How to Get Excited for Your Story

You’ve probably been in this scenario: One day, you have the most amazing story idea and set out at once to write or plan. It consumes your every thought, and all you want to do is write. Words flow onto the pages. You feel like you’re making great progress…

… until you’re not. Hundreds or even thousands of words in, you lose steam. The once exciting story is now dull. You would rather do or write anything else. Perhaps you thought of a new story idea and thus the cycle repeats.

How can we go from being ecstatic about our story one day then dreading it the next?

I honestly have no certain answer other than the excitement about our story just grows old, like the excitement about a new car. And of course, we must train ourselves how to persevere through one story idea, even after the excitement dies down. I’m sure many, if not all, authors had to learn this at one point.

Even after the thrill of a new story idea disappears, there are ways you can get excited about your story. This year, I had to think of a couple of ways to get me excited about my own project, because I probably wouldn’t have written it otherwise. These methods require a little work, but it’s fun work, especially if you do it while you’re still enthusiastic about your story.

Create a Playlist

            I might have mentioned this before, but I imagine my stories as if they were a movie playing onscreen. What makes many movies so amazing? Their soundtracks.

            I will admit that I am a soundtrack nerd. Most of my playlists are made up of different movie and TV show soundtracks, and after I see a movie, I will be playing its soundtrack for at least a week. There’s something about certain tracks that give me warm fuzzies or make me want to write a scene. They fill me with different emotions, and sometimes I have new story ideas just from listening to one piece.

            That’s why I wanted to create a playlist for my book. It’s just a personal playlist I sometimes listen to while I write, but the tracks I have on there remind me of the different scenes from my story. For example, in the part of my story where my characters reach their lowest point because of the enemy, the track “Whatever It Takes” (Alan Silvestri, 2019) from Avengers: End Game reminds me of their exhaustion but also the never-ending hope that they can fight back. I also have many Star Wars (John Williams) soundtracks on my playlist since my story is sci-fi and inspired by that franchise.

            Creating a playlist for your book isn’t as difficult as you may think. You can use soundtracks, pop music, classical music, or whatever you feel like. The hardest part is probably finding keywords to search for. I personally search for keywords based on the scenes I want to have a song to. When one of my characters is captured, I found the track “The Abduction” (John Williams, 2015) from Star Wars: The Force Awakens. You can search for song titles that way, or if you choose to have lyrics, then you can search for certain lyrics.

            Your playlist doesn’t have to be a soundtrack for your story. You can just create a playlist with songs you will only listen to while you’re writing. When I enjoy listening to certain music, I am more willing to sit down and write. I just create a soundtrack so I can connect to my story more with music (and encourage my imagination to think of those scenes).

Pictures

            As a visual learner, I’ve always preferred to see things that can be shown. That includes the characters and settings of my stories. Having visuals is a good way to put you in the mood for your story because you can use them to help you write descriptions, and the aesthetic can remind you what kind of story you’re writing.

 Maybe you’re like me and you want to see what your story could look like. There are three ways you can do this:

1.     Draw

            If art is a hobby or interest of yours and you have extra time on your hands, try drawing your characters or setting, or even a scene from your project. This method is beneficial because you can draw things exactly the way you imagine them. It’s easier for me to sketch out one of my main characters myself because he has a unique hairstyle I can’t find pictures for.

            You can make your drawings as simple or complex as you would like. Drawing is also a good way to relieve stress and turn on your imagination. My mom has told me many times that it is good to have another creative outlet other than writing. So if you’re looking for something else to do, try drawing elements from your book.

2.     Pinterest

            I used to draw a lot of my own pictures for my story, but now that I don’t have as much time on my hands (nor the patience to get perspective and faces right), I have discovered the beauty of Pinterest. If you’re not on Pinterest already, I will warn you that it’s addicting, especially when you find fanart and memes. If you decide to use Pinterest to find pictures for your story, I suggest being strict with yourself so you don’t get sidetracked.

            Though Pinterest may not have pictures of exactly what you’re imagining, you can still find things that remind you of your story or give your story an aesthetic. You can also print out those pictures and put them in your journal or binder or hang them on a wall or corkboard. That way, you can see them whenever you know you should be writing your story.

3.     AI

            I have admittedly never used AI. I have also seen how horrible some of its artwork can be. But if you are familiar with AI and know how to make it generate pictures that don’t look like a horror show, then try using it to make art for your story!

            Drawing, Pinterest, and AI are just three ways of creating or finding pictures that will inspire you to write a story you may not want to write. You might even take your own pictures or find some on the Internet or in books. Sometimes having visuals can inspire us to write. If you haven’t looked for pictures already, I encourage you to do so!

Work Toward a Goal

            A reason we may not want to finish writing a story is because it’s too daunting of a task. Any writing project will require lots of time and patience, but certain ideas may be more complex than others. Maybe you’re stuck figuring out a magic system, or you can’t choreograph a fight scene correctly. I personally pause at fight scenes because I know I’m about to jump into a bunch of description I don’t want to write.

            How can you stay hyped up for your story when certain parts require more thought and complex writing?

            I am going to list two ways, but if you can find other ways, that’s great!

1.     Reward

Working for a reward is one of the oldest tricks in the book. Even in jobs outside of writing, we work to earn our paycheck or a promotion that brings us closer to our career goal. Yes, we will (hopefully) be rewarded with being published when we finish our story. But you can give yourself little rewards too along the way.

If you’re struggling to write a scene, tell yourself that if you accomplish it, you can get a special treat, watch another episode of a show, or get whatever other reward you can think of. You obviously don’t get the reward if you don’t finish it, but if you want to be extra strict with yourself, take something away if you fail to finish the scene. When we were kids, our parents took away certain privileges if we failed to do our chores or homework. Who’s to say that taking away our own TV or reading privileges now won’t work? Until you finish that scene, take away something you know you’ll be bored without.

This method may not keep you excited exactly, but it gives you the discipline to finish the rough part and get back to the exciting portions of your story that you do want to write.

2.     A Certain Scene

            When I create a story idea, it’s usually because there are one or two scenes I really want to write. The excitement for the rest of my story is dull compared to how I feel about those scenes.

            If you look forward to writing certain scenes in your project, use that as motivation to write through the less exciting parts. Know that once you get through those sections, you will be rewarded with the privilege of finally writing the exciting scene. You may also find that writing other scenes will make the buildup toward the exciting parts even better. I have found that I often like writing the buildup better than the scene I was originally looking forward to.

            When you look forward to something, whether a reward or a certain scene, that can motivate you to write the less exciting parts that may cause you to abandon that story idea. Just as a separate warning though, if you are tempted to drop the story idea entirely because of a dull scene, your future reader may drop the book there too. If you’re bored with a scene, find a way to jazz it up so both you and the future reader won’t be tempted to quit.

            Don’t worry, almost every writer struggles to stick with one story. Whatever the reason, if you want to publish a book, you must finish a book. You can’t accomplish that if you’re moving from one story idea to another without completing anything. Find ways to keep yourself excited about your own story, whether that’s creating a playlist, finding pictures, or rewarding yourself. Writing a book is a huge commitment, and us authors often need to get creative when it comes to forcing ourselves to write!

Bibliography

Silvestri, A. (2019). Whatever It Takes. [Audio]. Avengers: End Game (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack). Marvel Music Inc.

Williams, J. (2015). The Abduction. [Audio]. Star Wars: The Force Awakens (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack). Lucasfilm LTD.