The Hunger Games, Writer Style

As a copywriter, you may write several articles every working day. After a time, your creative soul may shrivel up and want to crawl into a corner. This brings on the Hunger Games, writer style. Your hunger –and need – for positive cash flow fights with your desire to hang up the fountain pen after a prolonged dry spell.

When I’m struggling with article writing, I like to get through it by playing games. No, I’m not taking about Candy Crush or Papa Bear Saga (though I did have a good run on Papa Bear a while ago). I’m talking about some creative ways to push through the work that needs to get done. Now, be forewarned. I tend to be easily amused. I don’t need to visit Disney World to thoroughly enjoy myself. But here are a few games you might like to try next time you’re struggling to get through your article writing tasks.

The Word Game

I’ve always been a fan of word games, even as a child. One game I like to play is this: I choose one word for the day — it should be a unique word, one that is not generally used in everyday writing or conversation — then I make myself fit it into everything I write for that day. The rule is that it has to fit naturally, so the article doesn’t suffer because of my use of the word. I’m actually playing that game today. See if you can figure out what the word is.

Playing for Time

This little game is actually just making use of time to motivate myself. A few other writers use this technique, but it’s still worth mentioning. Just look at the clock and time how long it takes you to write a certain amount of words. Then time yourself for the rest of the day. Make yourself keep on schedule by never exceeding the allotted amount of time per 100 words, or 200 words, etc. This is a great way to stay focused and get your work done so you can sail off on your boat for the rest of the afternoon. (If you don’t have a sailboat yet, don’t worry. Keep timing yourself and you will soon!)

Playing for Pennies

At one point in my long and illustrious career, I was writing lots of short articles for little pay. (I don’t advice this as a path to boat ownership.) To stay motivated, and also to help keep track of how many shorties I’d written, I developed a little game. I placed a cocktail glass next to my desk next to a pile of pennies. Every time I finished a shorty (article, that is), I’d throw a penny into the glass. At the end of the day, I counted up the pennies, and each one stood for a certain amount of money that I had made. It was strangely rewarding, hearing that clink each time a penny dropped. The best part is, it kept me motivated and kept my fingers tapping on the keyboard.

Hopefully some of these ideas may come in handy for you when you’re running short on motivation for your article writing. Feel free to comment if they’ve helped.