Getting the juices flowing

[Nickeris86]

So I have finally gotten to a place in my life where I can start focusing more on my writing and have made some head way into one of my books that I want to get published. Unfortunately I more often than not feel very unmotivated to write or am continuously distracted by shiny objects or depression. (I just moved out of the country and homesickness has been a pain.)

The times that I have gotten the most done is usually when I am really hyper or angry. Also sometimes listening to intense music helps too but not always.

Do any of you have any tips on how to get the creative juices flowing or to kick start your muse.

Thanks.

[The Deposed King]

I've found that if you can convince yourself that you have no where to go but down unless you can write your book, it can work wonders for the word production.

Also I've found that if you get yourself on a laptop or computer without internet access or other distractions like e-books and nothing but a word processor, that this can also motivate you.  when the best option to distract yourself is to write.  A man tends to do that instead of nothing at all.

Also set yourself a target for word count on a day when you have nothing else to do.  don't let anything distract you.  i know if you have kids this can be hard but do your best.

In addition, if you are homesick and tired of writing while you're depressed or angry.  Why not try to channel some of that homesickness into your characters.  It doesn't have to overwhelm the book but if you are focused into getting to the scene where you have one of the main characters going through some homesickness, then focusing on writing it well, without letting your own situation bleed over too much, will help inspire you.

In the end until you're ready to shackle yourself to your word processor and not leave your computer desk until you've got X word count, its far too easy to give in to the troubles of the world.  Especially when real life stuff intrudes on your muse time.  worrying about a job or relationships can distract you.  You have to do your best to focus on what's really important.  (hehehehe)  Meaning you put whatever you put first and deal with it, refusing distracton, then the second thing on your list.  when you hit writing, you give it the same respect and don't let other things intrude.

Easier said than done  I know.


The Deposed King

[Starbeam]

I've gone through periods where I very much want to write, would rather be writing, but I'm much more easily distracted and able to let myself get involved anything but writing.  Then there are the periods where I want to do nothing else but write and get annoyed when something takes away from that.

What I've found to be the biggest difference between these two modes isn't actually my mood, or listening to music, or anything like that, but it's the amount of writing I've been doing.  Not so much the amount of words I'm getting out, but the number of days I spend getting words on a page.

In other words, if you want to write more, write every day.  This doesn't work for everyone-there are some people who just do better writing in bursts-but it works for quite a few people.

[cenwolfgirl]

I get distracted all the time by school work or reading or
well if i said you lot would you be upset but those destractions sometimes give me insperation so when i get wrighters block i ushaly try tool look for insperation in what i am doing or what is going on around me
this normaly is something very bizar and amusing and can come from very unsual things
that spar an idea
some times it works somtimes it dose not
 

[Snowleopard]

I had a friend who was a writer who said that "Writing is the only profession where taking out the trash is sometimes preferable to sitting down at the typewriter."
I'm afraid that about the only kick start I can think of involves actually getting kicked in the derrière.
Seriously though if you're blocked in one direction go in an entirely different direction.
Or as DK suggests write your character or a character that is depressed and homesick.

[meg_evonne]

Find a time to write and write. One hour a day is fine. I write every morning.

Find someone to become accountable to. I will restart the 'number of pages written' thread in Author Craft. It dropped off. Or use #amwriting on twitter. Both can give you a sense that you are NOT ALONE at your laptop.

Take a writing class. Try mediabistro.com. You'll be forced to come up with 10 pages every week, plus you'll crit 15 of your fellow writer's work of 10 pages each. That'll keep you focused.

Edit the words or scene you wrote the day before, then move into fresh scene.

Play white noise or listen to zen type music that masks city sounds, then fades as you write. I 'awoke' from my best and longest writing session to find myself listening to the DVD episode selection music for Gray's Anatomy. I write with old tv series on the screen. Old stuff--so you aren't riveted to it.

There are a lot of good ideas out there. Find one or rotate lots of them. Anything that jiggles the writing genes helps.

Good luck and happy writing.

Love your characters. Make them your friends, although you'll need to kill some of them off..so make it a prostitute relationship. LOL

There are also a lot of google sites you can explore, but this one tickled my own creative muse.  http://clicks.robertgenn.com/find-your-muse.php  Now, I'm off to strip and then eat some extra gorgeous raspberries.  You'll never know if I'm serious or not.  LOL