How to Stay Motivated When Writing Feels Like an Uphill Battle

How to Stay Motivated When Writing Feels Like an Uphill Battle — sound familiar? This month, the MRC Crew is welcoming cozy mystery author Cindy McDonald (aka C.S. McDonald), who’s stopping by with some much-needed encouragement for all of us writers trying to push through the tough days.

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When writing feels tough

Whew! It’s done. I’ve finally typed the words, The End. Honestly, every author I know will tell you those are the most wonderful relief-filled words they type. Silenced Secrets, the sixth installment of the Owl’s Nest Mysteries, will be my thirty-second published work. You’d think this writing stuff would get easier. It doesn’t, and sometimes a story can get a little…how do I put this in polite terms? Overwhelming.

So, what do veteran authors do when a manuscript becomes difficult? I’m acquainted with authors who will stuff it in a drawer with the intention of returning to the piece at a later date. Sometimes that manuscript will sit in the drawer for years until the author rediscovers it and finishes what they started. And some manuscripts rot in said drawer. I am not one to quit on a project to start another. Nope. My family will not find any unfinished works hidden away somewhere after I die. Don’t worry, they’ll have plenty of stuff to get rid of.

How do we stay motivated when we’ve hit a snag or we feel like we’re trudging up a long, steep hill? Well, for me, when a story starts to bog me down, I usually take a break. I don’t torture myself by staring at the blip, blip, blip of my stalled cursor. No, thank you. That mocking little gremlin is an exercise in frustration that can lead to other things, such as writer’s block.

Sometimes it’s best to simply take your mind off the project. I like to take my dogs for a run through my horse farm. Hold on…don’t imagine me jogging along a trail with my Cocker Spaniel and my Cavalier King Charles Spaniel merrily running beside me. No. The dogs are running through the paddocks, fields, and trails. I am walking along. I’m rejuvenating my thought process. Remember? Now, if you like to jog, this is a good time to head out and get some fresh air.

Have you been remiss in attending that yoga class at the Y? Go. Stretch. It will help to release the stress that writing can oftentimes incur. Have coffee with a friend. This is one of my favorite things to do. That said, try hard not to discuss the manuscript. Most friends aren’t interested in listening to the drone about writing projects. I know my husband isn’t interested. At all.

Okay. Sound advice? Maybe. So, how long should one take this writing hiatus? That, my friend, is up to you. I’ve been known not to return to the story for a week—sometimes two weeks. Ask yourself, am I in a hurry? Don’t be. Take your time. The results are always better.

When I’ve finished a particularly challenging story, such as Silenced Secrets, and the book is off to the editor, or better yet, off to formatting, I will take a nice break before plunging into the next Fiona Quinn Mystery. I am on a break right now and have been for the past two weeks. I have no intention of starting my next book until the end of May.

Truth be told, the Fiona Quinn Mysteries are easier for me to write. I’ve been writing these mysteries since 2015, and Fiona is a very good, familiar friend of mine. The Owl’s Nest Mysteries prove to be more overwhelming. Uh oh, there’s that word again. Why? Because The Owl’s Nest stories are a time travel paranormal series, and time travel mixed with paranormal is quite challenging to write. Let’s just say I take a lot of breaks when writing an Owl’s Nest Mystery.

Hey, writing is wonderful, frustrating, fulfilling, and yes, it can be an uphill battle. But if we, as writers, find a way to manage our feelings of being overwhelmed, writing can bring such sentiments of accomplishment and joy.

Be a Fearless Writer, Friends.

Until next time,

Cindy

CS McDonald

For twenty-six years C.S. McDonald’s life whirled around a song and a dance. She was a professional dancer and choreographer. During that time she choreographed many musicals and an opera for the Pittsburgh Savoyards. In 2011 she retired from her dance career to write. Under her real name, Cindy McDonald, writes murder-suspense and romantic suspense novels. In 2014 she added the pen name, C.S. McDonald, to write children’s books for her grandchildren. Now she adds the Fiona Quinn Mysteries to that expansion. She decided to write the cozy mystery series for her young granddaughters.

Ms. McDonald resides on her Thoroughbred farm known as Fly by Night Stables near Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania with her husband, Bill, and her Cocker Spaniel, Allister.