I get asked a lot about how I keep myself motivated to finish a draft. So, I thought I'd turn it into a blog post. :)

My first go at writing a novel, I struggled to get the words out... until I bribed myself. For every 5,000 words I wrote, I bought myself a DVD. (Okay, so it was actually seasons of anime off ebay. Fruits Basket forever!)




 (My Honda may or may not be named Tohru. Don't judge. ;) )
 




After that book was finished, I realized something: I can do it. As horrible as the draft was, I finished it. Me. I wrote a book. I've never had to bribe myself again. Words on a page (err, screen) are reward enough. I've given myself the foundation of a book... the clay to mold into something readable. That's an invaluable gift.

Sometimes I think we tell ourselves we can't do something because we're afraid of failing at it. We don't want to put ourselves out there - sweat, blood, and tears - just to fail, but the only person hurt by holding back is yourself.

Each time you're stuck, ask yourself "what am I afraid of?" That people won't like it? Are you writing for them or for yourself? If you're writing for someone else, you'll likely never finish. Write for you. Tell the story in your heart. Don't let that doubtful piece of your brain stop you - feed it a cookie and send it back to the cave it crawled out of.

Happy writing!
I'm off to finish this new scene and then continue editing.