Tip V: Create an Anthology of Reasons

A Series of Tips to Keep You Writing

5. Regularly remind yourself why you do this.

Writing is hard. It involves lots of work, and it’s not always fun. But it’s incredibly rewarding for those of us who stick it out when the going gets tough.

For the days when you are working extra hard to stay motivated, try reminding yourself why you write. Find examples. Write your own reasons. Store them in a place easy to find (even a personal blog), and reference them whenever you need them. A personal favorite, from Italo Calvino,

“The word connects the visible trace with the invisible thing, the absent thing, the thing that is desired or feared, like a frail emergency bridge flung over an abyss.”

We’ll be posting a series of writing tips that will help you keep writing, no matter where you are in your project. These tips were developed in response to issues faced by writers in our novel writing program. We think they’ll be helpful for you too.