That's story of any professional writer I think. They must write when client demands, not when inner passion demands. That luxury is for those writers who write for fun. I know having-fun writers can really outdo professional writers sometimes in terms of information, but eventually they turn to be professional writers. So, it's vicious channel. But, one cannot writer for years if there is no passion. It's similar to be sportsman. Maintaining stamina is only possible if you really feel the joy of playing. Another aspect is the commitment. If commitment is not time-bound, writers can choose to work in happy hours.
There are two ways to look into. If it is your profession, then you got to do it no matter if you like it or not. For me it is the other way round. I enjoy writing and writing is my biggest stressbuster. I am not much of a people's person so I write to relieve myself of stress and fatigue.
@rachelsalmon I liked your post and felt it deserved a like because you brought up the subject of passion. Not enough writers have brought that up or expanded on it. I mean isn't passion and the need to express it the *real* reason we all got into writing in the first place? @qualitycontentwri You are one of the few the writers who writes as a "stressbuster". Most writers find the process and time constraints imposed by impatient clients to be stressful. For me personally it all has to do with the subject matter of what I'm writing about. If it has to do with advertising then I'm totally stressed out. If it's something *I want* to write about then I'm as happy as a pig in s**t.
White not? Many great writers liked juice too. Coz, I'm not a great writer. Don't tell me my English is bad; I never write accounts on one. I just write on my native language.
"White not?" Now why on earth would I suggest that you're English is bad? But....maybe just a little less Captain Morgan might help....no?
Drugs, man... drugs. I'm kidding. This is why I always build in extra time for project deadlines. For the writing ups and downs, not the drugs, I mean. There are most definitely days when I simply cannot string three words together into a coherent phrase... and other days when my fingers can barely keep up with all the sentences pouring out of my head! Speaking purely personally, I always try to have two or three different projects running as well: if I can't work on one because I'm stumped, I can usually work on one of the others. Writing blocks tend to form around a particular subject rather than the whole writing effort (for me at least). Of course, I'm writing this while there's a voice in my head screeching at me... "You didn't write that ebook today! And you told yourself you would! Fail!" Don't take this personally but I hear that all the time and it doesn't apply to everyone (much like the "write every day" and "anyone can write" myths). I'm sure there are people for who this is true but many of the writers I know can't do that (me included). The most difficult part of writing is not starting: it's making sense... and just writing doesn't produce sense. Of course, I suspect that this is the editor side of my brain talking. Speaking of which, an interesting aside: the biggest time sink in my current project of helping non-native apprentice writers improve their (English) work is not the correction and feedback... it's the psychological side, the motivation, the rearranging of thought patterns to help them get through this very block. Well, I thought it was interesting, anyway.
@TIEro&@nick2007 Captain Morgan....drugs....one writer on here said he "smokes a bowl" to get motivated. The other day a writer claimed that he was drunk when he created his thread. Ah writers....just a wild and crazy bunch! But hey, whatever gets you in the mood to write!
Yes, to make a living, one has to write consistently, whether he/she likes it or not. If you are hired as an article writer in some firm and if they are paying you, you have no option except to write on the same topic for days, whether you like it or not; otherwise you will be kicked out. The best ways to lift up my down mood, recharge my energy and wipe out dullness, I regularly browse different websites in between and chat with my colleagues and If possible, take a short nap of 5-10 minutes. Once I reach home, I read online books, play games on computer, take a peg or two to refresh and relax me, and sound sleep. These techniques have immensely helped recharge my energy and prepare me for next day.
If you are professional than your work is not depend on your mood it's depend on your deadline given by client you can't compromise with that.
@onlypmme Lots of good tips there! My favorite being browsing websites and taking a nap to recharge batteries. Good helpful post and you've earned a like. @James Byun Working out is something I ought to do to motivate myself. At least I do the odd situp from time to time. @jhonbarkan Ah indeed.......the dreaded deadline! Who among us has not had to deal with this?
On those days when Im not in the mood I tend to do a bit of reading online, typically news related to my niche, I often then read the comments left by others and I leave comments myself, this usually kicks my brain in to gear and I can then do something more productive, if this doesnt work then I post on my twitter and facebook and do some stuff on my website. Still productive but wont cost me loads of time if its not quite right. x
@Emma Pollard Thanks for the comment and I'm *very* glad that you've decided to join us here on Copywriting forum. It's a good place to hang out.
@Spoiltdiva Im glad to say I am enjoying being a part the DP experience and its nice to know my comments and opinions are appreciated. x
This is a good question. I personally have trouble writing when I'm "not in the mood." Sometimes I'll be in the zone and write some fantastic material that makes me say "damn I'm good." And then there are other times when I just can't get focused and I can barely get a sentence written. Here's what I try to do: I will put on some soothing music... maybe try to find music that does not have words or lyrics. Somebody I know owns this website: http://wavmap.com Mess around with that and get some soothing sounds in your ears. Aside from that, don't have anything else open on your computer that can distract you. If this doesn't work for me... then I will do what bestwater said and just write. I will know at first that what I'm writing isn't that good, but I will get my point across. Then I will go back and read it and reword/ proofread. This seems much easier because it breaks it down into smaller pieces of work. It's much easier for me to rewrite my own work and make it better, than to come up with writing gold on my first try. See if this helps!
@Super_Vendor, I like the flow of your post, nice writing style. I am surprised that more writers haven't mentioned music on this thread. It's been hinted at a bit, but I did expect this to come up as a motivational tool more than it has.