Finding motivation as a writer

Finding motivation as a writer

As writers we all have those moments where we completely lose motivation. Some earlier into their writing practice and sometimes it springs on you at the least suspecting time. At the end of this article you will be equipped with actionable techniques to find your motivation to write!

I attended Ruth Ikegah's Hashnode bootcamp session on "how to overcome writer’s block as a beginner dev blogger?" and she highlighted some amazing steps to overcome this:

  1. Find your cause and deal with it
  2. Balance your inner critic
  3. Be vocal, talk to someone
  4. Write yourself out of it

Find your cause and deal with it

Sometimes we lose the desire to tell our story because when we do research around a topic we think "oh, that's covered already" but we should shift our mind to ask why did we want to write about this in the first place. Is it for attention and praise, or what else could have sparked the thought to write about this? The answer to that should motivate you and if not choose another topic.

If you find yourself in a loop of doing this for all topics, maybe you need to realise you're telling your story and it does not have to be like anyone else's. Be unique and tell your story as everything has been written about before and still gets attention and praise. This is because every reader has their own preferences and style that resonates with them so just start writing and gain some momentum.

Balance your inner critic

Other times we may compare ourselves when reading around a topic we wanted to write on and tell ourselves "I can't top this, this is written so well." This is where imposter syndrome kicks in and you need to be self aware enough to catch yourself and remember that you are telling your story and have your own style which people may be drawn to!

Remember don't be a perfectionist when it comes to writing. If you're starting you need to be patient with yourself to allow your writing skill to grow and mature. It is when you trust the process you develop your own style and your own voice in the field you're writing in.

Be vocal, talk to someone

We may also run out of ideas and lose motivation to write. It may be that we are not exposing ourselves to content that inspires us to write. When this happens it's a good idea to talk to someone and see what topic of conversation sparks their enthusiasm and this may rub off on you and BOOM you have a topic to write about.

Write yourself out of it

Just write, write and write some more. Practice makes perfect! If you remember to not chase perfection this becomes a lot easier but remember we are human at the end of the day and our creative juices can run out if we write, write and write some more. Find balance and ensure you do not burn out.

Bonus, what motivates me

This is a quote that has stuck with me since Ruth Ikegah's session.

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I started writing because I wanted to build a portfolio of my knowledge and skills. Something tangible that could back up a skill I have written down on my CV or told someone I have. Not only that but also as a point of reference to problems I have solved as one cannot remember everything they have learned or experienced in their life.

This means that I do not write for attention or praise but I write for myself. As long as I have an idea of my life roadmap and career roadmap, I have no reason to lose motivation. For me that's my question I can ask myself when I lose motivation to write. Find your own question that can reignite your fire to write.

My written work may not be perfect but I am not so selfish in my reasons to write to not care about my readers and my quality of work. As a by-product of my main reasons, I would love to add value to others' lives through writing and sharing my experiences, be it teaching them something or giving them the strength to overcome a challenge they're facing by sharing what I have been through.

Help me build a train of positive reasons to write

With that being said, share this post with someone who you think needs it, perhaps a blogger or writer that you miss. Please also comment and share what motivates you, lets create a train of positive reasons to write in the comments below.