So far in the Chapter Book Challenge, we are three weeks down and have a little over one week to go. How are you doing so far?
Weeks two and three can be tricky. The first rush of excitement and starting a new idea has passed and you have to work out how to get from where you are to the end of your story without losing your previous momentum. You might even be feeing a bit of writer's block at this point in your journey. For some of you, this is the most difficult part of your month of writing, but for others, this is a favourite part. Everybody goes about this writing business differently.
For those of you who are letting other things get in the way of your writing, I looked up some inspirational quotes to help you out.
1 - Fear can sometimes get in the way of our writing - fear of not being good enough, fear of rejection, fear of failure, and, in some, even a fear of success.
If fear is getting in the way of your writing:
2 - Procrastination is also a large culprit when it comes to preventing you from writing. I know I struggle mightily with a strong tendency to procrastinate. You need to remind yourself of the reasons you want to write your story and why you don't want to put it off any longer.
If procrastination is getting in the way of your writing:
3 - Sometimes, it's your muse who is causing the problem. Either your muse is giving you new ideas that make you want to start working on something different or your muse has just decided to clam up and leave you bereft of ideas. This can be overcome, either through time, a change of scenery, or just by writing anyway - even when it feels like what you're writing is so bad you'll just have to re-do it later.
If it feels as though your muse is absent:
4 - Sometimes, as your story grows, you feel as though you've lost your passion for it. You need to remember what excited you about your story in the beginning, what drew you to write this particular story. If you never felt a true passion for your story, then maybe it's not the right story for you after all.
If passion is keeping you from writing your story:
5 - Sometimes life gets in the way of writing. It can be your kids taking up your writing time, or your health or your job (if you have one other than writing), or any number of things. And being busy can really drain your energy, which makes it even more difficult to be creative and to imagine your stories. We all have times like this. It's important to make time for you, to do the things that you love (like writing), in order to nourish your soul. You also need to take time to rest in order to replenish your spirit.
If a lack of energy is getting in the way of your writing:
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There is no specific give-away with this post, but if you comment on this post (and are a signed-up member), you will get an extra entry into the drawing for the Kindle Fire that will be done on the 31st. (All signed-up members of the Chapter Book Challenge automatically get one entry.)
