You know how when you exercise with a buddy you are more likely to actually do it? The same is true for writing.
If you are serious about writing, you must come up with an external motivating factor to kick start your career.
There isn’t any more to it than that. Accountability shames us into working most of the time. That is why many people fail at working from home or sticking to their diet plan. They simply lack the external motivation that adds that extra level of stress/shame/encouragement to the process.
So, where can you find these external motivators? Aside from your friends or family members, who may get really tired of reading the same things (modified each time, of course), there are actually people out there who want to read your stuff and help you improve. This is where to find them:
- Writing Support Groups: These groups are specifically designed to help you stay motivated and stick to your writing goals. Usually, the support groups are full of supportive people, but there will always be that one dumbass who thinks his stuff is better than everyone else’s. It’s not. Just be prepared for that guy.
- Writing Clubs: Writing clubs are similar to support groups, but may also offer prompts and writing assignments, kind of like an informal creative writing class. Depending on the members, these clubs can be very helpful; or so bad that they inspire you to write in the opposite way than you thought they would, because anyone could write better than those guys.
- Book Readings: These readings are often for published authors only, but sometimes they allow new writers to read some of their stuff. If you’re like me though, and speak way less awesomely than you write, then you may not get the feedback you were hoping for from a reading. But at least it will motivate you to try to make both your writing and speaking better.
- Creative Writing Courses: I have a grudge against the creative writing course I took, but that doesn’t mean they are all bad. In a creative writing course, there is often helpful information and new challenges to try that can drastically improve your writing. Or maybe not. But it will be motivating nonetheless.
So there you have it. Four places you can go to find external motivation for writing.
Do you use any of these motivational helps? What external sources motivate you to keep writing?
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