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If you’ve ever struggled to write consistently–and what writer hasn’t–the problem may not necessarily be lack of time or lack of motivation. It may be because you lack the proper writer’s mindset.

Yes, there is such a thing as a writer’s mindset. The best description of the writer’s mindset comes from the Derbyshire Writing School:

* A writing mindset is about developing a way of thinking that supports our creativity, productivity and persistence within our written work.

* It’s about reframing our thinking and challenging negative patterns of behavior and automatic thinking.

* It’s about harnessing your attitude and self-belief to power through blocks to write.

In my mind, the writing mindset is about being in the right headspace to write. It’s learning to banish negative thought patterns that might interfere with your creativity and productivity. It’s about refraining from making excuses about why you don’t write. 

Whether you’re just starting out on your writing journey or you’ve been writing for some time, there will be periods when you doubt your abilities as writers and wonder if you should keep pursuing your writing dream or give up on it.

Don’t give up on it just yet. To know if you need to adjust your mindset about writing, ask yourself the following questions.

1. Is writing fun or is it a chore?

When you look at writing as one more thing to add to your to-do list or it’s become a chore that you don’t look forward to doing, like washing dishes or cleaning the bathroom, then you’re not in the proper mindset. Writing should be fun. The fun is in finding the right words to convey your thoughts and emotions and seeing your stories come alive on the page. If it stops feeling like fun, think of how it can be fun again.

2. Do you believe in your writing talents?

Try this exercise: On a scale of 1 to 10, how much belief do you have in your abilities? If you have little faith in your talents and abilities, writing will seem harder, storytelling will be like trudging through quicksand. It’s not always easy to block out the voice of the inner critic. The key, I think, is to surround yourself with people who DO believe in your talents. Allow them to buoy you so you can float past the times when self-doubt tries to sink your best efforts.

3. Are you taking care of your creative needs?

We can get so caught up in our everyday responsibilities that we neglect our personal needs–whether that’s emotional, mental, or physical. Our creative needs are just as important, but we tend to forget this aspect of our existence. I believe our need to express ourselves becomes more pronounced as we get older. We need to heed the call to create, whether it’s painting, dancing or writing. Taking care of our creative needs is good for our well-being–and it’s good for our writing.

4. Do you believe in the story you’re currently working on?

If you don’t care about the subject matter or if the story doesn’t feel quite right, that can make you feel that you’re wasting your time. Not everything you write will be quality work. In fact, much of it will be junk. Don’t let that stop you from keeping at it. With practice, comes excellence. Writing is a process of self-discovery, which is never time wasted. So keep writing, and keep discovering. If you’re still not satisfied with the story or don’t believe in it, it may be time to switch things up.  

5. Are you constantly comparing yourself to other writers?

Comparing yourself to other writers is a trap. Don’t fall for it. When you compare yourself to others, you will always fall short, which can kill your writing career before it ever starts. The truth is you don’t know how long they’ve been writing, or what obstacles they’ve had to overcome to achieve success. You don’t know what their journey has been like. But you do know about your own journey. It’s okay to learn from the success of others. Just avoid comparisons because it will stop you in your tracks.

6. Do you wait for inspiration to strike before you write?

If you’re always waiting for inspiration, you may be waiting an awfully long time. Inspiration doesn’t come at the snap of the fingers. Since starting my own writing journey, I’ve found that the more I sit down to write, the more stories come to me. Now I have more stories in my head than I have time to write them! That’s never a bad problem to have. So even if you don’t feel like writing, even if you think you have nothing to write about, sit down and put words down on the page. The door to inspiration will open eventually.

7. Are you focused on the process or the outcome?

When you write, are you more concerned about what the end game looks like, such as landing that first contract, or is the writing process more important? Many successful writers say they didn’t set out to be famous but to write their story. The fame and success came later after they had made a commitment to sit down and write. Focus on the process of writing. Tell your story. As a colleague once told me years ago, “Success comes before work only in the dictionary.”

8. What does success mean to you?

Being a successful writer means different things to different people. For some, success means self-publishing their first novel. For others, it’s simply getting through the first draft and getting the words down on the page. Yet others believe success comes with signing a contact with a publishing house. Think about what success means to you. Then take steps to achieve it. 

Having the proper writing mindset is no guarantee of success (whatever that means to you). The only true measure of success is sitting down to write. Think of the writing mindset as one more tool in your toolbox.