Reading time: About 4 minutes
Here is a long list of hacks to help you increase your writing motivation so that it really supports you….
Have you heard of the national competition that challenges people to write a novel in 30 days, NaNoWriMo?
I haven’t participated. But I have written and published two books — one shortish (roughly 40,000 words) and one standard length (70,000 words) — and I understand how easily our energy can falter when we’re mired in a Really Big Writing Project.
It may be a cliché, but writing something long is a marathon and not a sprint. We need to train ourselves to do it and accept that this training requires time and effort.
Here are 11 ways to support your writing motivation when tackling a project of 40,000 words or more.
1-Set small daily goals
With large projects, the deadline often stretches far into the future, like a boat on the distant horizon. This makes it challenging to feel motivated today.
Working only irregularly forces us to spend significant energy reacquainting ourselves with the material every time we open the file.
Instead, commit to spending a small amount of time (between five and 30 minutes) on your massive project every day. You’ll stay familiar with it this way, and your regular progress will help keep your spirits buoyed up.
2-Mindmap before writing
If you’re familiar with my work, you’ll know I’m a passionate advocate for mindmapping. (For guidelines, see an index of all my posts about it.) That said, there’s more than one type of mindmapping, and the one I recommend for long projects is a planning mindmap.
This sort of mindmap takes longer to complete than the daily, inspirational ones I typically promote, but it will help you organize your entire project and create a realistic plan for finishing it.
3- Write early in the day
I have worked with thousands of writers over 45 years, and I’ve observed most of us find it easier to protect our morning hours rather than our afternoon ones. We generally have more energy in the morning, better moods (the dog hasn’t escaped and the teenager hasn’t crashed the car) and clearer minds.
Write for at least five minutes as soon as you can in the morning, avoiding news, social media and email until you’ve done it. Even seemingly urgent matters can always wait for those five minutes.
4-Understand that only writing produces text
Many of us talk a good game about our writing. We’re happy to discuss the concepts we’ve developed, the research we’ve read and the flawed ideas others have proposed.
But serious writers don’t talk much about their works-in-progress.
When we talk about our ideas, our brains can trick us into feeling like we’ve already communicated them, making the actual writing seem redundant and too difficult.
Remember this simple truth: only writing produces text.
5-Always track your word count
I’m consistently surprised by writers who can’t tell me exactly how many words they’ve written for their book, dissertation or report.
This is like trying to lose weight without knowing how much you weigh now. Or taking a trip without knowing the distance to your destination. Or planning a dinner party without knowing how many people will attend.
Keep your writing numbers top of mind — know how many words you’ve written and how many you have left to write. I offer a free progress chart on my website. Please download it and use it.
6-Recognize that your first draft will be a hot mess
Do you sabotage yourself by believing your first draft must be perfect? This misconception only holds you back. Instead, embrace what I call the “crappy first draft.”
First drafts shouldn’t be of high quality. They’re meant to be edited. Later.
7-Show persistence
Writing demands both creativity and self-criticism. These two modes of thought use different parts of the brain and often conflict with each other.
The creative part (writing the first draft) should be fun and fast. The self-criticism part will take longer and, for many people, will feel more tedious.
To succeed, you’ll need to develop persistence. Editing demands tolerance for long hours, difficult decisions and self-doubt. Yes, it’s challenging, but understand it’s something all writers need to face.
8-Take care of your physical and mental well being
When we’re caught up in a project, it’s easy to neglect our health. Here are six important questions to ask yourself:
- Am I getting enough sleep each night?
- Am I eating healthy food that includes plenty of fruits and vegetables?
- Am I getting daily exercise? (Walking counts!)
- Am I remembering to breathe?
- Am I getting enough social time with friends?
- Am I experiencing enough “art” — books, movies, music, visual art?
Don’t put self-care “on hold” while writing. It’s what gives you the fuel to write.
9-Balance external and internal writing motivation
When we start on a long writing project, payoffs like better job prospects, the possibility of getting more clients, receiving more public recognition or earning money may drive us. But these eventually become less effective.
That’s why developing internal motivators is crucial — curiosity, a passion for your topic, wanting to contribute to your field or becoming a more skillful writer. Shifting to these internal motivators can keep you energized for a longer time.
10-Always prepare for the next day’s writing
The hardest part of writing? Facing the blank page every day.
But you can get around this problem if you give yourself clear direction.
After finishing writing each day, spend five minutes planning tomorrow’s work. Jot down notes about the topic or area you’ll cover next. Bullet points work perfectly.
Doing this exercise directly after you’ve finished writing for the day means your mind will already be on the project, making planning easier. And the next morning? Instead of a blank page, you’ll have instructions about what to do next.
11-Practice self-compassion
Accept it: in any project of 40,000+ words, you’ll make mistakes. Emotional resilience — the ability to recover from challenges — is essential. Writing inevitably triggers self-doubt, frustration and fear. Developing resilience means recognizing these emotions, accepting them and finding healthy coping mechanisms. Liberal doses of self-compassion will help.
The effort is worth it
Remember that completing a large writing project isn’t just about reaching the finish line — it’s about who you become as a writer and a person.
Each day you show up at the keyboard, you’re not just adding words to your manuscript; you’re developing discipline, creativity and resilience. The struggles you overcome and the habits you build while writing 40,000+ words create a foundation for future success.
So when writing motivation wanes (and it will), remind yourself that this journey is transforming you into not just a better writer, but a more focused, determined and accomplished person. Your future self will thank you for persevering through today’s challenges.
If you liked this post, you’ll also like 17 tips for how to deal with overwhelm.
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Need some help developing a better, more sustainable writing or editing routine? Learn about my three-month accountability program called Get It Done. There is turn-over each month, and priority will go to those who have applied first. You can go directly to the application form and you’ll hear back from me within 24 hours.
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My video podcast last week described how to write sentences with more impact. You can watch the video or read the transcript, and you can also subscribe to my YouTube channel.
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What writing motivation hacks have you used successfully? We can all learn from each other, so please, share your thoughts with my readers and me in the comments section, below. If you comment on today’s post (or any others) by April 30/25, I’ll put you in a draw for a digital copy of my first book, 8 1/2 Steps to Writing Faster, Better. To enter, please scroll down to the comments, directly underneath the related posts links, below. You don’t have to join Disqus to post! Read my tutorial to learn how to post as a guest. (It’s easy!)
