I’m Submitting My Writing Again

It’s about time.

As a 21-year-old, I’m not a teenager anymore. So I’ve become ineligible for a lot of contests I’ve submitted to before. But I don’t feel like an adult either. I’m not a professional writer.

I have a ton of poems I’d like to get published somewhere. Hopefully, something works out.

In addition to my creative writing, I’ll try to write an essay every now and then for scholarships. I’m still a student. I graduate next year though, which kind of freaks me out.

I love but also hate not knowing what tomorrow will bring. Nevertheless, I’m excited to see what’s in store.

These days, I feel more motivated. I want to do more and do better.

If I want to have something to show the world, first I need to show up.

I Have No Motivation To Do Anything

I don’t feel all that motivated right now. I’m in a bit of a slump.

Obviously, there are highs and lows with just about everything in life. I’ve been trying to climb back up since the accident.

It was like my world got rocked upside down. I’ve sort of reverted back to old ways, which isn’t a bad thing in and of itself.

I’m also in a weird transitional time in my life. But I’m ready to move forward and look ahead.

Lately, I’ve been making more time for myself. I spent many hours thinking. Maybe it’s time to act now.

I’m not sure how to describe my current state. I’m better physically, but I’m also more present mentally than I have been in the past. I like to believe that’s a good sign.

In spite of everything, I’m excited to see for what’s next.

I can’t wait to read and review the books on my to be read shelf.

I’m dancing, stretching, and exercising better.

I hope to transcribe a ton of blog posts.

I will send my work into the world, regardless of how many rejections I get.

Baseball is in full swing. Beware all my bad jokes or puns.

By the end of 2018, I don’t want to look back and think it’s the year I got hit by a car. I want to be able to say I accomplished my goals. I refuse to be defined by what happened to me.

Keep Yourself Motivated

My master list of motivation tips.

You’ll have to click here (1-5) or here (6-10) for a more in-depth explanation of each.

1. Find what or who you love about the story. 
2. Make a friend keep you accountable. 
3. Punish yourself. 
4. Set deadlines. 
5. Publish your story. 
6. Play music. 
7. Leave home. 
8. Have fun. 
9. Delay reward. 
10. Start writing. 

This second post isn’t a cover up for my mistake.

How To Finish Your Stories

I was asked this on Tumblr:

I find that I start and stop a lot of my stories, and sometimes never come back to them. How do I keep myself motivated to finish at least one?

and here is my long overdue answer!

1. Find what or who you love about the story. I can’t speak for everyone, but when I don’t continue with a story, it’s because I’m bored. And that kills my motivation so much I don’t finish what I start, even if I’m just a sentence away from the end. Whenever this occurs, I ask myself what I love about the story more than anything else. Is it one character in particular? Is it a scene or piece of dialogue? I’ve never been in love with a real human being, but I have been in love with my characters. That’s usually enough to get me to finish. It’s unfair to my characters and myself if I don’t.
2. Make a friend keep you accountable. This works if you have an awesome friend who will nag you about your writing. It doesn’t work so well if they aren’t as awesome and care less than you. All I can say is pick wisely. If you don’t have anyone awesome around, go out and befriend another writer. Your accountability partner doesn’t have to be a writer, though let’s face it, why wouldn’t you want to be friends with one?
3. Punish yourself. Might not the best way to keep yourself motivated. Then again consequences could be what you need to finish your story. Maybe you’ll hold out on buying a book you’ve been eyeing. Or you’ll fork over a couple dollars to your brother or sister for every story that goes unfinished. Think of giving your sibling money despite being beyond broke. Now finishing that piece doesn’t sound so bad, does it? I will warn you beforehand: it takes a lot of discipline to follow through on a punishment.
4. Set deadlines. Treat writing like a real job rather than a hobby. Do be reasonable with your deadlines. A week, a month, maybe half a year depending on the length of your story and your current lifestyle. Work out a schedule. How many words do you need to write a day to meet your goal? How many pages will you edit each week to make the date you set out? It’s okay to stray from your schedule every once in a while but try to make up for it as quickly as you can. Otherwise, it’s a downhill battle fraught with late nights, long days, and loud screams.
5. Publish your story. If there’s one thing my WordPress blog is good for, it’s getting me to actually finish stuff. WordPress, WattPad, whatever platform works for you. Knowing you need to publish said story means you sort of need to finish it. Unless you’re the kind of writer to publish something unfinished. Don’t be that kind of writer.

I posted 5 more tips on my Tumblr blog, which you can find here, if you aren’t sick of my advice yet.

5 Sins You Don’t Want To Commit As A Writer

As a writer, there are sins you want to avoid at all costs.

1. Making excuses. You aren’t too busy. You have the time.
2. Copying someone else. You are your own person. You don’t need to steal ideas from anyone else because your brain is perfectly capable of coming up with some yourself.
3. Whining. All that time spent complaining can be better spent doing something productive.
4. Disrespecting others. How hard is it to respect people?
5. Not writing. Words won’t start writing themselves. Forget waiting until you’re motivated or inspired. Forget feeling ready. Just start.

You can do this! You’re a writer, remember?

How To Get Motivated To Write

Because sometimes we all need a little motivation to write. Or maybe that problem only plagues me.

Below are my top nine tips.

Give yourself incentives.

Big or small, an incentive usually excites you enough to sit down and write. Also remember to reward yourself often, especially after an accomplishment.

Read, read, read.

Reading great work by other authors should push you to produce something just as great—if not—better.

Start writing.

The act of writing can motivate you to write. Easy to say, hard to execute. Give it a go regardless. You have nothing to lose.

Accountability instills responsibility.

Holding yourself accountable or having someone else occasionally check in on you is a good strategy.

The inspirational people.

Surround yourself with mentors, friends, along with anyone who has a strong work ethic as well as a knack for getting things done. They don’t have to be writers.

The other people.

The doubters, critics, haters, and basically anyone who isn’t in love with you. After all proving people wrong is what writers do best.

Try music.

Need to set the mood? Listening to a specific song or a particular playlist can be the trick you need.

Establish a routine.

We are creatures of habit. If you make it a habit to write, you’ll be more inclined to do it every day.

Don’t forget to set goals.

These are simple math equations:

Goals = Motivation

No Goals = No Motivation

I’ve shared what works for me. Now what gets you motivated to write?

A huge thank you to Agent Hunter for the idea to blog about getting motivated to write. And if you’re searching for an agent, that site is your best friend. Literary agents represent authors, helping them to negotiate contracts with publishing houses, film producers, etc.