After a year of working on the 52 First Drafts Project, I have learned many things. Maybe the most important has been – how to get my bottom into a chair, and how to keep it there.

I think I’ve been lucky. Most of the time I enjoy what I am writing, so am motivated to write.

But then there are other days; days with no ideas, no motivation, and no desire. Days when the bed, the park, the internet, a torture chamber, all seem much more inviting.

Here are my tips to help you sit down and write.

1. Remember that you love writing. Why do you write? To get rich? To become famous? Because it beats taking out the trash? Probably not. Hopefully because you love it. Remind yourself. And you’ll have to take out the trash anyways.

2. Have a snack first. Don’t let being peckish be an excuse. And hydrate. Writing can be exhausting.

3. Remove distractions. No computer (if you type on the computer, close everything you are not using). No phone. No TV. No pets. No people. No looking out the window. Just NO.

4. Accountability. Tell people what you are doing. Tell your family you will be writing. Tell a critique partner. Announce on Twitter or Facebook that you are planning to finish a chapter by that very evening, and you want people to ask you about it later. Accountability works for me. The thought of public shame is simply too terrible for me to bear.

5. Set goals; short term and long term. What do you hope to have written by the end of the year? Month? Week? Day? Hour? The more specific, the more likely you are to accomplish it.

6. Make lists and notes. Visual reminders of your goals work wonders. Put them in places you frequent. For me that would be the pantry, and the novelty ice cream freezer at the local supermarket.

7. Deadlines. Write those goals down in your calendar. Break it down into small manageable bits. Mine was straight forward: a new picture book first draft every Tuesday. In 52 weeks I was only late by one day once. I had a very good excuse. Really. (Not really)

8. Set a timer. This works miracles for me. The clock puts my brain in work mode. Keep it short. If you want to work for an hour, set it for 15 minutes, then keep resetting it. It’s easy to work for only 15 minutes, and only 15 minutes, and only …

9. Physically block yourself. I have a habit of standing up to think. Pacing gets my juices flowing. Unfortunately pacing does not get the pencil to touch the paper. I actually place chairs in my way so that standing is difficult. When I bump into it, I’m reminded that I should be writing, and I sit back down. We’ve all seen comic images of workers chained to their desks. Yes, please.

10. Find your inspiration. Find those things that inspire you. Find quotes, pretty pictures, things you’ve written, a nice note from a critique partner, things you’ve writen down at conferences, a positive response from an agent about your work. Put them where you work. Read them. They should be things that remind you you are a writer and that writing is important to you.

11. Treat yourself. When you finish writing, reward yourself. If every time your dog rolls over, you give it bacon, it will want to keep rolling over. Do it. You deserve it. Make it something small and something that you like. You won’t even have to beg for it.

Here is one of my favorite quotes.

“Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn’t do than by the ones you did. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.” – Mark Twain

I love the message. I love the imagery. I love the writing. Seeing it always inspires me.

What works for you? Add to this list. We all work differently, so the more ideas to choose from, the better. I wish you all luck – seated, scribbling luck.