As I begin to work on the drafts for the sequel to The Final Born, I thought I’d do a little post on drafting motivation. So you’re working on your first draft. Everything is going perfectly, you think you’ve found the one! This is it! This will be your big break! But then the butterflies go away. The pages lose their luster, and the story seems bleak.

Suddenly, any other idea seems better and it feels like everyone else is doing much better with their own work. This couldn’t be further from the truth. Every writer goes through a slow time in their writing, and it’s easy to get stuck on a project. That’s why it’s important not to lose hope and try a few tricks to get back into the swing of things. That’s why today’s post is about getting excited about your draft again.

Six Ways to Find Excitement in Writing Your Draft Again

Craft a Playlist that Suits Your Story

To start off, consider putting together some music that fits the vibe of your story. When you’re stuck, go through the playlist and let the music inspire scenes, characters, or the overall plot.

I find that making different playlist for different aspects of the story help inspire me to get back into writing. While I listen to the music I start by taking notes for what ideas it gives me, then develop the ideas further into scene practices or by writing the story itself.

Discuss Ideas with Friends and Family

If you have a few ideas or directions you can take the story and you aren’t really sure which one excites you, or if one idea feels incomplete — try bouncing these ideas off your friends or family and see what feedback you get. Getting multiple opinions or ideas may better help you formulate what steps to take next with your story.

Sometimes the answer was staring you right in the face and takes an outside opinion to find this answer. I know I’ve had this happen a lot, which is why I am really thankful for my friends helping me figure out different ways to continue the plot of my latest book, The Spellbound Abbey.

Dialogue then Description

The best way I find to get unstuck from an unexciting draft is to focus on the dialogue in a scene first. Like having a conversation, the words flow faster when you focus on the back and forth more than describing the setting.

Try writing dialogue between characters you’ve never had interact before, or look up dialogue prompts and write practice scenes based on those prompts. As a practice when you’re stuck, focus on writing dialogue first then come back to fill in the descriptions later.

Get to Know Your Characters Better

When a story starts feeling a little dry, chances are it’s because you don’t know your characters well enough. They aren’t fully fleshed out, or the relationships between each one feel dull. Try to get to know them a little better. Look up writing prompts and consider which characters would fit each prompt.

Write practice scenes of each character to get to know them better, consider everyday interactions like at a cafe or at school and toss your characters into these situations and see what happens. As you get to know your character more and more, chances are you’ll find it more exciting to write about them in your story.

Make a Mood Board/Pinterest Board

When all else fails, mood boards save the day. I spend a lot of time on Pinterest saving pins that I find inspiring for stories. Create a board for each character with aesthetics and vibes that suit each one, or save quotes, poems, and tidbits that inspire you to write out notes for the plot.

I often come back to my mood boards on Pinterest when I’m stuck with the story so I have a visual representation of the original idea I wanted to portray in my writing. It helps make the draft a little more exciting to write.

When All Else Fails, Take a Brain Break

Sometimes it is ok to admit that a draft isn’t going to feel exciting to write anytime soon. Rather than try to force it, take a brain break. Work on another project, or take time to read some books you enjoy to recoup and get back some creative energy.

Once you’re ready to write again, you’ll know. Trying to force a creative hobby can end in burnout and exhaustion which means it will be even longer before you can get back into writing your draft. So be sure to take care of yourself and give your brain a healthy break.

In Conclusion

There are many ways to spark excitement back into your story draft, but remember to not try to force it if the story still doesn’t interest you after all of this. Sometimes a story needs to be reconfigured or straight-up scrapped in the end, and that’s ok. Not every story idea is a winner, but it is important to come across ideas like this to have a better understanding of the type of story you want to write.

I hope these few tips do help bring some creative excitement back to your draft, and if not I hope you find a better story idea that does spark joy for you. Happy writing!