Guest Blog by Samantha Rosario

Motivation: the downfall of many writers.

When your whole job consists of putting thought and ideas on paper, creating characters and scenarios in which you showcase which characteristics they possess and doing so on a deadline, motivation and inspiration could become somewhat problematic.

At some point, you will be left feeling like a squeezed out lemon.

Why Do Writers Get in Slumps?

Depending on the writer, different factors come into consideration.

Some get lost down rabbit-holes of character development, losing sight of the day-to-day intricacies of their character’s journey. It’s easy to get overwhelmed when you’re unsure of where the story is leading you.

It’s even easier to feel affected when you have a clear goal in sight: you know what you want to tell, but nothing you pen down seems to get you where you need to go.

My personal issue is the fact that there is not really an enforced schedule I follow. There is the one I set for myself, of course- but that’s not always enough.

How to Avoid Writing Slumps

Generally, we can classify stories as either being character-driven or plot-driven. Depending on the type of story you’re writing up, your approach to avoiding slumps and remaining motivated needs to be somewhat different, while the tools at your disposals are the same.

The first thing you need to do is to employ a weapon worthy of every writer: the sweet nectar of the gods and energy- coffee.

Not only will you then begin to feel more energized and awake, plot bunnies will have new vigor for jumping around your head.

Another thing that’s extremely important: you need to understand people.

Now that we have the basic tools down, let’s look at the differences in approach.

1.Avoiding De-motivation While Writing Plot-Driven Stories

The characteristic of plot-driven stories is that the plot is the most important thing, and all characters can and will do is react to that.

What you’re essentially doing is putting imaginary people in different types of situations and thinking of how they get affected by it, penning down their reaction and the subsequent sequence of actions and events.

You’re writing about how characters with certain personality traits behave when faced with a specific situation. The best way to really encompass their reaction is to find people with similar personality traits and talking to them.

Ask them about hypothetical situations and pick their brain for how they would react in that scenario.

As a writer, sometimes you need to get out of your head and out of your experience to tell the story. The only way to keep your motivation up is to have a constant flow of ideas going around your head.

A stimulating conversation over coffee will do miracles for that.

2.Avoid De-motivation When Writing Character-Driven Stories

Character-driven stories revolve around character development. The plot is still there, but it serves to somehow impact the character- negatively or positively.

This time, you’re telling the story of personality traits and mindsets being developed, affected and changed. Writing compelling character journeys encompasses getting readers to empathize with your characters.

But how?

Well, you know what they say- take it for a test drive.

Invite your close friend over for coffee and ask them what they think of a character you’ve created:

• Do they understand their motivations?
• Do they agree with their actions?
• Do they see where they’re coming from?
• Can they understand their thought process?
• Do they like the character and why?

Don’t be afraid to get people involved in your process- and especially if you’re going through a difficult writing patch.

Conclusion

They say that everyone’s got a story in them, but not all of them are worth reading. I tend to disagree with that statement- I believe everyone’s got a story in them; some people just never get around to writing theirs down.

Get people involved in your writing, don’t be afraid to fail and rediscover yourself and your characters.

And remember-

Conversation and coffee: that’s the magic trick that will get you far.