Are You In The Mood To Write?
Hey, let me tell you a secret: I’m never in the mood for writing. I think about writing all day and night. But, when it’s time to sit in that chair and work… I do something else. Oh, but I have many good excuses. You know those dirty windows need cleaning, right? I saw it in my Feng Shui book. And the bathroom? It gets dirty in a flash…
The problem with chores, well, they don’t make you very productive. And for years, it was killing me; I couldn’t continue working like this.
So a few years ago, I hired a coach (the most amazing one: Pilar Alessandra: https://www.onthepage.tv/product-category/classes/). She gave me deadlines, she gave me guidance, she sent me on the right track. If it’s something you’re considering, go for it.
Through that process, I understood a few things that I’m going to share with you:
1. Find someone to hold you accountable.
And I’m not talking about your bestie who will always be nice to you. I’m talking about a real fierce friend or professional.
With the deadlines set, I had no choice; I had to get my painful words on paper.
Around the same time, I got into a partnership with my co-writer Fiona Faith Ross. And for years now, I’m proud to say that every week, we have to give each other the work we’ve been working on. No excuses.
In that process, I understood another thing:
2. You are never in the mood for writing.
If I wait to be in the mood to write something, it would never happen.
My mood is lazy. I’d rather have a nap or watch Netflix than write. No one wants to write; writers want their books or screenplays to get written.
But oh! It’s such a nice feeling to get it done though. But to get to that feeling, you have to sweat some of your own blood on paper (or screen). So, I suggest doing this:
3. Write your writing session in your calendar.
If it’s in my calendar, then it’s a date. Treat it like an appointment. If I make an appointment with my doctor, I honor it, same with my friends or dentist. No escape, no excuse.
And, I also do something else:
4. Have a timer in your writing session.
Like you, I suppose, I have a job. I have children to take care of. I can’t spend the whole day writing (that would be a luxury for me), so I have a time limit on my writing session. Sometimes, it’s 15 minutes, sometimes an hour, sometimes two, but within that time, I…
5. Sprint
That’s right. Like you would do on a race track.
I write everything down without caring if it’s any good because most of the time it’s crap anyway. I have to let my judgment go on holiday for a while and I…
6. Allow mistakes.
I don’t care if what I write is shit; I leave that for the most boring part of writing : the editing part.
If I want to write something good from the first draft, nothing good will come out. And as I don’t have a high opinion of myself, I would erase every single sentence that I write and get nothing done. Instead, I do something else…
7. Read the last paragraph.
I read what I wrote the day before and immerse myself in the story so I can continue. Then I…
8. Get comfy and blast some music on.
The style of music totally depends on your taste and, most of all, on the genre in which you’re writing.
Many writers would tell you to block any kind of distractions, but as I’m a weirdo, I don’t.
I don’t want to stop distractions in case the Universe wants to send me a message that could be crucial for my writing. But do as you wish. It’s up to you.
9. I also drink coffee.
Coffee, coffee, coffee. Without coffee, what’s the point of writing?
You may replace it with tea if you wish. And when I’m all fired up and I do some heavy work on the page, then I…
10. Write a short paragraph for the next writing session.
I usually write (before bed) a short paragraph of what the next scene or chapter should be about.
That way, my brain will work on it during my sleep, and gosh, I looooove my sleep. And guess what happens?
My brain will have it all figured out by the following morning, and I’d know exactly what I need to write.
Happy writing!!!