Comments on: Keep Going

By: Misty

Misty — Sun, 30 Mar 2008 19:45:36 +0000

Gina, I always read your posts here. You are very inspiring.

Deadlines help me prioritize. I keep my Day Timer handy for organization. Writing is so much a part of me, I feel cranky if I don’t write for a few days, but giving myself some time off – usually an hour a day to watch Charmed – keeps me fired up and happy to hit the keyboard.

I love the HEA story. I have a couple of half-finished manuscripts and every once in awhile I feel guilty for leaving those characters in not-so-fun situations. I mentally promise them I’ll get back to them one of these days!

Misty

By: Linda

Linda — Thu, 27 Mar 2008 14:39:17 +0000

Every single morning I hit resistance. I can think of many things I’d sooner do (including force feeding a cat!!)But I have this goal–write every day except when I have company. Excuses are so easy but guilt follows as well as panic as deadlines pile up (even self-appointed deadlines are there in order to keep the work progressing at a timely rate.)

I have no magic cure. I only know the resitance is always there and I must break through it. One thing that helps at times is to open a new file and write about what I want to write about.

Now I must go see if I can break through the barrier yet again.

Linda

By: Louisa Edwards

Louisa Edwards — Thu, 27 Mar 2008 13:32:03 +0000

I have to agree, I like deadlines. I’m like Calvin, from Calvin & Hobbes, who says he works best under pressure, to which Hobbes replies, “You work ONLY under pressure.” A deadline and potential guilt over missing it is the surest way to make me work.

For internal motivation, I like to envision a scene coming up that I really want to write, and force myself to write forward to get to it.

By: Angie Fox

Angie Fox — Thu, 27 Mar 2008 03:32:26 +0000

What a loaded question! For me, it depends on the day. I try to write every day, but I hit a period a few weeks ago where the words weren’t coming. So I took a week off, no questions asked. No guilt (okay, maybe a little), but I really tried to lay off and ease up.

Because if you’re constantly driving yourself or trying to force motivation, it gets harder because there’s no “break,” no end in sight. But if it’s okay to stop and think about a story for a day, a few days, whatever, then it’s easier to hit it hard when you do go weeks and weeks writing every day. Because you have permission to stop if you wanted, which usually keeps me wanting to go.

I hope that makes sense! It’s getting close to my bedtime.

Angie

By: Monica Burns

Monica Burns — Wed, 26 Mar 2008 18:59:54 +0000

An editor’s deadline will make me move faster than anything else in the world. I’ll scream and protest all the way through it, but I get it done.

I force myself to write every single day, but it’s frustrating to just stare at a screen. Some of it might be because I don’t have that desired contract.

Some of it is burn out. I don’t have any answers, I just know what doesn’t work in motivating me. So I’m trying to reduce my email to nothing, and forcing myself NOT to watch TV, although I’ll read.

By then, I’m hoping that I’ll be so bored it will compel me to write/finish my book.

Monica