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February 7, 2011

What Keeps You Motivated? [Discussion]

Photo: photosteve101 | Flickr

It’s a common cliché when it comes to New Year’s Resolutions: they’re easy to make and easy to break. If you followed our goal-setting process, you have specific goals and steps for getting there laid out. These will help stave off the need for much a ton of additional motivation — but if you ask me,  a little extra motivation is never a bad thing.

This month, we’re going to work on keeping you motivated to reach those goals. We have some specific ideas in mind on how to boost your motivation (regardless of where you are in the publishing process), but first we want to hear from you! Tell us:

  • Where are you in the publishing process? Are you still writing your book? Trying to market the heck out of it? Attempting to determine which self-publishing service is right for you?
  • What hurdles have popped up as you progress toward your goals?
  • How do you maintain motivation toward your goals? What helps you the most when you need a boost or when things seem dire?
  • What motivational advice would you give to other authors in the same step of the process as you?

Please take a few moments to give us your input using the comments form below. We’ll use your responses to craft our post topics for the next two weeks, so don’t hesitate to ask questions or make additional comments about what keeps you motivated!

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  • Bethie

    My only new year’s resolution for 2011 was/is to finish a novel. I’m quite skilled in starting books, but so far not a single one of my 10+ full-length stories have been completed. To help reach this goal–which is as terrifying as it is exciting–I’ve challenged myself to write a chapter a week. This forces me to work within a short term deadline while helping me with my long term goal as well.

    The biggest hurdle I’ve had to overcome is my own crippling perfectionism. I have a tendency to undervalue my writing, and if a word, phrase, or paragraph doesn’t strike me as brilliant from the moment it gets put on the page, I get discouraged and stop. Or I spend hours trying to find the perfect alternative for it, rather than just write, write, write, and edit later.

    The best way to keep me at it is the relentless harassment I receive from my best friend. She’s the go-to girl when I get stuck in a rut; she’s even written a few “nudge” passages and “outtakes” to prompt me into moving forward. If I’m slipping behind and she hasn’t had a snippet of a new chapter in a while, I know to expect a text demanding to know why. I also post chapters to a writer’s community so that I know how a reader would respond to certain plot twists and character developments, and I get encouragement and criticism when needed. If I was left on my own, I know I’d never make it.

    For others who are in the same situation, I’d say write. Just write. I know we hear it time and time again, but it’s absolutely true. Don’t demand perfection of yourself with the first draft, or even the first three, four, five… however many it takes to get you to that point. Worry about all the little details later. And get a friend on board! It’s scary sharing such a personal endeavor with others, but getting that feedback is so important. It’s like staring at a thousand piece puzzle for hours. Sometimes you need someone with a fresh perspective to walk by and point out the pieces you need.

  • Anne-Mhairi

    I find myself paralysed by fear that I won’t be able to write down the story I have swirling around in my head in such a way as to do it justice. I have planned, planned and planned this book and now I find that I can’t really do anything because I think it’s just going to be worthless anyway.

    My family think I’m insane and my friends are so relentlessly encouraging that I can only assume they are lying about how much they like my writing.

    No one jumps up and down on me to write, nor is there a local writing group I can join, so I find myself reading a lot of advice about writing and making friends with masses of authors, editors, etc on Twitter without actually doing much authoring…

    I think my only hope is to eventually become so disgusted with my lack of self-esteem that I will get down to writing just to prove myself wrong.

  • I own a rather large site for writers, and one of the most common discussions is on motivation to keep writing. While it can vary somewhat from person to person, the bottom line is that you have to want to tell the story you are writing. If you don’t care, then why should you come back to it and work hard to make it right?

    And more than that, if you don’t care for the story you’re writing, why should anyone care to read it? The passion has to come from you to be fed to the reader.

    I see a lot of people use the carrot method (if I finish this scene, I get some chocolate), and that will work in the short term. It can even make it fun. However, you still have to want to write the stories you have to tell. If those stories don’t call to you and draw you back, then why are you writing at all? If it’s to make money, you’re going to be really disappointed. If it’s for the fame, you’re’ also going to be disappointed. Sure, there are authors who are rich and famous — but they also love what they’re writing.

    It’s hard work to get the stories right. It means going far beyond merely writing the tale. You won’t be a great writer in your first attempt. You are going to have to learn new things, hone your skills, write more and more — and if you do not love writing and the stories you are telling, then you will not have the motivation to see it through.

    Motivation has to come from wanting to write You can’t always buy it with Chocolate or a video game.

  • Anne-Mhairi —

    There are two things to remember about writing.

    First, only you can tell the story that you have in your head. If you don’t, no one else will and the story is lost. Even if you told me exactly what the story is about and gave me a detailed outline, I would not write the same story you would tell. This is your gift. You need not fear it.

    Second, writers are blessed by the muses with something called The First Draft. Unlike many other arts, it doesn’t matter if the work is not exactly perfect the first time through. Or the second. We are allowed to work, reword, rewrite and edit until it is the story we want to tell.

    So you don’t have to fear writing. The only way you can make that story ‘right’ is to start writing it. And the only story you can’t fix is the one you never write and finish.

  • I’m still learning where that motivation to write is coming from. Though I’ve written for over 10 years, fiction is new to me. I’m currently doing the fiction project for the art coop and time is my main motivation. But the other is the push in my belly that says, “there’s something I want to say.” It’s finding the heart of that that seems elusive.

    • Toni

      Thanks for the amazing comments, everyone! We really appreciate your insight. Still working through the responses, but just had to jump in here right quick and get that out! Great discussion.