How to Write When You Hate Writing
Three Tips for Staying Motivated as a Writer
Two months ago, I quit my job as a video game writer to pursue my dream of publishing a novel. Over the past year, I’ve shared many posts about how my path to publication has been—quite honestly—a nightmare. I was committed to giving up writing until a major publisher sent my agent a revise and resubmit request for my novel, Lit by Burning.
I started working on this book when I was twenty years old, and I turn thirty in three months. In the past ten years, I have rewritten every single word of this 110K novel literally eighteen times. Needless to say, there are countless, very horrible things I’d rather do than work on this book again. But this R&R is the only opportunity I have to make the dream I’ve built my entire life around come true. Honestly, I hate writing now, and I didn’t think any amount of perseverance, spite, or true grit would get me through this revision. But somehow, I waded through all of this disappointment and negativity and managed to send my agent the first draft of the rewrite last week.
Here are the three things that got me through this revision and how they might help you and your writing life. As always, take what’s useful and leave what’s not.
1. Messed-up Motivational Phrase
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Last month, I watched The Bear for the first time, and it is one of the best television shows I’ve ever seen. The show is a master class in creating high stakes for a low concept story, and I cannot recommend it enough. Without this show, I’m not sure that I would have finished my revision.
As I watched Season 2, I discovered that a messed-up motivational phrase could keep me on task. While working on this draft, there were several times when I would burst into tears because I was revising a scene I had rewritten a dozen times since 2015. Every day, it felt like my individual choices as a writer made absolutely no difference in whether or not I would sell my book. As a result, when I sat down to write, I had crushing choice paralysis because it honestly felt like nothing I did at my writing desk mattered.
Just when I was about to succumb to all this negativity, I reached Season 2 Episode 10 of The Bear. At some point in the episode, the kitchen staff is trying to catch up on orders and Sydney says to them, “Do I have time to go outside and scream fuck? No? So, let’s hustle.”
Whenever I was writing and on the verge of tears or generally losing my mind because my two degrees and all the craft knowledge I post here was amounting to nothing, I’d say to myself, “Do I have time to go outside and scream fuck? No? So, let’s hustle.” That phrase helped me reach my word quota every single day.
What motivational phrase (messed-up or otherwise) helps you get through a writing session? Tell me all about it in the comments.
2. Gym Membership
I really hate to say it, but exercising regularly has solved 90% of my problems. I tried Korea’s equivalent of Planet Fitness, but I simply will not go to the gym unless a former Kpop idol is screaming in my face, so I spend a lot of money every month to go to HIIT workout classes. It’s breaking the bank, but after each workout class, I am so zen that I hardly need to use my motivational phrase.
If self-doubt or poor mental health is impeding your writing, I recommend finding an exercise that can help you clear your head.
Enjoy this compilation1 of me doing exercises with very poor form.
3. A Spark of Instant Joy
If you have to write, but you hate writing, I recommend finding something that sparks instant joy in your life. I was able to finish my revision because I found a podcast called Dungeons and Daddies #NotABDSMPodcast.
Dungeons and Daddies is a Dungeons & Dragons podcast about four dads who are transported from our world to the Forgotten Realms and must save their sons from imminent peril. This podcast has some of the funniest storytelling I’ve ever experienced.
After a bad writing session, I’d immediately listened to an episode of Dungeons and Daddies. The second I heard the Maxton Waller theme song, all of my stress melted away. Over time, I started associating my writing sessions (even the bad ones!) with the joy of listening to Dungeons and Daddies. Every day, instead of dreading the writing session to come, I was looking forward to listening to my favorite podcast.
Before listening to this show, I was not a podcast person, but Dungeons and Daddies has completely converted me. If you like Dungeons & Dragons, high fantasy, or just plain good storytelling, check out this podcast.
What sparks instant joy in your life? What are some things that make your writing life even better? I want to hear all about the motivating things that keep you joyful in the comments.
I’m still on break for the next two months. My agent will send me feedback on my revision in a couple weeks, and then I’ll be strapping in for one last draft before submission. Stay tuned for our next announcement on April 21st. Until then, I’ll occasionally pop into your inbox with updates and writing tips.
See you in the next one.
- Kat
Not sponsored. Just a fan.
I really appreciate your honesty and vulnerability here. I’m at the point of “hating writing” lately too. I’m currently working on my first draft of my first novel and it’s hard. So damn hard. I don’t have a writing or lit degree. No MfA, no workshops, I don’t have a writing or critique group. Sometimes I feel like I’m on a deserted island trying to figure out how to survive on my own. I’m reading craft books and learning as I go but it’s so hard to do alone. And when I do sometimes chat with other writers, so often they say things like, “I can’t help but write” or “writing is my greatest joy” and almost no one talks about when writing becomes miserable. I’ve heard writers say that you should write for the joy it brings you not for the end goal of publishing and if it’s no longer a joy, maybe it’s time to step away. And honestly that advice has gotten me close to quitting, myself. But reading about how you’re pushing toward your dream even when the warm and fuzzy feelings of writing have faded is truly an inspiration to me. Thank you for sharing your journey with us.
Thank you so much for this post! I'm currently on the cusp of quitting my job to actually hunker down and work on the novel I've been telling myself I would finish, for the past three years. Also, I'm based in South Korea as well!! So nice to meet another Substacker here!