What to Do When You're Thinking About Another Project
Losing motivation to write for a particular writing project because you're thinking about another project can keep you from achieving your writing dreams. Especially if you worry about how much writing you’re NOT getting done because you just don’t feel like it.
So, what do you do when you’re just not feeling it?
If you’re on deadline, push through the resistance. That book or article you’re working on needs to get done. So, set a mini word goal, meet it, and then take a little break. Keep making progress until you get it done.
If you’re not on deadline, however, you have the flexibility to work on what you really feel like working on. Thinking about another project? Got your mind set on trying a new writing exercise?
Any writing that you do will help you improve your writing skills. If you work on writing exercises, you can fuel your creativity and practice writing things such as vivid description or dialogue. Maybe you want to work on building characters.
Writing is a business if you plan to sell your work. At some point, you need to work at it and plow through the resistance that gets in the way. But if you don’t have any urgent need to complete the project right now (i.e., ASAP), instead of dragging your feet when you’re not feeling it, set that project aside and work on something else.
Once you have the new project out of your system, go back to working on your old project, the one you set aside.
Before you get back into writing though, address the things that were holding you back. See if you can get those resolved so you can move on. Do you need to add complexity to the plot? Do any plot details need to be worked out? How about the characters? Do they need any work?
Focus on the things you need to work on to move forward in your writing. Give yourself a day to actively think things through and write down your notes. Then start writing again and get back on track to meet your writing goals.
- It’s been a long time… - February 10, 2024
- Realizations About Tracking Progress - May 28, 2020
- Goal Setting & Productivity 101 - May 25, 2020