First of all I actually like writing. Still, there are days where no amount of love for the craft can get me past that blank screen. Those days are tough. These are the days where I know I have to force it. I also know that as soon I get past that it gets easier.

Since I love writing it's my dream to make a living by doing so. I'm getting there, slowly, but I'm getting there. So articles are used to earn money, how? Well there are a number of different ways, but the fact is that money can easily be a motivation. A good motivation.

One of the ways to earn money writing articles is by getting paid by someone to write it. That's an awesome motivator. Not only do you get some additional cash flow when the article is done, you now also have a deadline. Deadlines are one of the best motivators I know of.

Articles are also a great tool for promotion. Whether it's self promotion or promotion of a product or a business. Being a published author does wonders for your credibility as I'll be getting into. So getting cheap promotion is another great motivator.

One of the things you can promote through an article is a website. Now most article directories don't like a lot of promotion in the article, but you're allowed to have a link to your website in the author box. Not only does that allow people who read the article and click the link to visit your website. It also increases the amount of one way links to your website.

The credibility gained by publishing an article can not be underestimated. If people like what you write they will see you as an authority on the subject. Being an authority earns you trust, which may lead to purchases, site visits and so on.

Who would you rather buy a product from. Somebody you don't know at all or somebody who is a know authority in her field? That was an easy one, wasn't it? Becoming an authority through article writing will not only give your site more visitors it will also make buyers out of potential customers.

Maybe you're not trying to sell anything. Maybe you just need to reinforce your position as an expert (that's still selling though). Articles can do that too.

So you don't want to gain anything for yourself. You just want to raise awareness about a subject. That's great! That probably means you're emotionally involved in the subject. Being emotionally involved is the greatest motivator there is.

If none of the above motivates you then what? Well, maybe article writing isn't for you. However, there is one trick that can usually get me going when all else fails. Taking a walk. Yeah, that's right! Taking a short walk usually gets my head spinning with ideas that I just have to write about.