Melanie Bell

Author, Writer, Editor

Tag Archives: motivation


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So You Want to Write in Lockdown?

How are you all doing? Here in London, we’re well into lockdown #3. Remember lockdown hobbies, and the optimism with which some people took up making homemade sourdough bread and learning new languages? If you’re like me, enthusiasm for indoor activities has waned a bit by now.   

Writing is one of the things keeping me going as I work from home, socialize (as much as it’s possible to do so) from home, and veg out… all in the same general vicinity. As much as it can be a source of vitality and energy, though, it can also be hard to do consistently during this time. And people wanting to try writing for the first time while their lives have moved indoors face the additional challenge of getting started.    

Here are a few things that have energized my writing at one point or another during the quarantimes.

Write socially

When working on my first book, I went to Shut Up and Write sessions where a group of writers gathered, chatted briefly, and then got down to the process of quietly writing. Sessions were timed, and with other people doing the same thing around me, I got a lot of work done. I’ve benefited from finding similar group writing sessions over Zoom where friendly people encouraged each other, shared resources and updates, and provided accountability.

Try something new

Last year (during lockdown 2), I did NaNoWriMo for the first time. I tried writing something in a new genre (romance) and format (novella). During lockdown 1, I read about short nonfiction writing, tried pitching a big publication, and ended up writing something for the Huffington Post. Setting challenges for myself and trying new things kept the writing process fresh and interesting.   

Find a critique partner

Having someone else to exchange writing with keeps your manuscript from languishing forever unseen in your files. I found a fiction critique partner through social media and have been swapping work with her ever since. Having someone intelligent and responsive to exchange feedback with has been helpful and encouraging, and means I’m writing more. 

Take advantage of your personal schedule

If you’re working from home now, like me, you might have gained time back from your daily commute. Try scheduling writing in that now-freed calendar space. Another way of taking advantage of your schedule is knowing your body’s clock. I’ve been reading about chronotypes, or the variations in people’s biological clocks, and recognizing why I’ve never been one of those people who got up and wrote early in the morning. I don’t have to be! We all have different times when we’re at our creative and productive peaks, and maybe learning about yours will help you get more writing done, too.  

Write about what you’re experiencing

During the pandemic, I’ve helped process the stress of a radically changing life and environment by journaling (i.e. inelegantly venting about everything) and writing poems about the virus, Zoom calls, and shifting restrictions. It’s been a wonderful outlet. 

…Or not

Sometimes I just want to escape the 2020s. I’ve found solace in writing fiction set in a pre-COVID world and in other, imagined worlds. Do you wish you were somewhere else? Writing can take you there!

Have you been putting pen to paper or fingers to keyboard in lockdown? What keeps you writing?


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Three Takes on Writing What You Love

“Write what you love” is widespread advice, yet it can be hard to reconcile with the realities of the market and the day-to-day challenges of the writing process. Still, I’m a believer in the wisdom of this advice. Here are three instances in which I find it helpful.

1. Writing something you would love to read.

Many writers write for themselves first. The reasons for this are myriad: writing to heal, to investigate a personal question, writing on a subject of interest or expertise… there are probably as many personal reasons for writing as there are writers. It’s useful and powerful to write things that appeal to you as a writer. Chances are, if you love it, there will be an audience out there for it. There is, however, a risk of writing becoming self-indulgent. You might, for instance, write something about your life that lacks interest for a wider public. Alternatively, you might infuse your words with layers of personal meaning, with a result that is confusing and leaves readers wondering what the point is. (Not that I’m guilty of this or anything!)

While writer appeal can be the thing that gets us putting one word in front of the other, if you’ve had any feedback to this effect, think about reader appeal. When you get stuck, ask yourself what would interest you at this juncture as a reader. Imagine that you’re the reader of your work in progress and write what would be important and compelling to that side of yourself. There’s no room left for writerly self-indulgence when you’re seeing through a reader’s eyes (or rather, any “indulgences” here will be sure to have appeal for other readers). Some of my favorite authors speak of writing the books they have always wanted to read, especially those that they haven’t been able to find. What has your reader self been longing for that hasn’t been available? Try writing that.   

2. Staying motivated.

When you write, loving what you’re doing is the fire behind the keyboard. If you’re passionate about your premise, your characters, your plot, you’ll keep coming back to it. Even when the writing process gets rough, tapping into a love of the project itself can keep you motivated. When writing becomes your love affair, you’ll really want to get that book written. If you have certain pivotal scenes that you envision in your mind like a video clip on repeat, you’ll be excited to get the points in your project where you actually write them. For all these reasons, I’m an advocate for loving your writing. Many books wouldn’t exist without the passion driving their creation. The risk-taking, innovation, and investment that lead to art would often not exist if the writer didn’t love either the process, the anticipated end result, or both. After all, there are easier ways to make money.

3. Writing towards a result you care about.

But what if you’re writing for money, rather than for a passion project? First, congratulations on getting paid for your work! Second, that’s something to love, too, isn’t it? Write for the value that you’ll get from the project in that way. Or what if you’re writing something because you believe it’s important to say, even if you don’t like it very much? What if the writing is difficult, but you need to get the words out? Come back to the reason, the “why”, and the heart that drives it. Here’s another take on the “Write what you love” question: Write what matters to you.