Motivation is unreliable. It shows up inconsistently and disappears under stress, fatigue, or uncertainty. Writers often wait for motivation before moving, writing, or taking care of themselves, and then feel frustrated when it doesn’t arrive.
Momentum works differently. Momentum comes from small actions repeated often enough to reduce resistance. It doesn’t require enthusiasm. It requires starting.
For writers, momentum might look like opening the document, standing up between sessions, or taking a short walk instead of pushing through exhaustion. These actions seem minor, but they change how the work feels.
For me, I built my early writing career (2009-2020) on a goal of 2,000 words a day. I didn’t write every day, mind you, but when I was in a project and working the 2,000 word goal was the mark on the wall. I hit it with devastating regularity. Why devastating? The later years of that period (2018-2020) I struggled at times with all of the areas of life outside of writing. I was spending more time writing than being engaged with my family. I lost sight of hobbies and activities I’d loved since childhood and virtually stopped several of them.
My wife and I talked about it one day and I realized I’d been pushing too hard. I did so believing that the next book, the next story, the next thing would be the one to make all the difference. Velvet ropes would part, champagne would fall from the heavens, and I’d start raking in the money. All I had to do was keep working and producing at a feverish pace.
What a damned lie that was.
So, I decided to cut back my daily goal to 1,100 words. I can do this most days in less than an hour. If I exceed that, great, but if I don’t? An hour is pretty easy to handle and it gives me the opportunity to be present and engaged with my family. It’s not about the output – it’s the momentum. As long as I’m writing every day, I have momentum. Last year, I wrote 100,000 words in a month. Yes, you read that right. In a month.
Did my goals change? No. That 1,100 word goal was in place and never wavered. What happened was that after the summer ended and the kids went back to school, my schedule opened up and some ideas I’d had bouncing around in my head came out. Once I had the momentum, the words continued flowing to insane quantities. I had an 8,000 word day. Before 2020, I probably would’ve said I can do that every day and pushed myself to the point of collapse. Instead, I laughed it off and said that I was 7 days ahead of pace. It was a game. There were a few days where it was just a 1,200 or so words a day, but there were plenty of 3-4K word days, too.
Make your goals work for you. Structure them so they move you forward. That’s momentum!
Momentum builds confidence quietly. Each small action makes the next one easier. Waiting for motivation keeps you stuck. Acting first creates the conditions for motivation to follow. If you’re feeling stalled, don’t ask how to feel motivated. Ask what the smallest next step is.