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I know that a part of my issue is that I've been way more negligent of my novel than I should have been. But does anybody have any experience or tips on finding time and motivation to keep consistent with the various parts of a novel on top of the daily grind?

I think habit might help, and to do that you'll have to consistently write, even if it's just a little bit, every day. But that's often really hard when you're stuck, so maybe you can try to plot out several things and then try to write it piece by piece in the days after? Nothing kills a writing project like not writing imo so even writing down plot points to write might be helpful.

When I used to work and go to school I would use my break times at work to outline and make any kind of plot notes. During my days off or my free time, I would look over the outline and notes and write. I found this to be helpful as I already have things figured out beforehand which helps me to have more time to actually write when I have a good amount of free time.

I think it depends partly on your personality and goals. It could help to either make a habit & force yourself to write or to, well, take a step back and reconsider/alter your perspective on writing. You already have a full-time job, and it probably won't help your motivation to consider writing an obligation. I think you could start (which of course isn't nearly as easy as it sounds) to consider writing as a reprieve from work/obligations rather than an extra chore on top of everything you already need to do. On a slightly more practical level, scrapping scenes that disinterest you and writing only the scenes whose potentials excite you could be somewhat helpful in doing so.

dueceladouce wrote:I know that a part of my issue is that I've been way more negligent of my novel than I should have been. But does anybody have any experience or tips on finding time and motivation to keep consistent with the various parts of a novel on top of the daily grind?

This episode of our podcast discusses exactly this topic - if you're into audio, you can give it a listen - it's mostly from the perspective of people with fulltime jobs. Roughly one hour.
https://soundcloud.com/sasquatchii/theb ... eandenergy

I'll second Ghost of Crux. Habit works. I have long public transit travel time to work/school and I use that time to work on my script. Even though this is just an hour a day, it helps me be motivated to spend more time on it later as well.

For me, the greatest enemies are thoughts like: "Well, I only have 30 minutes free, so there's no point working on the project." Great breakthroughs often happen during very short work sessions, and I have to work even if I only have a tiny bit of time available.

I've been using Habit RPG to help develop better habits, and I've found that it's been helping me be more productive with my personal projects. I've been using it since October, so I don't know how well it works in the long-term.

Katy133 wrote:I've been using Habit RPG to help develop better habits, and I've found that it's been helping me be more productive with my personal projects. I've been using it since October, so I don't know how well it works in the long-term.

Not to cast Habit RPG on a negative light, but these might not work on people who can end up seeing habits as something you MUST MUST do, because I am weak and it ends up frustrating me to the point of dreading my habits |D;;

It could work for anyone who works best under pressure. To those who can't do that, though, I would really recommend starting out by having a comfortable notebook and a pen you really like. (I personally have a cheap but thick and sturdy notebook and a $10 fountain pen) Why? Because you'll create more positive associations to the act of writing when you're not giving yourself a painful cramp.

I personally bring it anywhere, and write down anything related to the ideas I'm working on. I also have long public transit time, and sometimes I'd spend it working out plotholes or vague ideas I need to flesh out. For example, perhaps I have a scene I need to write as a transition but I don't know what to write in it. So I'd write down things like

"Who might be in the scene?"
"What could the scene be about?"
"Can I slip in some Chekhov's Gun into this scene, or any other meaningful thing?"
"Can I make this scene have a character moment?"

Usually these kind of things help me get a better idea of what I want from each scene, and by the time I get home I'll be pumped to write because I wouldn't be too stuck in that "what should I write?" limbo for the rest of the day. It's basically the shower inspiration method, except more organized and you can (and probably only could) do it outside the shower.

Setting a time goal could be helpful too. I think events like NaNoReNo and SunoFes are great source of motivation. Even if you're not joining an event, try to set a time limit so that you can feel motivated to reach your goal. If you don't reach your goal, don't kick yourself about it, extend the time limit to one or two months for example. It's good to have a goal to stay motivated and disciplined. It may not work for some people, but it works for me.

I actually get most of my work done during weekdays after I finish my shift. Something about only having a couple of hours to work with at the end of the day makes me want to get shit done. On the weekends, nothing happens. When I have too much time on my hands, I tend to get into podcasts until the time completely flies away from me.

I guess it's just a matter of having a job I have to do during the day making me want to hurry up and get back to my hobbies at night. Your mileage may vary.

I've been out of school for several years without a full time job and I feel so bad about it. I feel like I don't deserve the free time that I have and guilty about working on creative projects while still being a dependent. You should feel good about holding your own, and you've earned that opportunity to devote your time to creative endeavors.

I believe lack of motivation comes from feeling like you are just forcing yourself to do something for the idea of getting it done.

This got way more responses than expected... Thanks for the suggestions. I've been making writing after work a habit alongside writing notes on my downtime. Hopefully I can stick with it since I haven't given up on my project yet

Since I haven't seen it suggested yet, here's one tip I use personally:

Always end your writing each day in the middle of a sentence. When you come back the next day, it'll instantly put you back into the same mindset, and you'll be able to start writing something immediately. I find it helps jumpstart the "staring at the screen" process.

Honestly, I dedicate a majority of my Sundays to VN stuff. Even if I hit a brick wall with the writing, I find other ways to build on it like adding new resources, or even visiting here for some new ideas.