How do I make myself want to write more often?

Question

I have a problem. I want to be a published author. And I love to write. But that's only when I get the feeling to write. Most other times, I don't want to write at all. The feeling just comes and goes and hasn't ever been permenant. How do I get myself to write something more often? All the time if possible. I also have a problem with writing and actually finishing. Should I keep it up? Am I destined to be a writer? Or should I quit while I'm ahead? Or do I just need a bit of self-discipline?

Answer 1

I completely disagree with all the "take a break" "don't write all the time" "go for a walk" stuff. That is totally the wrong way to condition yourself to write professionally. It may be cool in theory, but deadlines do not understand your need to stop for a while and commune with nature. Publishers do not care your need to "take a break and listen to some music for a while". They want production from you. In the real life world of writing, deadlines loom large, believe me.

Self discipline and routine are key. You have to train yourself to treat your writing as a job. Write the same time every day. In the same place, at the same time. Start with a 15 minute session and gradually work up. Choose a place that is comfortable for you and a time when you are most creative. Authors refer to this as "office hours". Mine are between 1 and 5 am. Since I write full time, I can afford to work my life around those hours.

All authors do this. Hemingway had a little building behind his Key West home. He had his manservant lock him in it for a set amount of hours per day. If he was having trouble writing, he asked to have this three legged cat he hated locked in with him. He felt it made him work harder to get out.

Authors are very sensitive people. Things have to be routine for them. I have this ancient keyboard. The letters are worn off the keys. But it has the "touch" I am used to and I cannot work without it. I make my son take it apart and put it through the dishwasher every so often. He says I should just get a new one. He doesn't understand that a new one would slow me down. We are creatures of habit.

Another problem is focus. The best way to get more focus is to work with an outline. You can mark it off in sessions. For instance, you can say "Today, I am going to work on the battle scene." Real tight focus.

Gradually, it becomes like any other job. Like working on an assembly line in a way.

Focus and self discipline don't happen overnight. You have to work hard to train yourself.

Another little trick I have is reading back what I wrote a couple days before. If you can read your own work and LOVE it and be excited about it, you will be encouraged to push on. (I am the only one I share my works in progress with!)

Good luck. Pax - C

Answer 2

Try writing everyday for a set amount of time. Find a book of writing prompts. They're out there, that's what many teachers use to assign writing topics.

Consider a blog. It will give you a place to do your writing, and you can experiment with a lot of different kinds of writing. Not all blogs have to have readers, you can write for pretty much for your own reasons.

If you have the talent, you still need to have the practice. Do a lot of reading. You may or may not be a professional writer someday, but a skill in writing will pay off in any profession you choose.

And don't forget, NO professional writer writes something, and sends it out to be sold/published when it's in its first draft. Have fun with things you've written before and go back and revise and reuse.

Answer 3

if you want to become a published author, you have to be willing to work at it. that means having the discipline to sit down and write about what you KNOW, not what others know. if you are good at telling stories, write them down. if you like facts, write about something you have knowledge of.
when you want to be a writer, you need to pick a time, and sit down and write. it should be a scheduled time, such as every day from 8 am to 10 am, without fail, and no excuses.
what you write about is less important than how you use the words.
if you want to get published, write somethuing, then send it, just be sure that where you send it is relevant to what you write. you don't send a short story to a publisher of poetry, but to a publisher of the type story you wrote.
get a copy of "writer's guide" to find who publishes what, and how they pay. some pay only in copies, others require all rights to be signed over, and so on. target the market you want to write for, and then do so. good luck.
need a good place to start? try the op-ed page of your local paper. when you have some history of being published, it helps. and you'll also understand what is required.

Answer 4

Depends. Honestly, you don't know until you try. If you get bored writing, than you're probably not a writer, or your story is just sort of boring to write, which in turns means that it'd be even worse for the reader. Sorry, just being truthful. No, don't quit, continue, but only if you LOVE to write, and make sure that it's not just for the money/fame. Make sure that you really want to write!
-cayleejo

Answer 5

I think your situation is quite common among writers or those required to write, say, some reports or thesis drafts. However, it is a good and practical idea to keep going, that is, making your writing as a habit or as a pleasure to ponder and put what you think or know into action, your writing. According to Agatha Chrisite from her autobiography, she kept writing amidst suffering like a professional and told her readers it is always painful to do something like a pro, in other words, a pro has to do something even though one does not like it at all. Therefore, to be optimistic from this viewpoint, you're a pro right now.

Answer 6

Don't try to write all the time, it gets boring. You're only destined to be a writer if you really want to be one, that, or you could just have it as a hobby. If you quit, what the hell will you get from it? I'm actually writing two books and I'm not pressuring myself to finish because I get my ideas in bursts, not a steady stream. It's called writer's block dude, and everyone who writes gets it.

Answer 7

Write all the time, even when you don't feel like it. Set up a time to write every day, even if it's only 15 minutes. Don't know who said this to me but I think it's wise: 'It doesn't have to be any good, it just has to be'. Read The Artist's Way by Julia Cameron, (if you haven't already) and see how important writing every day is. You'll learn how to write all the time, not just when the mood strikes you. Good luck and thanks for asking so I can listen to my own advice :)

Answer 8

smoke some pot
only kidding
program yourself to set some time each day to write
like an hour or two
shut off your phone
be alone
play your fave music

and write.....................