Why Do I Suddenly Need to Vacuum Every Time I Sit Down to Write?

In these dog days of summer, when the heat and humidity have sucked the energy from me, sometimes I cannot get motivated to write. I try to write every day but sometimes I'm lucky to write once or twice a week. I'm too busy, or too tired, or can’t think of anything to write about.

Sometimes I have to ease myself into the writing process. It looks something like this:

• Turn on my computer then go do something else in another room.
• Come back to my computer and open a blank word document - or the document that I want to work on - and then leave the room again.
• Come back to my desk, look at the word document, and then maybe check my e-mail - which I probably had just checked 5 minutes earlier.
• When there’s nothing left to respond to in my inbox, I’ll return to the word document and read over the last paragraph, maybe even make a few minor edits - ex: add or remove a comma.
• Next, I might check Twitter to see if anyone has sent a message or posted anything new.
• At this point, I either return to the word document, dig right into the writing, get lost in it for hours...
• ...OR I decide I can’t sit at my desk anymore so I leave my computer to start something completely different - like making a snack or reading a book or watching TV. This is also when I realize how messy my office is and how badly I need to vacuum.  

I go through this agonizing process more frequently than I'd like to admit, and much more frequently when I haven’t been writing every day.

Motivation for writers is not a new topic. I’m including some useful links that provide tips for staying motivated to write, but I can sum up all the tips for you and save you some time:

• Just sit down (or stand, or whatever) and write! A word, a sentence, a paragraph, a page. Just write. Every day. 

Links to Stay Motivated to Write

• 9 Ways to Get Started and Stay Motivated
• 10 Tips for Daily Writing
• Motivation, Encouragement, and Inspiration for Writers

How do you stay motivated?

Written by Anne Greenawalt: follow me on Twitter for a fusion of creative writing and competitive sports with a twist of feminist intent.