How to Stay EXCITED About Your Novel

When the first flicker of an idea jumps into your life, it's really easy to get excited about potential characters and subplots and settings.

30,000 words in, you're probably not still as pumped up. I am the queen of losing momentum and giving up on a project. I'm not as bad as I used to be, but it is still really easy to throw a project aside and move on to a newer, shinier one.

The next time you're not feeling the love for your WIP, here are some tips to get back that initial excitement.

Date your book. 

Have you ever heard the classic piece of marriage advice, "date your spouse"? The general idea is that, while dating, you're out doing fun things together, showing each other your best side, and really putting a lot of effort into the relationship. Then, after you marry the person, you get sucked into the doldrums of everyday life and just plod along. Going back to dating your spouse is a sure way to put the magic back into the relationship. 

This can translate pretty easily to author and novel. 

Go back and think about the first idea you had for your novel. What excited you about it? What made you think, 'this could be the one'?  Make a list of your main character's best attributes. Re-read your favorite scene. Basically, think about all the things you like about your book. Forget about the plotholes and the flat characters. Focus on everything you know you've got right. 

Make an inspiration board. 

This could be a physical bulletin board, or a virtual board on Pinterest.  I personally prefer the accessibility and convenience of just pinning things onto a board online. Whenever I get an idea for a new story, I create a board on Pinterest.  A lot of times, I even make it private if I'm not sure I'll ever follow through with the idea.
Pinterest is a great source for ideas about setting, and I've even gotten a couple of scene ideas from pictures on Pinterest. It can be easy to get sucked into Pinterest and keep scrolling for hours, so I try to use it as a reward for writing a certain amount of words. 

An actual cork board, or a folder with pictures in it works as well. You just have to put a little more effort into finding the pictures and putting them together.
Add pictures of people that look like your characters, places that look just like the world they live in, and whatever else you like. If your character is a chef, pin pictures of food she might cook.
In my current project, the main characters work in a bookstore. My Pinterest board for that novel is filled with pictures of cool looking bookstores.
You get the idea. 

Music. 

Music while writing is one of those things that not all people can do. For me it varies. Sometimes, it can be very inspirational, and other times, it's just a distraction. Music with a vocalist tends to be more distracting, while instrumental music usually never distracts me. 

If you're one of those people that can't write with music playing, listen to music just before you start writing. 

Music does a really great job of getting me in the mood for the scene I'm about to write. If I'm writing a sad scene, I listen to sad music. A happy scene, I play a happy song.  I really like movie soundtracks for scary or serious scenes. Some of my favorites are the Chronicles of Narnia movie soundtracks, anything by Hans Zimmer, and the Titanic soundtrack. 

If you've lost some of the excitement for your novel, I hope this helps you get back the magic! Do you have anything else you do when you're getting disenchanted? Any special music you listen to, or pictures you look at?