This post is probably going to be very similar to my 'How to avoid Plot Bunnies' post, but this is actually just... staying focused on your work. Which people (including me) have a hard time doing!
I have written one rough draft, and when I started writing the second draft, I got bored and decided to work on something else. DO NOT DO THIS PLEASE!! Your book is going to be amazing when you finish it!! You just have to hang in there until the end.
When I got bored, I started working on a new rough draft. I had been developing the main character for this book for close to two years, and because of that, I had a ton of energy going into the writing stage. I'm in chapter nine out of twelve and I still have a ton of energy to get this book like... done. Like, put up on Amazon. So here are some things I have found that have helped me stay focused on my project.
Develop Your Characters till They Seem Real!
In my project, The Power Within my main character, Georgia, is a shy introvert who doesn't want to do anything that will get her in trouble or anything at all for that matter. Me being the extrovert it was very very VERY hard to write the character without cringing and wishing that I was more introverted. So, I did what any good writer would do, I started to develop my character Georgia with the help of my best friend. We did roleplay type situations for close to two years and in the end, all I have gotten out of the character are comments like this from my writing teacher:
"You have done a really good job getting into the head of your MC. I especially like her narrative voice."
For an outgoing extrovert, this is the best comment I could have gotten on my MC and it encouraged me to keep going, which brings me to my second point,
Helpful Compliments!
Everyone always feels good when someone compliments their work. I know I do! And when I get complimented on my writing I want to keep going. I just love knowing people's reactions and I love getting that positive feedback. This isn't really helpful for you as a writer to stay focused, but I know that it will help other writers stay focused. So, take maybe thirty minutes out of your day and read a chapter of somebody's work! critique it if you want to, or just say, "This chapter was so good!!" Who knows, maybe they'll do the same thing for you. Or if you want a guarantee real read from your work, Just ask if people wanna critique swap. We're all stuck at home right now anyway, it's not like we have anywhere to be.
Pinterest Pages
Now. I love Pinterest. probably more than I should. and I have a Pinterest board for ALL of my characters, and I find that every time I end up pinning a gazillion pins to one board I get very excited about that character and just want to write about them. I'm not saying you should spend three hours on Pinterest pinning pins to a board looking for inspiration. It may work for some people more than others, but if you're one of those people that likes Pinterest, I highly suggest you do this for like five minutes sporadically throughout the day.
Playlists
I was never really a playlist person up until about a month ago, but ever since I created a playlist for my book, I enjoy writing so much more. Every time I start writing in my rough draft I open up my Spotify and press play on my playlist that I have organized. and I have found that I write better and I actually enjoy writing more when I do that.
Don't forget to take a break
Writing is exhausting. So when you find that you're having a hard time staying focused... take a break. it's okay! But just be sure that you don't take to long a break because who knows how long you'll end up not writing when you do that.
I hope that some of these tips help you all! I'm not an expert, but I can help as best as I can
<3
-K8