What's Keeping You From Writing?

Personally, I have always struggled with writing every day. I'll get an idea, crank out a few chapters, and then stop.

This kind of writing style does not get a book finished, much less published. 

So let's look at a few common excuses for not writing, and I'll share a few tips I've learned to start writing and keep writing. 

Excuse #1

I just don't have enough time.

Yeah, well, almost no one does. 

Sometimes, you have to make time to do the things you really love. Even if you only get a few hundred words a day, that's a whole lot better than nothing. I've noticed that if I make an effort to write something every day, gradually the amount of words I write grows the longer I write consecutively. 

You may be different, but that's just how it works for me. 

Carry paper and a pencil with you everywhere. Write a few hundred while waiting to meet your friend for lunch. Write during the commercials of your favorite TV show(though if you have time to watch TV you probably have time to spend just writing). Write whenever you have a free five minutes! 

The point is, if you look hard enough for time to write, you'll find it. 

And if you try all these tips and still can't seem to squeeze in the time to write, maybe it's time to rethink your dream of being published or finishing that novel. Or maybe you just need to take a break and stop writing to see if you really love it enough to put effort into making time for it.

Because if you don't love writing, then no one else will love reading it. 

Excuse #2

I don't have any inspiration/anything to write about.

The problem of not having anything to write about is a common one. 

The remedys are also quite simple. 

Doing a little bit of plotting for your book can be a huge help, even if you usually wing your stories. A little bit of plotting goes a long way. 

Character development can also help you in more ways that one. It will probably give you some new ideas for scenes, and help your characters appear more well-rounded (and we all want that).

You don't have to plot J.K. Rowling style (i.e. detailed lists of everything that happens in a single chapter), but a simple plotline helps a lot.

For the book I finished just a few weeks ago, I made a chronological list of things that needed to happen in order for the climax to occur. Usually, I'd come up with an idea for a fun scene and write on it for a day or two, and during that time I'd come up with another idea for a scene. If I got stuck or the story was dragging a little, I'd refer to my list and choose the next crucial moment. I also made a little list of things that needed to reappear in the book. For instance: I need to see these characters developing a relationship, x character needs to gradually reveal her backstory, mention the necklace a few times (because that will become important later on). 

Excuse #3

I don't have the materials I need to write. 

Yes, I know this is an extremely weak reason not to write. But, as hard as it is for me to admit, I have used this excuse several times. 

Usually when I don't feel like writing, or am really tired.

 "Oh, my notebook's downstairs and I don't really feel like getting it." 

"None of these pencils have lead in them." 

"My laptop is about to die, and I can't plug it up right now."

All really bad, really lazy reasons. 

But the good thing is that these are extremely easy to fix. 

Don't let yourself be put in a situation where you have a lack of tools. 

When your pencil gets worn down, go sharpen it. Running out of paper? Go get some more when you notice it, not when you're tired enough not to feel like it. 

Another thing that helps me write is signing up for something that commits me to writing x number of words a day or x number of words in a certain amount of time. Knowing that I've promised I will accomplish something gives my brain enough of a nudge to go get those words out! 

National Novel Writing Month is a great example of this (speaking of NaNo, who's participating this year? I am!). If you have any friends that are writers, you could help keep each other on track by checking to see if your friend has written every day, and encouraging them if they have. Ask them to do the same for you. 

Word wars are another great way to boost your word count. Racing with someone else really gets you motivated!

So what about you? What excuses do you have for not writing and how do you push past them?