Finding Motivation for a Non-Passion Project

February 17, 2019

I’m not exactly sure what this post is going to be. I’m literally typing it on a bus, so that’s why it’s so unformatted. Sorry about that.

Also, I may have already posted something similar to this. I don’t remember. But if I did: shhhh.

But anyways. I have a lot of rambly thoughts about this.

So, I’ve been trying to write a story for the past . . . oh gosh, I think I started it back in June for the 100-4-100 challenge. :1 Great. It took me just over seven months to write a 55k first draft.

It wasn’t necessarily because I write really slow. After all, I wrote 50k in less than a month in NaNoWriMo.

The thing was, I just didn’t care that much about the story I was writing. I had to force myself to write it, and although I assigned myself multiple due dates, I didn’t really finish it before any of them.  I finally told myself, "Okay, I’m going to finish it in the next week."

And then I wrote around 10k in three days. (And to the people who can write that in one day: HOW DO YOU DO IT. TEACH ME.)

All this to say: of course, you shouldn’t work on a story that you don’t love, that you’re not passionate about. (That should probably be common sense.)

But what if you have to? What if you don’t have a choice but to write this story? (Please, don’t ever put yourself in this scenario.) Or what if you’ve just lost interest in your story? What if you used to love your story, but just . . . got bored?

Here are a couple ideas that might reinvigorate your love:

(and no, this is not because Valentine's Day was Thursday. It's coincidence, I promise.)

Switch POVs. In my story (we'll just call it Story for the sake of this post), the POV switches four times. During two of those POVs, I could barely bring myself to write it. So whenever I finally got to the end of a POV, it was like a breath of fresh air.

If your story needs something different, maybe switch things up. Is there a side character who could have an interesting perspective on the scene? Or maybe your villain might have something to say. . . .

Add a new character. I reached a point in Story when I just didn’t care about what happened to my main character, so I added a mysterious, conflicted character in. BOOM. Instant interest.

Now, obviously, you shouldn’t do this EVERY time you get bored. But if you’re not sure where the plot should go, maybe a character can help you get somewhere interesting.

Add a plot twist. After all, if you’re surprised, the reader will be too! Granted, this may mean that you have to go back and edit your novel. But! If you really want to make your story cohesive, you’re going to have to eventually.

Take a short break. If your unmotivation is because you’re burning yourself out, stop. Step away from the project. When you feel refueled, come back. I promise, it’ll still be there.

If you have a time limit in which you have to do your project - don’t take too long of a break. But don’t stress out during your break either. You’ll do better work with a clear head.

Go back to the beginning. Why did you begin this in the first place? (If you had no choice, just pretend that you did.) Rediscover why you began doing it in the first place. Was it a plot line? A character? Everything?

Don’t go through the same scene multiple times in your head. I do this all the time. Whenever I get a new scene idea, I literally go through it so many times that I get sick of it. Not a recommended method. If you’ve come up with a scene that makes you squeal and fan girl endlessly . . . don’t think about it endlessly. (If you’re a plotter, this advice may not work for you. But for pantsers or plantsers, we don’t like to know everything, so keep some loose ends in your scene, just in case.)

————

Yeah, sorry, this is a very disjointed post. I’m currently running on five hours of sleep and don’t have time for a creative topic or pictures. I do promise that next week WILL be back to normal. Don’t worry. :)

But in the meantime, have a great week! (AND WHO’S EXCITED FOR HTTYD 3 HITTING THEATERS??)

-Nicole

You Might Also Like

16 comments

  1. I loved this post! I think that sometimes writers can get so zeroed in on one point of their story that they just can't move past that part--at least, that's how I get stuck and lose enthusiasm for my project. These were some helpful tips for shaking things up.
    (Also, I admire your dedication writing this post on a bus + with 5 hours of sleep XD)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks! And yeah, that’s definitely me - whoops. XD I’m glad you found it helpful!

      (Hehe, thanks, it was definitely an adventure. :) )

      Delete
  2. LOL Planner here, and it's totally true how troublesome it can be when you get bored with your story. Ugh. Usually when that happens I switch and work on another story (seriously, I have a whole stockpile of other stories to work with whenever I need one), and in a few days I will want to get back to my original WIP. :D

    And give yourself a break if you need it. Hearing about lack of rest always makes me cringe. :( xD

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Ooo, that’s a good idea! I usually try to stick to one project, but I will try that next time I get stuck! (I feel you on the stockpile thing, though. It’s a good and bad thing....)

      It usually does for me, too. I was traveling out of town, but I’m back home now (thank goodness), so here’s to a good night’s sleep!

      Delete
  3. Pretty good stuff, Nicole. My first novel took me five+ years to write. And I definitely hated it at times. Even now I don't really like it /that/ much, though it's one of my friend's favorites of mine

    keturahskorner.blogspot.com

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Oh, wow! Yeah, first novels are always curious creatures, with that love-hate relationship going......

      Delete
  4. Yeah, sometimes you just have to get in the head of a different character or try again from another angle. I love your suggestions! I've had to change things now and then to get myself to finish a draft. Thankfully I haven't had major blocks for a while now, partially because I've been working on this trilogy for like FOREVER and kinda know it all by heart...

    And how to write 10K in a day? Type. Really. Fast.
    That is all. lol
    Or just have lots of time...

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks, Julian! And that’s good - it’s always nice to know where you’re going!

      Hehe, yeah, two things I should probably have in order to attempt that. (Wait - does that mean you’ve written 10k in one day? *rousing applause*)

      Delete
  5. This is what I do when I get writers block. Like almost everything you said :). Good post! Typing on a bus would be hard.

    astorydetective.blogspot.com

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Nice! And thanks! (Yes, it is - typos reigned for a while there. XD)

      Delete
  6. These are all so helpful! Amazing post, Nicole. <33

    ReplyDelete
  7. As someone who loves jumping around to different WIPs, I often struggle with the desire to not work on the one that I should work on....I should try these tips and see if it helps - especially during Camp NaNo in April.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. YAY, you’re doing Camp NaNo? :) I wish you luck in advance! And haha, yeah, sadly we writers easily get distracted by other story ideas..... XD

      Delete
  8. Oh man, it's so hard to find motivation when you've really lost it. Even right now, I really want to finish the story I'm working on but it's just such slow going for me! These are great tips, though. :D

    Also, I haven't even seen HTTYD 2!! I saw the first one a couple years ago and liked it a lot, so I really need to rewatch it and then watch the second one...

    theonesthatreallymatter.blogspot.com

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Ugh, I know! Hopefully you find enough motivation back to finish at least this draft of your story. :)

      *gasps* It’s so good! I personally didn’t think it was as good as the first, but both movies are amazing. (Just bring the tissues.....)

      Delete

Welcome to the comment section! I love hearing what you guys think and seeing you guys talk. Just remember to keep it clean, and as always, check back for my replies! <3
-Nicole