Several weeks ago, I posted some of the responses I received from some of my favorite writers (who are also clients) to the question, “Do you motivate yourself to write with a ‘carrot’ (reward) or a ‘stick?’” I was fascinated by the volume and variety of the responses, the last of which I relay below. I hope you find them as enlightening and encouraging as I do.
“When I’m facing a deadline, I institute two rules: 1) I must keep my behind in my chair (except for bathroom breaks!) and 2) I must turn off the Internet. These eliminate 99% of the distractions that get in the way of my writing. When I’m facing a difficult section, even folding laundry can seem urgent–and even fun!–and Twitter can become a serious time waster. But if I stay in the chair until the hard work is done, with the Internet off, I reward myself with whatever I’ve been longing for that day–a walk to the park, a nap, or that episode of Top Chef I’d been saving” (Courtney Ellis, author of Uncluttered).
“I love writing, but I don’t like the way it occasionally doesn’t love me. Which at times makes me want to break up with writing. To overcome the resistless urge to just close my laptop and walk away, I tell myself, “Just gut it through this one last thought. Don’t leave any dangling intellection. I’ll come back after a cold Diet Coke.” Amazingly, just the thought of feeding the addiction (yes, I’m addicted) is enough to chase away the notion of breaking up. Afterwards, I realize we really do love each other. Actually we renewed our vows twice while completing the manuscript (J. Otis Ledbetter, author of Soul Hunger: Satisfy Your Heart’s Deepest Longing).
“I avoid any system of rewards/punishment in my life. It stresses me out and takes away my pleasure in completing a task. I don’t make New Year’s resolutions, either. Instead, and especially because of my health issues, I have developed a system of grace and praise. If I’m having a particularly difficult day, I give myself grace that it’s okay if I only write 25 words. If I’m having a better day, I offer praise to God for allowing me to write however many words I can write—whether it’s 100 words or 5,000. I have learned an important lesson. God will provide what I need to complete the task He wants me to complete. My job is to be obedient and use that day’s manna. For me, it’s about obedience, not competition” (Karen Nolan, author of Above the Fog).
“My motivation to ‘write on’ is the reward of hitting ‘Publish.’ I love the process of giving the words the time they need, yet the waiting for them to age and mature and become what they need to be can be trying. I’m driven forward to keep writing and keep refining by the satisfaction of pressing ‘Publish’ and sending my words out into the world” (Eryn Lynum, author of 936 Pennies: Discovering the Joy of Intentional Parenting).
“I don’t let myself go to sleep at night until I’ve hit my 2,080-word quota for the day. Typically, I’m a morning writer, so that isn’t too hard, but on busy mornings, I might only get to 1,500 words before I have to stop and take the kids to school. I have to carve out time to jump back in my creative zone for 580 more words. Otherwise I’m staying up past my bedtime” (Jessica Brodie, www.JessicaBrodie.com).
“Every time I write 10,000 words, I eat a piece of my favorite double fudge chocolate cake. As an extra incentive, I bought a whole cake from the bakery and froze individual slices. Some weeks I receive my reward, others I open the freezer and stare at what I missed. Maybe a better goal for a chocoholic is 5,000 words a week” (Jenny Lynn Keller, www.JennyLynnKeller.com).
“I think I’m motivated by compulsion and/or escapism. If I don’t write every day, I feel like I’ve been completely unproductive/something is missing. I work a day job full-time, so when my alarm goes off at an outrageously early hour in the morning, I immediately tell myself, ‘I’m not going to get any further on my WIP if I hit the snooze button.’ In addition, I find that ‘escaping’ into the world of my newest WIP is a respite from the day-to-day grind. In short, I look forward to writing. No carrots or sticks needed” (Megan Whitson Lee, author of Dangerous to Know).
Grace and praise . . . Karen Nolan’s “use today’s manna” sings to my soul! It asks the question, “Is this from God, or am I chasing a bunny trail (or chocolate bar) set out by the enemy?”
Shirlee, for you…
Chocolate bars are holy pieces,
as everybody understands.
Satan picks ’em up, and quick-releases
because they burn his hands.
There’s no food that calms the soul
like cacao’s proud offspring,
that which makes the broken whole
and in the lame step puts a spring.
And it proves a certain thesis,
that the Monroe Doctrine’s sound,
because your Reese’s Pieces
come from American ground.
And I’ll bet that Moses’ manna
was Cadbury’s mixed with fresh banana.
Reese’s Pieces? I can live with that 🙂
HA! I love the visual of twice renewing vows with writing. That was got a good laugh out of me.
Damon, speaking of vows…
I vowed to write like Hemingway,
and thus, my rule of thumb:
start each and every writing day
with a tumbler of neat rum.
The nectar makes my muse draw nearer,
and gives each word such class!
Besides, the writing life seems clearer
through the bottom of a glass.
I am not a drunkard yet
(but where there’s life there’s hope!);
knowing me, please safely bet
that this is no mere trope.
Hey, glass, don’t tip over, please!
…and now I know ’bout ‘sticky keys’.
On a serious note, may I ask for prayers for Barb? Her da is in his final hours, and she’s holding up bravely…but her dear heart is breaking.
It looks like there are as many methods as there are writers. Thanks for letting us in on their “secrets.”
In the night I was hallucinating
in a tangled web of shock;
there’s much that needs elucidating,
and I’m running down the clock.
Grace is in your hands, my friends,
and no matter what you meet,
it’s not a product of your ends,
neither victory nor defeat,
for love’s the only paradigm
to live, and, yes, die for,
but there never was sufficient time
before you get to Heaven’s door.
And no matter how you’re mean or flawed,
there’s a tear for you on the face of God.
Beautiful poem, Andrew. Thanks for the reminder that “love’s the only paradigm to live, and…die for…”
This prayer is for you and Barb: Dear Lord, please enfold Andrew and Barb in Your arms of comfort and compassion. Uplift them and give them Your peace. In Jesus’ Name. Amen
Peggy, thank you so much. The days have turned far harder that I could have imagined, and every prayer is truly, deeply appreciated.
Superb poem, Andrew! Kudos to you..and prayers for you also.
Roberta, thank you so much for this…and especially for the prayers.
Of all the tips mentioned, the chocolate cake has the most potential for success in my world! ?
I found these answers interesting and fun! Great post! I’m still trying to learn my own system.
Bob, what I do is to write for 45 minutes (I use an oven timer) and then I get up and talk a brief walk. That way, I fluff my pillow and my brain, and have more energy to carry on. I repeat numerous times, depending on my schedule.