Staying Motivated and Cake!
Posted by annastan on April 14th, 2010. Filed under: Random Fun, WIP, Writing Rants.As I might have mentioned once or twice (or a hundred times) I’ve been in the midst of revisions recently. Overall, it’s been going well, but there have been moments when I’ve started to feel a little burnt out. I’ve stepped away from the WIP as needed to give myself some time to regroup, but I’m also eager to keep pushing on to the finish line.
I realized that besides forcing myself to sit at the computer, I don’t have any real techniques for staying motivated during revisions. That’s why I’m turning to you, dear readers, for tips. What keeps you motivated? How do you get yourself to work on your writing, even when you’re not in the mood?
In other news, to celebrate my site hitting 100 followers recently, my friend Sarah baked me a cake!
It was a chocolate mayonnaise cake (I know!) with layers of amazing peanut butter frosting and covered with a layer of chocolate ganache. Delicious! Swing by Sarah’s blog for the recipe or to see more pictures. Incidentally, Sarah also made my gorgeous wedding cake a couple years back. Isn’t it great to have enthusiastic, culinarily-inclined friends?
April 14th, 2010 at 5:53 am
Hey, Anna! I can finally comment – YAY! And as I’m about to head into a major revision of a book I wrote 2 years ago I’ll let you know if I stay motivated. But for now, the motivation I’ve got is from taking a Donald Maass workshop on Saturday. I’m still on a high from that. Let’s see how long that lasts!
April 14th, 2010 at 6:25 am
Sometimes if I get burnt out on revisions, I have to take a break. But that’s usually when I’m not sure of the direction. If I know what I need to do, seeing the light at the end of the tunnel encourages me to keep going.
April 14th, 2010 at 6:42 am
That was a nice pick me up!
I am having a writing retreat with my best friend this weekend where I will be doing revisions. I’d love her to bake me a cake! (but she will probably just hand me a beer…)
Good luck on revisions!
April 14th, 2010 at 6:45 am
Boy, I have been thinking about this lately. I’m ready to start a third draft and am dreading it because I can’t get my crit partner’s voice (as in suggestions) out of my head. It’s draining my enthusiasm for my characters and their story. With this WIP, I think I need to leave it for a bit, to put space between me and her voice, and to let the story be ‘mine’ again. This is why I don’t like other readers on my WIP. Her suggestions were fine, but it was too soon to let someone else enter the piece, if you know what I mean. It pulled me away from the direction I was aiming for. Like Laura mentioned, after I can see what I need to do, again, I can push on with it.
Overall, I think stepping back to give yourself a breather is a good thing. And that eagerness to finish will push you forward when you do come back to the piece.
April 14th, 2010 at 6:57 am
What an awesome friend! And it sure sounds like an awesome cake. Those crazy mayo recipes do make cakes moist.
And Laura’s point seems so smart to me(a usual!) I need a break when I don’t know where I am going. So often!
April 14th, 2010 at 7:25 am
Work in short bursts. Set a timer for an hour and work that entire hour. Then take a break (long or short) and do something you want to do… read, walk the dog (if you have one
), ride a bike… then come back and work for another hour. This helps me when I’m having “one of those days”. 
And that cake looks AWESOME!! Nom nom nom.
April 14th, 2010 at 9:01 am
Welcome back, Nelsa! I’m so jealous you got attend a Donald Maass workshop! I can imagine how motivating that would be. Happy revising!
Laura, that’s a good point. If you know where you’re going, it’s easier to stay motivated. I think I’ve needed some more time for things to solidify in my head before I jumped back into revising.
Kelly, a writing retreat sounds like so much fun. I’m sure beer is just as much of a pick-me-up as cake.
Andrea, I’ve definitely been there! It sounds like you need a bit more time before you jump back into revisions – that way you can figure out what YOU want to do (instead of having other people’s voices in your head). Good luck!
