5 Ways to Stay Motivated with Your Writing (Especially During the Holidays)

The holidays are right around that corner. This time of year provides additional hurdles for many authors who are trying to stay motivated with their writing. Keeping your writing and your word count up is difficult. Busy work schedules, travel, afternoons spent shopping, cooking, and so much more can make writing seem like the last thing you have the time or energy to do. Midnight Publishing is right there with you. As a group of professional ghostwriters and editors, we know the “pain” of juggling one’s book manuscript with the rest of life’s priorities.

No one is forcing you to write your book. Thus self-discipline is of the utmost importance when it comes to working on it, especially during the holidays. It is especially important to stay motivated and keep writing.

Tried and True Tips to Stay Motivated with Your Writing

1. #Wordsprints

We’ve waxed poetic about these in the past, and that’s because they’re just so dang effective! Wordsprints are a joint effort by writers, usually on Twitter. Authors begin writing at the same time and typically “sprint” for 30 minutes or so, at which point everyone compares their completed word count. Not only is this effective if you’re competitive, but it’s a much easier chunk of time to handle when scheduling your time to write. Two #wordsprints at 500 to 750 words per half hour could mean you’ve got nearly 1,500 words in one hour! Be sure to use the hashtag to find fellow sprinting authors on social media.

2. National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo)

NaNoWrimo is a global challenge that occures every November (so now!). It is a great way to get yourself into a writing mindset heading into the holiday season. But what is it? For the whole month of November, authors and inspiring writers devote the month to completing 50,000 words in their manuscript. Writers can work from scratch on new manuscript or finish one that has been sitting around for a while. This challenge is great for crave community and want to share their daily work count success.

Read Midnight Publishing NaNoWriMo blog post here to learn all you need to know about this inspirational annual event!

3. Wattpad/Fiction Press

Several years ago, websites like Wattpad and Fiction Press began cropping up with one goal in mind. They want  to provide freshly written material to new readers everywhere for free. Both Fiction Press and Wattpad encourage interaction among their communities, with writers having the ability to upload “chapters” as they write them if desired. This is a prime way to get reader excitement building before your completed manuscript is ready to be published (don’t scrimp on the editing piece though—Midnight Publishing offers affordable, professional editing services for any need. To be taken seriously as an author, you must at least have your book proofread before publishing). Wattpad and Fiction Press also get you in touch with readers who will crave and ask for more, prompting you to continue writing through the holidays.

Curious about the best places in Phoenix to eat to fuel your writing? Read Midnight Publishing’s top choices here!

4. Writing Accountability Partners

Similar to exercise buddies, accountability partners are another great way to motivate yourself to keep writing. Team up with someone else who’s writing or editing a draft of their manuscript. Text or email about daily word counts to keep each other going. Accountability partners are also useful when you are feeling the need to put writing off. You can text them explaining the situation so that they can remind you of your ultimate goal: a completed book!

5. Write Every Morning

Another way to stay motivated, just like working out, is waking up an hour early and sitting down to write. If you dedicate an hour or two every morning to writing, you can get around 2,000 word done. Then, you have the whole day to celebrate the holidays. You can shop, cook, or spend time with family, all while having already reaching your daily word count. And, if you get 2,000 words a days at five days a week, that is 10,000 words a week. Thats means in two in a half month you’ll have a complete 100,000 word draft. Now if that isn’t motivation, we don’t know what is. There are some days that you wake up uninspired, without any ideas, that’s when you need a good tool like this Sentence Rewriter – Best Rewording Tool | SEOToolsCentre that helps you create better articles for your website.

Now get writing! And when you’re ready, contact Midnight Publishing for any of your editing, ghostwriting, proofreading, self-publishing, and marketing needs. We are here for you any time, even through the holidays.

From the best editing and self-publishing resource in Phoenix, Arizona, Midnight Publishing wants to wish you a Happy Holidays!