Mondays, particularly Monday mornings, can be difficult. You’re still sleepy from the weekend. You have a full inbox and list of to-dos waiting for you before you’ve even finished your first cup of coffee. Motivation is hard to find. It can be hard to get started with the day’s tasks. It can be even more difficult to get your writing done.
Thankfully, while drinking my morning coffee (the first of many cups), I came across two articles that provided just the motivation I think we could all use to start the week. The first was “Failure is Good for You,” by Marie Brennan. It’s a great read on why we all need a little failure in our lives. As much as it hurts and frustrates, if you really want something, a failure will also challenge you to work harder. You find motivation in the spirit of “I’ll show them!” If you keep working, you will improve, and, hopefully, fail less.
The second was a post by Rachel Aaron. Her post echoes Brennan’s. Published writers are those who never gave up. Those who kept writing, kept editing, and kept submitting. Rachel used a bit of guilt for her motivation. I like to remember my goals, and I know that every word I write gets me a small step closer to those goals.
Sure, that process may be slow in the beginning, full of stops and starts. But good things will happen: first small victories, then bigger victories. But if you stop writing, you’ll never see victories. If you want to get published, keep writing. Keep working. Keep learning.
P.S. Maybe keep this Samuel Beckett quote handy: “Ever tried. Ever failed. No matter. Try Again. Fail again. Fail better.” Maybe it’s a little depressing for some, but I like it. What do you do to stay motivated? Leave a comment below.