Tina, I never thought I could enjoy cake with mayo in it, but it was delicious! And I could seriously eat the peanut butter frosting with a spoon…
Valerie, excellent advice. And, in fact, my husband and I are thinking of getting a dog – I’m sure it will do wonders for my writing!
April 14th, 2010 at 9:21 am
What a great friend
And congrats on hitting 100!
April 14th, 2010 at 11:13 am
I am happy for you and all, but showing that cake is just cruel.
April 14th, 2010 at 11:27 am
Mmmmm. Cake. Mmmmm.
What was the question?
I’m in the throes of revision, too, and haven’t gotten majorly stuck yet, which is motivating. I also keep picturing my novel in all its revised glory, and I can’t wait for it to be in decent enough shape for a couple of friends to read it, which is ALSO motivating.
But sometimes bribery-by-chocolate is the only way to go.
April 14th, 2010 at 1:01 pm
Thanks, Sherry! I think everyone should have a cake-making friend.
Ha, sorry Jon! I guess that was a little cruel. Hey, at least I didn’t show pictures of me eating the cake. THAT would have been cruel (and a little gross).
Joanna, picturing the end product is definitely motivating. But you’re right – if all else fails, there’s always the chocolate reward system.
April 14th, 2010 at 2:11 pm
Chocolate cake always works…”;-)
Music sometimes gets me moving in the right direction. Sometimes it’s just a line. I’ve also done a quote search online. The right quote can be very motivational. Hope that was helpful, and that you ate the whole cake!!
April 14th, 2010 at 2:29 pm
Anna–Without Tina cracking the whip and getting me to unplug an hour at a time, there are days when I don’t think I would face the revision. It’s how I get through the hard days. I find that if I just commit to it, I will work through.
But–running motivates me to write, it gives me the breathing room to think, and by the time I get back, I’m in a better frame of mind. And, reading. Reading staves off the burn-out for me.
I have to tell you, I just heard my son say in a quiet voice, “the water is a little high. maybe we should get mom.” I had started my two youngest kids in the bath, and gotten sucked into reading a few blog posts. And boy was the water level high! Ha! I need to unplug now, and shampoo some heads!
April 14th, 2010 at 3:13 pm
Sheri, I really like the idea of looking for motivating quotes. I can’t really listen to music while I write, but I might try getting myself into the mood of my WIP – maybe that will help me get back into it. And yes, chocolate helps with everything.
Heather, I’m usually good at motivating myself, but maybe I need to have someone crack the whip this around. Now that the weather’s nicer, I’m going to start going for nice long walks – I’m sure those will hep get my brain going. Haha, btw, I think you might have a teeny, tiny blogging addiction!
April 14th, 2010 at 8:08 pm
A friend that made you a cake–excellent friend!
I do the short intervals of writing when I can’t seem to get motivated. Work on a short story, revise only one chapter of WIP. That ends the guilt trip and after a while I’m able to sit down and write for a longer period of time.
April 15th, 2010 at 8:54 am
OMG that cake sounds so good. I’m definitely going to stop by your friend’s blog to get the recipe.
When I get burnt, I just give myself a break — eat some chocolate and then read a passage from one of my favorite books. And realize that a book is not created in a day and it’s a journey and a process.
April 15th, 2010 at 8:07 pm
Catherine, that’s a good technique. If you sit down just for an hour, you can still get a lot done, and it might motivate you to work for even longer. An excellent way to keep from feeling guilty!
Karen, I definitely do try to rush things sometimes. You’re right that it’s a journey and a process. I need to chant that to myself when I start getting impatient with how little progress I’ve made. Thanks for the words of wisdom!
April 15th, 2010 at 8:12 pm
What an awesome cake!
I stay motivated by varying my setting–(my own, I mean, not my novel’s). It helps to go out to a coffee shop, the library, or just a different room in my house. Oh, and sometimes I bribe myself.
April 16th, 2010 at 5:58 am
Ruth, I’ve found that varying the setting can help too. Sometimes just getting away from my desk helps. And yes, bribery is always an option.