How To Stay Inspired to Write Long Term

Writing novels is an entirely different challenge from writing short stories and flash fiction. Though each has its own set of pros and cons, writing full-length novels requires long-lasting motivation. To continue writing (possibly for years) one story in spite of the boredom, disinterest, and frustration is a feat like no other. But how do you stay inspired to write long-term? At some point along the project, you’re bound to feel a lack of interest, a lack of motivation, and uncertainty about where to take the story. These feelings are inevitable, but knowing how to handle them can help ease their discomfort. Here’s my advice on how to stay inspired to write long-term.

How To Stay Inspired to Write Long-Term

Writing novels is an entirely different challenge than writing short stories and flash fiction. Though each has its own set of pros and cons, writing full-length novels requires long-lasting motivation. To continue writing (possibly for years) one story in spite of the boredom, disinterest, and frustration is a feat like no other. But, how do you stay inspired to write long term? At some point along the project you’re bound to feel a lack of interest, a lack of motivation, and uncertainty about where to take the story. These feelings are inevitable, but knowing how to handle them can help ease their discomfort. Here’s my advice on how to stay inspired to write long-term.

Tips for Long Term Writing Inspiration

As I mentioned, staying inspired long enough to finish a novel is tough. That inspiration comes and goes, and working on a long-term project can get a little monotonous. And, though these dips in inspiration are inevitable, you can continue forward by following some simple tips.

Understand Your Why

Understanding your why isn’t always straightforward, but it’s essential to understand if you want to keep your writing inspiration long-term. Knowing why you write will help you stay motivated when writing inevitably becomes hard to accomplish.

If you are having trouble figuring out your why, try asking yourself some questions like:

What about writing interests me?
Is there a particular message or theme I enjoy writing about?
What authors inspire me? Who do I hope to be like as an author?
What do I want my audience to understand about me?

Once you get to the root of why you write, you’ll be able to rely on it when needed.

Exercise: Write about what you think is the reason you write. Now, set a 10-minute timer and answer the questions above. After you’ve answered, write down your why. Has it changed after answering those questions?

Be Realistic

Perhaps the easiest way to extinguish any remaining motivation is by setting unrealistic expectations, goals, and deadlines. Setting goals you know you can’t or won’t be able to achieve is simply setting yourself up for failure and will probably lead straight to burnout.

Instead, try setting attainable goals that gently push you to do something that is a little out of your comfort zone. For example, many writers set goals like “write 5,000 words every day,” but that is obviously not sustainable. Life will most definitely get in the way, and as soon as you don’t write 5,000 words in a day (even if you write 3,000 or 4,000) you’ll feel like you’ve failed. Then, a cycle of high expectations and high disappointment ensues.

A more attainable goal could be writing 10,000 words a week until the novel is finished. That way, you have some wiggle room in case something comes up or you aren’t feeling up to it. It also gives you a “finish line,” so to speak. You’ll know you’ve achieved your goal when you’ve managed to finish your novel.

Fall in Love with Your Story

If the story isn’t something you wholeheartedly love, sticking with it for months on end will be nearly impossible. As you naturally develop the world and characters through writing, you should find yourself becoming more attached to the world, not less. This just means that you care about what you’re writing, that’s good!

Set Goals

Using a mix of short- and long-term goals is a great way to keep yourself on track, even when your motivation is nonexistent. Long-term goals are there to remind you of the big picture (your end goal). Short-term goals are there to keep you accountable and on track with your big picture goal.

Try: setting a long-term goal (eg. finish novel by next year or sign with an agent within six months) along with smaller short-term goals (write 10,000 words each week or follow five relevant agents on LinkedIn every day) that will lead you to your big picture goal.

Join a Community

Perhaps the best way to stay accountable is to include other people. When you let others in on your goals, you become more committed. Sometimes you just need the fear of failing in front of someone else. Other times, you may need a friend to hold you accountable when you start slacking.

Not only will you find accountability when in a writing community, but you will naturally begin networking and making connections. Your like-minded writers may also offer some motivation when things aren’t going well.

Try: Explore some writing communities (try Pinterest, Reddit, TikTok, etc.) and see if you find any that fit you.

Have a Plan

One of the biggest reasons writers abandon projects, I think, is because they get stuck. You start off super excited to turn your new idea into an entire world in words. But then, as the excitement wears off and you have written all you can think to write, something changes. You start writing and rewriting the same page, unsure about where to go.

That is where having a plan comes in handy. Before you dive headfirst into excitedly writing your idea, take an hour to plan it out (at least a little). The more you plan ahead, the less likely you are to hit that wall.

Document the Journey

Documenting your progress provides memories, motivation, and insight into your process. It can hold you accountable while motivating you to keep going.

When you look back at how far you’ve come, you’ll be overwhelmed with pride and a sense of accomplishment. As you look through the journey, you may also find some insights into how you write and what processes work best for you.

Try: Record, photograph, or note progress.

Recap

Keeping your motivation long enough to finish something like a novel is not easy. But, with a little preplanning and awareness, you can make the process easier.

So, if you’re looking for a little extra motivation, grab a free ebook here!