We all have those days when we just can’t get ourselves to sit down to write, or if we do plop ourselves down, we can’t get a sentence to flow across the page. These are the times when we need to rekindle our motivation so we find the joy and excitement that makes ideas and energy bubble up inside us.

This is especially important in writing fiction. I have found the following motivators to work for me when faced with a difficult scene or writer’s block. Maybe one or more will motivate you too.

ONE Go for a Walk

Find a quiet place to walk. While you walk, picture your scene. Play around with the events and the characters in your mind. Return, sit right down, and start writing.

TWO: Turn to Music

Find a movie or video series that has a similar vibe to your story. Visualize what you want to write as the soundtrack plays. Alternatively, create a playlist to go with your story. Soundcloud is a free music app that you can easily create playlists on.

THREE: Move to a New Setting

If you normally write at a desk, try moving to the kitchen, an outdoor spot, or even go to a cafe. Can’t move? Change the appearance of your normal writing spot. Add color like a colorful placemat and story-related pictures. Or vice versa, eliminate distracting colors and go for a monochromatic scheme. Have a mess? Take some time and organize it.

FOUR: Change How Your Writing Looks and Feels

Try a new font, or if handwriting, a new kind of pen. For a more radical change, switch to handwriting if you currently type or to typing if you currently write by hand. A more extreme change is to use an old fashioned typewriter or a vintage Alphasmart. These portable plastic devices were made for schools in the early 2000s. All you can see is one sentence or two at a time, and there are no distractions of email or social media to sway your attention. I bought one for a reasonable price four years ago on Ebay. They’ve gotten more expensive since then. but there are still some in the $100 range, if you look.

FIVE: Try Dictation

Telling your story is often a lot easier than converting it to words on paper. So often we get hung up on spelling and grammar, which pulls us out of the story flow. Speech-to-Text Apps have gotten much better in the last few years. I use the one that comes built-in to Microsoft Word. You can also check out Google Docs: Voice Typing, Speechnotes, and Apple Transcribe.

SIX: Change the Modality

Instead of writing, try making a visual storyboard or turn your scene into a comic sheet. If you aren’t up for drawing, you can make story boards on CANVA, inserting photos and images they provide.

SEVEN: Try Immersion

Surround yourself with everything you can that reflects the mood, setting and characters in your story. Collect photos and images. Track down quotes and words that reflect your theme. Use this to create a huge collage. Just the process of creating this can be enough to fill you with ideas.

Once made, hang it in view of where you write. When you can’t think of the words, study the images and describe what you see.

EIGHT: Make a Book Trailer

Normally, a book trailer is made after the novel is done. However, the process of creating one for a scene or chapter can reignite your excitement and help you focus on what is important to capture on the page. Here are my directions for making a book trailer.

Motivation is Powerful

People who are driven to perform an activity have been shown to have higher levels of performance and achievement. They work harder and with more persistence. They learn more deeply and retain more. (Find more benefits here.)

It is also an essential element of creativity. Without motivation, anything you produce will lack depth and originality, or just not be written at all. For more ideas to self-motivate, see my posts on Inspiration.

Happy Writing!

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What do you do get your creative juices flowing?

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