This morning I dragged myself out of bed at 5:50 a.m., stumbled down the stairs with eyes bleary, pried open my laptop and wrote. Why would I do such a thing to myself at such an early hour you ask? First of all, it seems to be the only time I can actually get some writing done. The day is too hectic post a.m. But the second thing is motivation.
I know what you’re thinking. How can anyone be motivated at 5:50 a.m. let alone any time before 7 or 8 a.m.? One hashtag: #wordmongering. I’ve met lots of great writers of all sorts under the #wordmongering hashtag, and the spirit of motivation from them is contagious.
Sometimes I’m #wordmongering alone, but often I have friends to do it with me that I’ve met via that hashtag. In fact, that’s usually what helps motivate me to get up in the morning. I agree to meet up with one of my Tweeps and we both get some #wordmongering done. I’ve noticed a huge difference when I feel obligated to meet up with someone to do it vs. just doing it for my own sake. It’s very easy to decide instead to sleep in and save it for tomorrow when it’s just me. But when I’ve committed to meeting up with someone, there’s that little bit of extra drive and the work gets done.
You can easily find the occasions on my Twitter feed where I’ve done some #wordmongering. For two 1/2 hour sessions, I usually get anywhere from 200-700 words. True, it’s not tons of words, but the point is the novel is getting written AND I have a reason to get it done.
I can’t recommend enough the use of #wordmongering. There’s also #editmongering for those of you who need to do more editing than writing. You make new friends, have great motivators, and really feel a sense of accomplishment because you’ve been accountable to someone—even if that someone is the Tweetverse.
So what about you? Do you use Twitter or other social media to help you stay motivated to write? Have you had any experience with #wordmongering or #editmongering and how did it go for you? Share your experiences in the comments below.
Lit and Scribbles with Jae 
If it helps you write then I’m all for it. I’m pretty motivated when it comes to writing. There are days (like yesterday) where I’m just not in the right frame of mind to write and that’s okay. I know myself well enough to know when not to write, which is just as important as knowing when to write. Wordmongering sounds like fun. I’ll take the orange word, please. I think it says figitus.
It seems like SHADE is coming along nicely. How excited are you? You’ve come a long way and I’m proud to have shared some of your journey with you. And if it wasn’t for you, EDEN would be tucked away in a drawer instead of querying again. So on days where you wonder if you’re doing the right thing by rewriting SHADE, or if you’re full of self-doubt, know you made a difference in at least one other writer’s journey. For that, I’ll always be grateful. So keep going because your first customer is anxiously awaiting their first purchase of SHADE. Even though he isn’t the biggest YA fan, he is a big Jae fan. I’m always around if you need anything. Thanks again.
I’m glad I was able to be a positive force in your writer’s journey. Today I’m having a moment where I’m wondering about such a slew of changes. I know I like the beginning, but I feel like I’m still trying to hold onto old darlings. There are also times where I wonder if some things are dumb, but the story keeps running there. Oh well, that’s what polishing is for. I’m getting close to the final climax now, then away in the drawer it will go to cool off. I only wish it was done for the sake of timing. I think I’ll try my hand at short stories while I take a break from the novel before delving in to editing. Do you ever take breaks from your novels?
Yes, and I find it can really help. I think I’ve written two pages in the last five days. But then again I like to let ideas simmer in my brain sometimes, and I feel like I’m close to a break through. If I find I’m unsure of how something is going, I’ll ask a few trusted friends to take a peek. Nothing as serious as a critique, just their opinions on the direction. Other eyes will often see where you can’t. At least that’s what works for me.
As I’m sure you noticed, I’m not very active on Twitter… (working on it! Really!) But this looks like a great idea! I’ve been *trying* to get up and write from 4am-6am with mixed results, so I’ll have to check out #wordmongering. Thanks for the tip! -Heidi
I seriously wouldn’t have made it out of bed this morning to write if not for #wordmongering. Love it!
If I feel like I have to write, then it sucks the fun out of it for me and I won’t do it. So scheduling with friends on Twitter would hamper productivity for me.
But #wordmongering does sound fun for when I do sit down to write!