When it comes to writing a novel, the one thing I tend to really struggle with sometimes is... well, writing. Whether its finding the time or trying to be bothered to open up my novel on my laptop, I sometimes avoid it like the plague. This can be for various reasons. For me, I'm not entirely happy with my novel - I've been writing it for about three years now and it is complete, but there's a lot I want to change. I just need to find the motivation. So how can I - and you - kill off these bad habits of avoiding writing?
Set Realistic Goals
When I was in the process of actually writing my novel, I would set myself goals. For example, I would have to write at least 3,000 words per week. One thing I did with some friends who were also writing novels is had competitions. We got into teams and competed to write the most words. It brings a bit of fun and energy to writing, and your teammates can urge you to write more! But remember, the goals must be realistic. If you go to school or work 5 days a week, don't set yourself a goal of 10,000 in a matter of days. If you set goals you know you won't reach, it will just demotivate you when you don't achieve them.
Write Every Day
Try and make some kind of contribution to your story every day. This doesn't necessarily mean sitting down at your computer every night at 8pm with a cup of coffee and forcing yourself to bang out 1,000 words. Sometimes I like to carry a notepad around with me, in case I get a brilliant idea on how to solve that little problem or writer's block that has been bugging me for days. You could even set yourself time limits for each day. You should try to avoid spending hours and hours every day on it - set yourself a time of 30 mins or an hour each evening so that you can keep returning to it with fresh eyes.
Distract Yourself
There is always a time when a writer gets to a part in their story and then stops and thinks "well what the hell happens next?" Sometimes writer's block can't be solved for days - even weeks. The worst thing to do is sit there and stare at it. As soon as you hit writer's block, distract yourself. This could either be something completely irrelevant to your story - watch a TV programme, read a book, eat lunch - or just focus on another part of the novel. I like to print out sections of my novel that I want to edit, so when I hit writer's block, I have another