Jumping back into edits for #TheTidesofFate has been...a struggle. Sometimes, taking a long break from a project is refreshing. It gives you time to process, imagine, rest, and refresh your creative well. But it also can leave you feeling unmotivated and disconnected from your story. The latter has been my experience lately. And it has made writing this book that I love feel like a chore. Once it feels like just another task, the joy I find in watching my words string together to create characters and worlds is lost. I’m left with frustration, writers block, and a manuscript I want to toss in the trash. This is not the first time I’ve experienced this while writing (specifically this book). And I know it will not be the last. Along the way, I’ve learned how to maneuver past this crater in my path. Here are three main things that have helped me: 1. RE-READ the parts of your manuscript that you have already written/edited so far. As the entire first half and a bit of TTOF is polished, this has been a huge task that has rekindled my love and ideas for this story. It also fills me with the motivation to press on and finish this book. 2. LISTEN TO MUSIC. I have a very extensive writing playlist for every project that I write. Music helps me fall further into these worlds that I have created and into the minds of my characters. Just listening to this playlist when I’m doing daily tasks helps me get back to my story. It helps me imagine how I’m going to write or rework this next scene and motivates me to get back to my keyboard. 3. PRAY. As a Christian, prayer is a huge part of my life. I try to pray before I write. Often, I ask God to remind me why finishing this story is important. I turn to him for inspiration and motivation. This always helps. Always. Especially on days when I’m feeling down about my project and myself. There are a few more that I could add to this list, but these are the main three activities that continue to help me as I finish writing this book. Writers, what are some other tasks that you do to motivate yourself to finish/get back into a project? ✎ https://www.instagram.com/p/B6DnKA0gEMm/?igshid=1syuf3mo0jbhl
