1. Do things to help you feel inspired.
If you’re having trouble writing something, it’s probably because you don’t feel inspired to do it. This can relate to any piece you’re writing, whether it’s for personal interest or academic. Take a walk, read an interesting article on the topic or find a way to involve yourself above just writing it.
2. Keep an open mind.
When writing something academic, make sure you don’t think about it as strictly academic. By doing this you will limit yourself. In writing academic pieces you can still be creative, even though the structure is more formal. If you tell yourself you don’t want to do it, you’re not going to want to do it.
3. If you wake up at 3 in the morning to write something, write it.
If the idea was powerful enough to wake you up, don’t brush it off. Don’t say you will remember it in the morning, because you won’t. If you don’t want to write it at 3 a.m., write down notes and fill in the pieces in the morning. Don’t let good ideas slip away when you get that sudden rush of energy to write.
4. Don’t tell anyone what you are writing; keep it a mystery.
Until a piece is finished, you shouldn’t tell someone what you’re working on and how you’re building it up. Even in an academic piece, your ideas are your ideas.
5. Don’t give away the ending.
While this is geared more toward fiction and other creative pieces, telling someone how you want to end your work takes away the suspense, especially while working toward it. You won’t feel as strong of a drive to keep writing because someone already knows where it is going.