Commit to staying the course...

...even when your enthusiasm for writing wanes, even when motivation has check out.

Photo by George Liapis on Unsplash

Hello, my fellow writer, Wanting to write a meaningful memoir is a start, but it is not enough. You must know how to write such a story.

Think of the weekly accumulation of these lessons as a long-distance course that you undertake from the comfort of your home.

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Today, I'm offering tactics you can implement to help sustain your motivation and see you to the end. Of course, there's always willpower, but willpower is known to weaken gradually until it is ineffective. Learning how to get—and stay—on course is easier.

Motivation is both intrinsic and extrinsic.

Intrinsic motivation comes from inside of you:

• you like to think of yourself as a writer

• you enjoy the introspection of memoir writing

• you want to make sense of the past. It’s fun for you

• you are a person who finishes what you start. As I am fond of saying: “you feel like writing, you write; you don’t feel like writing, you write.”

When you want to motivate yourself intrinsically, you call upon these (and many other) internal reasons.

Extrinsic motivation comes from the outside:

• you have a family reunion coming up and you want to share your memoir

• you want to publish a book to show off your accomplishments to your detractors

• you want to deliver your book to a publisher who’s asked for your book by a certain time

• you’ve told friends and family that the book will be ready by a given date

Lining up many extrinsic, external motivators is usually helpful.

The best motivation is, of course, personal and it is often a combination of your intrinsic and extrinsic reasons to write your memoir.

For instance: you love to write and enjoy reminiscing about your past. This sort of motivation could see you through years and years of seemingly never-ending writing!

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From DIY with free materials to workshop feedback from a mentor and peers that will expand and polish your book. We will add extrinsic support to your intrinsic motivation!

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When you add to this extrinsic motivation—for example, you are having a class reunion next year and want to have your book available to show off, you are on a course to have written your book in a reasonable time.

Here is a link to a YouTube playlist to steep yourself in more thoughts about commitment and motivation. Multi-media approaches are often the best.

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In conclusion

And remember: “Inch by inch, it’s a cinch; yard by yard, it’s hard.”

Good luck writing your stories! And commit to staying the course!

Keep writing. Your memoir is important.

Action Steps:

1. Create lists of your current motivations;

   1. intrinsic

   2. extrinsic

2. Expand on these lists. How will you up the ante so that you complete your writing project? Add more motivators.

3. Leave comments on your insights below. Let the community in on your process.