MOTIVATIONS

Second-year BA Creative Writing student Tilly Hollyhead speaks about her past struggles with motivation and the techniques that she has learned to use to deal with them.

I love writing. Ever since I discovered that I am semi-decent at it, I have loved being able to create different stories and to express my opinions. It’s a therapy, an outlet, an escape from the outside world.

But making the time for it often seems impossible.

It’s not like I have that much going on. I’m doing a Creative Writing degree and yes, it teaches me a lot, but perhaps most of all it encourages me to better my writing. Most of my lectures are ultimately about how I can better myself, prepare myself, how to then get my writing out there, one way or another, and let everyone know that I’m here. Yet writing still seems impossible.

There have been times when I have been lying in bed, knowing that I have to get something done. I know that there are so many things I could put on the page, yet I can’t find the strength to pick up my laptop.

So, what have I learned to do about it? I wouldn’t be writing about this if I hadn’t found some way to get through.

There’s no nice way of putting it – I have learned to force myself to do it.

I still procrastinate for a few hours here and there – brushing my hair, or scrolling through TikTok. Then, I tell myself that it’s time to get to business and I will not be leaving my desk until it is done. No matter how much I want to turn off that screen and binge-watch the latest Marvel series, I decide I will not take myself away from the task at hand.

It’s not a sure-fire solution, not by any stretch of the imagination. The words that I pump out during those times are never my best, but I know I have something rather than nothing to work with, and I still feel a sense of pride. I’m able to tell myself that I hit a wall but I managed to find a way over it, and it’s one of the most rewarding things I can think of.

Struggle is one of the defining traits of being an author. Ask anyone who is one! But easing that strain by sharing our ideas, collaborating, being a cohort, is what brings writers together. So, I’ll share a few more things that I’ve begun using.

First off, if I need to meet a deadline, setting myself a mandatory word count for the day – the Graham Greene or Sarah Walters method, apparently! –  never works as well as setting a timer. This a trick taught to me by one of my fellow writers.

I think we’ve all had moments when we tell ourselves that we’re going to get started on a project, only to then tell ourselves that the deadline is far away, that it can wait. By setting a timer, you’re giving yourself an immediate deadline. We all know that nothing will happen if we don’t write to the best of our ability when the timer ends, but there’s something about it that motivates us to do our best.

Another thing I find useful is writing in groups, or with company. We have lots of opportunities for this on the course, but I also get that in my university accommodation.

When I’m trying to get my work done and I find myself slipping, I move into the living room. Sometimes my flatmates will be in there, working with me, and at others they’ll be passing through, but they’re helpful just by being there.

It’s like a positive form of peer pressure. If other people are in the room, I find myself wanting to work. Their prescience makes me more focused, especially if they’re doing something alongside me. Once I’m relaxing in the evening and looking back on the things I’ve produced, I find myself happier with what I’ve managed to accomplish.

And, for my final and perhaps most obvious piece of advice, I’d encourage everyone to get involved with writing prompts. It’s that simple!

A lot of my better ideas have come from writing prompts and thinking bout how to take them, and myself,  in new directions.

One of my recent favourites is a prompt in which the protagonist wakes in a hibernation pod to find that humanity has reverted to medieval times after almost being wiped out by an unknown force, and their inventions have been mistaken for magical artefacts.

Prompts, good ones, provide the perfect balance of instruction and freedom. They help you work on something new, or a new way or doing something, without it feeling like a chore.

Forcing yourself to write is great when you have the creativity but struggle to get it out. When it’s the other way around, sometimes all you need is a little push in the right direction. A fun little challenge is like a little kick to the back of the legs, I think. It’ll make you jump and get you moving again.

A wonderful thing about writing is that no one can write what you do. Nobody is you, and your writing can grow to reflect that. Whether an idea is entirely yours in conception, or came from a prompt, the way you look at whatever it conjures is unique. That is something to be treasured, no matter how long it takes for you to get the words down.