutes. I work from home. Some days, the next ten minutes are changing out the laundry, doing jumping jacks or karate forms (yes…this is a great way to get your steps in, because we tend to sit on our butts a lot!). If I’m cleaning or taking care of a publishing task, I’m more apt to do my best and do it quickly so I don’t have to worry about the “non-creative” task that I’m tending to.

And yes, sometimes five or ten minutes turns into an hour long writing spree. Sometimes I can’t stop and that’s okay. My main job is to write, but again, giving myself permission to write often and in spurts keeps my mind engaged and flowing freely.

I did enjoy hearing that my friend tried this method. She began writing in small time blocks and was very successful with it. She was getting more words down than she had been in her allotted time for writing. It did my heart good—perhaps because she’s an amazing author and the more she writes the more I get to read!

As always, my blog…my way of seeing things. Hopefully you’ll be able to take a little something from this and make your writing time more productive.

Happy “productive” writing!

Bernadette Marie

Bernadette is the bestselling author of The Keller Family series and the Aspen Creek Series, along with other single titles. You can find her at the following locations. (She loves to interact with her readers, authors, and other industry professionals.)

www.bernadettemarie.com

www.facebook.com/authorbernadettemarie

Twitter @writesromance

info@bernadettemarie.com