10 Ways to Motivate Yourself to Finish Your Book

Motivating yourself to finishing your writing project is always a huge way to make progress, and - you guessed it, get that project finished. In fact, this doesn't necessarily have to just apply to the writing aspect of life - you can use certain things to motivate yourself to finish reading a book, deep-cleaning a messy room, completing school, etc. Anything you need to get done, really!

Today, I'll be focusing on 10 things you can do to motivate yourself to finish that writing project. Most of these are things that I do for myself, and are honestly pretty enjoyable!

#1 - Rewards

If this wasn't the first in this post, then I don't know what would be. Rewards are so handy when it comes to motivating yourself to finish your book - after all, who doesn't want that shiny new hardcover? Or expensive chocolate? These rewards can be anything that urges you to complete your writing project, and it's also great because it helps you practice self-control.

I know one girl who ordered the main books of S. D. Smith's Green Ember Series - but not only that, she bought them as hardcovers. She had them sitting on her desk for a month in the box they'd been shipped in. She had said afterwards that it was so hard not to open that box, but the reward of knowing what would come after really motivated her to finish her WIP. So definitely, rewards can be hugely motivating!

#2 - Give yourself a deadline

Tell your friends and family that you have given yourself a deadline to finish your book, and them knowing will help keep you accountable. If you really want to go in deep, give them something of value to you (i.e. a book you just bought and have been wanting to read). Tell them they're not allowed to give it back to you until you've finished that project.

I have yet to try this one, but it sounds super motivating and I'm eager to test it out!

#3 - Get an accountability partner

Seriously, y'all. This one is huge. I've had an accountability partner for over a year now, and it has made such a difference in my life. Each Monday, we tell each other our goals for the week, and cheer each other on. When Saturday comes (or sometimes we wait until the following Monday), we tell each other whether we hit our goals or not. And if we don't, no biggie! But if we do . . . then time to celebrate!

Another thing you can do is join an accountability group. I'm in two on YDubs (I actually co-lead one!) and each week we say our goals, then at the week we update whether we completed them or not - mostly same as with an accountability partner, but the only difference to this is that it's with a group. I know that many of you aren't on the YWW, but you can always start something like a google chat specifically dedicated to this with a group of like-minded friends!

#4 - Create consistent goals

Yup, you heard me right. Get that coffee, a planner, perhaps some motivational music, and plan out some goals. You can do this on your computer, a notebook, or there's always the option of purchasing a planner. What I do is I print off some free default calendars on my printer (although, I've been wanting to design some on Canva!), print them off, and hang them on my wall next to my desk. At the top, I write my word count goal for the month, and then do the math to figure out how many words I'll be needing to write per day in order to hit that goal.

But like I mentioned in the title to this point - make those goals consistent. I know for me, consistency doesn't mean writing 3,000 words per day. I can't do that - I haven't trained myself to write that much each day, every day. I'd end up getting burnt out. But 500 to 1,000 words? That's a doable goal.

So really, any goal that you're able to hit each day - and if you don't know your limit, take a week testing out what's a comfortable word count you can hit each day, and turn that word count into your daily goal.

#5 - Eliminate distractions

Distractions, ah - the bane of a writer.

Oftentimes I sit down to write but find it hard to do so, either because my phone keeps dinging, or because the atmosphere of the house is too chaotic. Distractions are everywhere, and it can be hard to get away from them, unless you make some set rules.

I live with my parents and sisters, so writing in my family's living room really isn't the ideal place. If I want to write, I tend to wake up before the rest of my family does, and get some valuable writing time then, or I go and tell my mom that I'll be downstairs writing and she will tell my sisters not to bother me. Otherwise, if I go downstairs without telling anyone I'll be in a writing session, I constantly have little hands knocking on my door, and while it's sweet, it gets pretty hard to focus.

As I mentioned above, screens can also be distracting when it comes to trying to focus. I leave mine somewhere across the house when I'm writing, so if I get a text message, I won't be tempted to check it. Plus, I'll see it later, but checking it when I'm in a session can really break my focus. This is yet another reason I choose to write on paper and then type up my words to a google doc later on.

#6 - Get people as excited about it as you are

When writing my WIP, tLH, I kept it top secret for several months, intent that no one should know what it was about . . . for the time being, at least. But then, temptation won over and I spilled the entire thing - plot, character arcs, etc. - to my best friend on a walk around the park. It was terrifying, yes, but afterwards? I was hugely motivated. Having someone else share in the enthusiasm of my writing project really gave me the boost I needed to keep going.

So, whether that's simply spilling the entire book to a close friend or family member, or asking for feedback on it, is really important. In fact, if you choose to go with the feedback side, this doesn't have to be the entire book. Give them a chapter or two to read. Take their feedback wisely, and apply it to your writing. If they like it, it'll be such a motivation! And if not, well, you'll be motivated to make it even better.

#7 - Create a playlist

You guys, this one is definitely my favorite. I love love loveee getting onto Spotify and creating a new soundtrack for whatever WIP I'm working on. Not only are you gathering motivational music, you're also having fun while working on some side stuff for your WIP!

How I do this is I title it something like (book title) Where the Tunnel Ends - OFFICIAL PLAYLIST, and add songs that fit the vibes of the book/go along well with the characters/the culture, etc. For example, in my WtTE playlist, I have songs from The Hobbit Soundtrack, a couple folk songs - anything that fits the book, really. I seriously cannot tell you how fun it is to make one of these.

Then, before I sit down to write, I like to listen to a few of the songs to get my head in the flow of the book! It's massively motivating and one of my favorite side hobbies.

#8 - Remind yourself why you're doing this

Oftentimes, when I'm in the middle of my WIP I start getting discouraged. A lot of times this is due to dragging middle syndrome, which I'll touch on in a later post. But I have to remind myself why I'm writing this book. Am I writing it for myself, or for others? If the Lord called me to write it - then I shouldn't give up . . . should I? I've come so far, so is giving up now really worth it?

Those are questions I ask myself, then I give myself a little pep talk (these are perfect during showers XD) in order to get myself excited again.

#9 - Keep notes

I absolutely love this one. All the encouragement and lovely notes you've gotten about your writing, keep them. Put them all together in a notebook or google doc or on the notes app on your phone. Like I said above, remind yourself why you're doing this, and keeping sweet notes from friends, family members, and readers can really give you the motivation you really need to keep going.

I honestly have yet to try this, but all my writer friends who have done this say that it truly is motivating and encouraging. Totally something I want to try!

#10 - Act out a scene from your WIP

No, I'm not crazy, and yes, it's fun. XD

Acting out a favorite scene from your WIP (whether already written or not) is both motivating and inspiring. Plus, it's really fun getting into the same mindset as your characters and, if you have a scene you love well enough that you practically have it memorized (*coughs*), then acting it out is hands-down awesome. You can do it by yourself at 1:00 a.m. in the morning, or you could get some siblings and friends involved! There's really no rules to this, and creativity is key here!

As soon as I'm done acting out a scene, I usually find myself all motivated again to go and write more scenes with the same amount of excitement! Plus, what better excuse to pass the afternoon?

Conclusion

That's all for today! I had so much fun writing this post and am hoping you all find it insightful!

What do you usually do to get yourself motivated to write? Do any of you act out scenes from your WIP, or is it just me? Any other advice? I'd love to chat in the comments below!

Until next time,