One of the reasons authors suffer writers block is because their mind focuses on the perceived inadequacy of their writing. Most times, these perceptions are too harsh, going far beyond any constructive, honest self-appraisal. When this occurs, the mind shuts down, leaving the writer to say, “I don’t know what to write next” and almost any suggestion of what to pen is met with a “That won’t work.”

To overcome this problem, focus less on the problems you’re having writing and more on how the act itself benefits you. Uppermost among these benefits is that it is pleasurable. Writing for the pure enjoyment of it can relieve the pressure of writing with the aim of publishing or to sell a book. Another benefit is to simply exercise your skills. An athlete does not aim to perform as if in the championship game but instead uses training and practice to develop his skills and strength and speed. Likewise, you should not try to pen a bestseller at every writing session but instead develop your ability to plot a story, to write engaging dialogue, to show rather than tell, and so on.

In a sense, you want to say to yourself, “I’m just happy to write.”

Adapting this mindset will help motivate you. You are now writing simply because you have the freedom to write.

And as you look back at some of the writings from those sessions, you likely will be surprised: much of it is better than what you’ve previously written; much of it is publishable; and much of it will sell.