Ways to “Force” yourself to write more
“Force” is such a tough word. Because I don’t like to be forced to do a damned thing.
Sometimes I need some extra motivation, though. Or better yet, inspiration. (Motivation is external. Inspiration comes from within — or some may say from the divine, but this isn’t the place to debate its source).
But whatever word we use, the question is how do I get myself to write more words on paper/the computer? A few practical ways:
POMs. The Pomodoro method is simply timing yourself for 25 minutes to put away all distractions and focus on one task. Then you get a 5 minute break. That’s one POM. After 4 POMs, you get a longer break. You can challenge yourself to a certain number of POMs per day or per project. Google it for more information. What it does for me psychologically, is it makes me feel like I’ve done something on projects when it’s very hard to see the finish line. It breaks it up into something finite, and there’s something satisfying about counting POMs. They’re roadside markers letting me know I’m making progress, and sometimes that’s enough to keep me going when the words are stuck.
The Swiss Cheese method. Write out all the steps of what you have to do on one piece of paper (all over it randomly, not in a list), then draw circles around them. When I’m finishing a book, I’ll write word count goals. 79,000, 80,000, 81,000, etc., and put circles around the numbers. The paper looks like Swiss cheese. Once you finish a task, color the circle in. It makes a visual record of how far you’ve come, which helps inspire.
Spend 5 minutes before you write blocking out what you have to write. Write about what you want to write. “Janie argues with Fernando about the war, she storms out, he runs after her…” Whatever. It always loosens me up to write about what I’m going to write about, because I don’t feel like it has to be perfect. Then it goes faster to write the actual scene, and I normally write more.
Write anything. I mean that. “I need to figure out what to write. I have a deadline coming up, and this damned thing isn’t gonna write itself, so come on words…” When people had to pump water, you’d prime the pump by having water in there. That’d make it flow faster. Same with words. I’ve found that the physical act of writing makes the words I need come eventually.
Inspiration. Why are you writing? Do you have to write for class? Is this for your job? Is it for fun, and you just don’t make time for it? Is it a dream of yours? If you “have” to write for school or work, there must be a broader purpose — you want to graduate, your client needs the information, you like getting paid. If it’s for fun, and you can’t get yourself to do it, I suggest reading The Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron. She talks about artistic blocks and how to blast through them. The more I know the whys, the easier the words come. My best motivation is simply, I love the act of writing. Words on the page or on a screen. Love the process. Love the satisfaction of a well-crafted sentence. The rhythm, the use of words, the fun. This is why I’ve been answering questions on Quora. I’m priming my own pump. Keeping my own inspiration high.
Hope one of these methods helps you. Good luck!
