stacy benedict

Some weeks, the hardest part of writing my novel was not the writing but finding motivation to power through the process.  There always seem to be more urgent things that needed to be done.  Books don’t write themselves.  Eventually, I made the “butt in chair” time to finish the first two novels in my urban fantasy series.

Three Motivation Tips:

1. Divide tasks into small chunks: Thinking about writing a 50,000 – 100,000-word novel would scare anyone. Use an outline to organize your story into acts, chapters, and scenes.  Writing a 500 – 2,000-word scene or chapter is less stressful to think about and manage.
2. Schedule time: Put writing time on your calendar and let friends and family know the exact time that you cannot be disturbed. Not only does this put them on notice, but it also forces you to write down your plan and stick to it.
3. Stay Positive: Negativity saps motivation. The more you put something off, the more you will dread it.  Change your outlook by visualizing the finish line.  Before you sit to write, picture your novel online at Amazon.  See the printed copy in your hands.

Bonus Tip: Reward yourself.  You can’t do this every time, but giving yourself small rewards after finalizing big tasks feels like winning a prize and will push you to keep going.

Here are eight motivational quotes to inspire you to finish that novel, or whatever you need stimulus to complete.

“Happiness is not in the mere possession of money; it lies in the joy of achievement, in the thrill of creative effort.” Franklin D. Roosevelt

“I have discovered in life that there are ways of getting almost anywhere you want to go, if you really want to go.” Langston Hughes

“Action is the foundational key to all success.” Pablo Picasso

“If you want to make an easy job seem mighty hard, just keep putting off doing it.” Olin Miller

“I attribute my success to this: I never gave or took any excuse.” Florence Nightingale

“Motivation is what gets you started. Habit is what keeps you going.” Jim Rohn

“I find that the harder I work, the more luck I seem to have.” Thomas Jefferson

“This one step – choosing a goal and sticking to it – changes everything.” Scott Reed

What have you been putting off doing?

Hope you liked this week’s blog post.  You can read the first chapters of my urban fantasy series The Children of Ekhidna and Typhoeus on the books page.

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