Many aspiring writers working on their first book lose their motivation and struggle with staying committed to their writing projects. They reach the middle of the book, and suddenly, they feel discouraged to continue. If you are experiencing something similar, then you might be wondering about the same question, which is how to stay committed to your writing project, especially when you feel like giving up.
The following tips will help you stay on top of your writing game.
Accept That The Middle is Incredibly Challenging
Undoubtedly, the middle of your book is the most challenging part of it. Why, you might ask? Well, you should think about the feelings that you experience when you are at the beginning of anything. At the beginning of your writing project, you certainly felt excited as you hadn’t encountered any of the difficult aspects.
Now, as you reach the middle of your book, you are only beginning to start the core of the slogging work. Keep in mind that the end of your writing project will be when you reach the middle. Understandably, there will be long hours, and perhaps you will need to force yourself into writing – but – think of the finishing line that is finally in sight.
Keep The End Result in Mind
Get a feeling of the end and use it as your motivation to keep working and moving steadily towards your goal. You might have worked on projects before, where you might have stayed up a few nights when you knew the project was almost completed.
Now, getting to the middle of your book – this is essentially the point that really intimidates many writers. By now, you have encountered many problems, and the middle is the point where the problems seem their most intractable. Reaching the middle of your book means that you have worked long and hard, and you still haven’t seen any of the payoffs. Naturally, you feel exhausted and discouraged and broken down.
Remind Yourself of Why You Started in the First Place
Usually, when writers reach the middle of their writing project, they might ask themselves whether it is really worth the effort of going further. They feel discouraged from getting further with the writing project because they are drained, and they feel like the ending of the book is far away.
If you can relate, then you should know that giving up by this point isn’t a wise move. Remind yourself of the source of inspiration that prompted you to initiate your writing project in the first place. On that note, if you struggle with time, as you might have other obligations, we still don’t recommend giving up. But – you might want to opt for book ghostwriters for hire and get a professional writer who will help you complete your book instead of letting it collect dust.
When it comes to hiring ghostwriters, you have nothing to worry about, as they will write for you and help you complete your book while remaining anonymous. Yes- you read this right. Essentially, you will remain the author, but they will help you complete the book and write a big chunk of the text for you.
The point is that if you need to hire a ghostwriter, you might as well do that so you can get the much-needed help to get you through the middle of your book.
Stay Organized and Disciplined
To get through the middle part of your book, you will need to exhibit the two strengths that all successful writers have: organization and endurance. Remember that once you have completed your first draft, you will be editing out many words and pages later. So, you might not have even reached the middle of your book.
Despite the fact that you might feel more tired and worn out after knowing that you will require several bouts of editing later – we still encourage you to stay on top of your writing project with discipline and dedication. Write while keeping your passion for the subject alive.
Keep Writing Anyway
If you feel like you are stuck, keep writing anyway. What is possibly the worst thing that can happen if you keep writing when you don’t feel like it? Yes – you guessed it right. The worst thing that can happen is that you might have to cut out several pages and rewrite them. But – you will be doing this later in the self-editing stage anyway.
This aspect indicates that as a writer, you must exhibit excellent endurance. You should also know how to manage your time, especially when you are in the middle of your writing project.
Pace Yourself Correctly
When it comes to staying committed to your writing project, you should know how to pace yourself correctly. Think of the people who run marathons. It is well-known that once the marathoners reach eighteen miles, they tend to hit a “wall,” which is essentially the stage where their bodies tell them to quit because it is seemingly impossible to run any further.
Now, the question is – what gets the marathoners past those eighteen miles? Of course, their physical conditioning plays a crucial role – but only a partial role. There is a lot of mental conditioning that comes into play when it comes to pushing oneself forward when they have reached their breaking point.
Be Mindful of Your Words
Speaking of mental conditioning, pay attention to the language you use for yourself. Focus on getting your language right by being positive with yourself and focusing on your strengths. Instead of hoping to complete your book, remind yourself that you are excellent at completing things that you start and that you are intelligent enough to work on your book a little bit every day.
Manage your negative thoughts while training yourself to stay positive in challenging times when you want to give up. You can use the power of visualization and imagine yourself doing the most difficult tasks, such as editing a particularly difficult chapter. More importantly, see yourself succeeding at doing the challenging tasks. Also, use the power of words to rename your emotions, such as naming anxiety and gear as excitement.
