Often, people who want to write get bogged down when it comes to actually sitting down and writing. The time commitment and mental commitment that writing requires can be intimidating. Even professional writers can get bogged down by large, seemingly endless projects. Here are five tips to get you moving in the right direction:

Create Specific Times in your Schedule for Writing

One of the differences between an amateur writer and a professional is the way they treat their writing time. If writing is something you do in your spare, unscheduled time, then your productivity will always suffer because most people never really allow themselves to have spare, unscheduled time. When they do, they plop down in front of the television set because they are “tired” and they need to “unwind”. Productive writers set aside specific times to write and they use that time.

Divide Your Project into Manageable Parts

Sitting down to write a novel is a daunting task. Sitting down to write a chapter is a little better and sitting down to write a scene seems much easier. Large projects aren’t finished in one session or even a dozen. Setting daily goals with specific targets makes it easier for you to keep control over what you are writing and gives you a greater sense of accomplishment.

Increase Your Accountability

If you set a specific date for completion of a project, or even a project phase, it will motivate you to work harder in order to meet that deadline. Making that deadline public is an even greater motivational tool. When it comes to writing, peer pressure can be an excellent motivator. If you join a writer’s group in which you need to present and discuss what you have been writing on a regular basis, it gives you a reason to keep working even when the project gets tougher.

Relocate

When your work space is the same as your living space, it can create problems. People like to associate home with relaxation. When you add an element of work to your home life, it blurs the lines between work and relaxation, which generally results in less work AND less relaxation. You may want to find a space outside the home to write. If you can’t afford an office, you can try your local library or a restaurant / coffee shop with a wireless Internet hotspot.

Consider Other Types of Writing

In many cases, people choose projects that aren’t suitable for the amount of time they have to devote. For example, a person who only has three hours a week set aside for writing, and who has to divide that amount of time into two or three sessions, is probably going to have trouble writing a novel. Novels are extended, time-consuming efforts and the delay between beginning a novel and completing it can make the entire effort seem wasted if something goes wrong. That same person may do quite well writing poetry, short stories or personal essays, all of which are much more manageable on a tight schedule.