How to Write When You're Not In The Mood

You know those days when the last things you want to do are:

 …get out of bed

…go to work

or

…write.

Well, it happens to everybody. Fatigue can be physical, mental, and creative. 

Sometimes you just have to power through it especially if you have a deadline coming up or it's been a few days since you last sat down to write.

Here are a few tips and tricks to get yourself back into writing when you're really not in the mood to write.

Take a Day Off 

Nobody says you have to write every single day from the day you decide you're going to be a writer until you die. Days off are important not only for your mental health but your physical health as well.  

Instead of writing take some time to recharge your creativity. 

• Read a book 
• Watch a movie 
• Take a walk around your city 

If you've really had it with writing and writing-related things then just take a mental health day. Everyone needs one once in a while and one day off from writing won't be the end of your story and just might be the recharge you need to get back into writing with the sheer force of rest and relaxation behind you. 

Reward System

Sometimes bribery is the best policy, it works perfectly on my three-year-old niece and it works well for me when I'm dragging my feet about sitting in front of the computer. 

You can reward yourself with something such as watching a YouTube video for every 500 words you write or you can eat a piece of candy every time you reach the bottom of a page. Sour Patch Watermelon candies got me through an entire NaNoWriMo and now there is always a candy jar with the mini bags sitting on my desk. 

My other goto was a cup of tea or coffee for every chapter on those long days where I was playing catch up for a missed day of writing. 

Make a reward system that works for you. Make sure it's a special treat that makes the goal worth achieving. 

Free Write 

Freewriting is the act of writing for a set time or number of pages without stopping to edit or revise, some call it stream of consciousness writing because you just keep writing and you don't look back or think too much about what you're writing.

Whenever I sit down to write I have to tell my brain to switch on creative mood, especially when I've spent the day writing articles or emails that use a different type of writing.

Before I begin I go to https://callofwriting.com/ and set the goal for 500 words. What I love most about this website is that it can give you a generated plot and if you stop writing, you lose everything if you pause for more than five seconds. All of your words will be erased if you don't complete the challenge.

This sucks especially when you've gotten into a story and you want to keep going/save it for further development after the challenge. 

Writing Prompts

If you know you want to write, but not knowing what to write is what's keeping you then writing prompts might just be the solution for you. 

Writing prompts are available online in all genres and situations. 

If it's your novel you're stuck on try character scene prompts to get you into the story. 

These can be prompt such as:

• Have your character interact with a car 
• Have your character tell a story from their childhood 
• Make a list of your character's favorite candy or movies 

These prompts can bring you into the world of your novel even if you never use any of these scenes or ideas in it. 

Set an Attainable Goal 

Sometimes success is the biggest motivation.

Set a small goal that you can achieve, that was if that's all you complete then you can be proud of yourself for having accomplished what you set out to do.

In some cases, this might just be the motivation you need and you'll find yourself flying by your goal.

Your goal can either be time-based or word-based, whichever one is easier for you. 

---

Sometimes writing is one of the last things a writer wants to do and will invent any hundred ways to procrastinate having to do it, but you need to remember that the story isn't going to magically find its way from your head to the page. The unwritten story will never be published.

Stop procrastinating and try to write as much as you can today.

If not today, then make sure you do it tomorrow.

Best of luck.

With love, 

B.K xo

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