Staying Motivated to Write in the Middle of a Pandemic

Nothing is "right" anymore. We're wearing masks, working from home, limiting our social distance to six feet. The world seems upside down and it's easy to stare into your blank computer screen and wonder how you are going to write something. It feels as if you should be writing something meaningful, something that will keep people going, but you struggle just putting in a normal word count.

If this sounds like you, you are not alone. There are some lucky people who have found their stride in all the alone time of the pandemic, but it isn't me and it's okay if it isn't you. We're also in the middle of November which is NANOWRIMO. If you don't know, it's National Novel Writing Month, www.nanowrimo.org, where writers challenge themselves to write 50,000 words in one month. That is a marathon and we are currently in the part of the marathon when you aren't sure you can go on. Write anyway.

Writer's write. Write now, write daily, and remember, it doesn't have to be good. It will definitely not be perfect. Write anyway. How?

Here are some tips I use to get in the chair. 1) Set aside a place to write. Put a time in your calendar and go to your place and sit. 2) Write what you are thinking. Just the act of writing helps to get you going. 3) Write an interview with your characters. This gets you thinking about them and their story and can springboard you into some ideas. 4) Make a goal and stick to it. I usually set myself the task of writing 1000 words per day - any words, not just good words. 5) Reach out to another writer and commit to doing a sprint. A sprint is writing x amount of words in x amount of time and then let them know when you reach that goal. A sprint can help with accountability.

Remember writing is not a chore; it's a love, a passion, an expression of your soul, good or bad. It needs to be nourished every day. In good times and in bad times. So dust off your chair, sit down and write. You will feel better, I promise.