Maintaining Motivation as a Writer and Blogger

Stop. Revive. Survive.

This is the slogan used in many driver safety campaigns. Drivers are encouraged to stop driving, especially on long journeys in the country, take time out to revive and in so doing to survive. Good advice.

Writers and bloggers are vulnerable to writer’s fatigue. Setting a cracking pace can ultimately have a negative effect. The pressure of posting daily or an upcoming publisher’s deadline can have a crippling effect on one’s effectiveness as a writer.

Shai Coggins has taken up this point in her posting called “Stop. Revive. Survive.”

…blogging is like a journey. When you start to blog, you open up a whole new world online. And, like with any kind of journey, it is always exciting to begin.

But, excitement fades at times and exhaustion creeps in eventually. When this happens, it’s time to stop and revive. Otherwise, bloggers who try to continue past this stage end up feeling burnt out – to the point of completely giving up.

She goes on to give some very sound advice in maintaining motivation as a writer or a blogger. I believe that creating a mental and physical freshness will result in far more effective writing. I know that a dull mind can easily create dull writing.

Some Suggestions:

Here are some of my suggestions for remaining fresh and motivated:

• Get up and do some stretching exercises.
• Go for a walk around the garden and literally smell the roses.
• Turn away from the computer screen and see how many different birds you can see out side (I’m a bird watcher so this can be VERY refreshing and VERY distracting)
• Read today’s newspaper – a change of pace and often a source of inspiration for writing.
• Take time out for thirty minutes and do the crossword in the paper; it’s an excellent mental stimulation and increases your word knowledge.
• Revisit your favourite book and dip into it anywhere (but don’t keep reading for hours (keep it for bed time).
• Ring a friend and chat for ten minutes about anything (but don’t talk for hours).
• Go to your favourite chair and day dream for twenty minutes (but don’t have a “grandpa nap” like I find myself doing, especially late in the afternoon).

These are some things that work for me.

Each person has a different way of reviving the flagging spirit and body.

What works for you? Leave your comments so that we can all benefit.