I don't know if this makes sense, but when just writing doesn't work for me, having a plan motivates me to write. I guess what I just said means that simply reflecting on it motivates me, rather than just trying to expand on it. Sorry, not sure if it made sense...
Seconded. I write best when I sit and figure out what's going to get written when I start. Helps me think out the story and stuff.
I listen. To everything that goes on around me. Conversations. Things happening. Inspiration comes from everywhere and inspiration is the mother of motivation.
I push on. But is something bogs you down, identify it. If keeping track of all the ideas and what you planning is the planning, do that in an "Ideas and stuff"- document rather then in your head. If the problem is that you strive to keep all the 5000 words perfect, rather then just keep on writing try to get out of the thinking etc. If something is bogging you down i sounds like some specific issues that you can address and handle.
I'll try my best to keep going but I'd never force myself if it doesn't work. As I am younger than most of the people here, most probably, I have one of the shortest attention spans, and so end up writing a range of half a page to two pages every time I sit down for about an hour, but the gaps in between can reach up to a week, which I need to work on. I prefer to write short stories as they can be finished, without much brainstorming, in one session. However, have one project which I sometimes need motivation for, often I find it in everyday activites, for example, were I to write about a game of basketball that occured during the story, I'd try to finish my basketball game and then write as soon as I got home. Experience helps motivation.
Writing is my job. Being broke is great motivation Usually the need to get the story on the page and out of my head is motivation enough. I think that while it is the usual advice, just sitting down and writing really is the best thing to do when stuck. There has to be a point for every writer with every piece where you get started and keep going. Thinking about writing isn't writing and won't get work done.
I have always had the same problem with writing, writing short stories and slowly increasing the length over each story is a good way to train yourself to write longer, I'm currently trying to do that and it's working out so far.
It's always a good idea to set a word minimum for each day. For some people it's one sentence, for others it's a page. It doesn't matter, the point is to ensure you don't stop writing when you're feeling uninspired.
I force myself to write; I wrote six pages of my script yesterday, so I will be upping the ante to around eight or ten pages for today.
I write something every day, whether it's a blog post, a journal entry, or a detailed shopping list ( ) as a warm up. THEN, I get down to business. The writing may not be up to par, but I can either fix that or scrap it for later use. At least I'm getting something on paper. I have a daily word count goal of at least 3000 words and yesterday I wrote 4300. My secondary goal (if I can't get at least 3000 words) is to write at least one scene. Also, I try to live by the following quote by Peter DeVries: "I only write when I'm inspired, and I make sure I'm inspired every morning at 9 a.m."
I tend to believe that if what I am writing is boring me, then a reader is definitely going to bored reading it. It is a signal to me that maybe I need to take things in another direction or get some more movement in the story.
I absolutely agree with this. When I write something that is no good it's hard for me to go back and reread and rewrite it to be good so I just give up on it. It's often for this reason (which isn't good) that I procrastinate even starting stories. It may sound great in my head and I may love the IDEA of writing it but what if I write it and it sucks and I just never want to touch it again? It's a mentality that I certainly have to work on, so maybe it's time to start. I have three "good" ideas floating around in my head and I still haven't put pen to paper on any of them - I'll just have to kick myself and start somewhere I suppose...
i came across this simple method after starting my first and only book. Making outlines is the key. When I begin a chapter or even just a pargraph I note down everything which should be there, every important part, everything this part needs. This way the chance of getting demotivated because of losing the so called red string is reduced to nearly zero. of course everybody has a day where the inspiration is totally missing, in this case I use the day to correct or rewrite parts of my chapters. I read the chapters again and again and look for potential flaws. Sometimes this even helps me to get my inspiration back. In case it doesn't, it does not matter cause I am still proud of myself for getting some work done. I also put in specific breaks during a week. I always write when I like too, I never force myself to write. e.g on monday I write alot because I am full of motivation but the day after I don't want to write. Then I open the document and read the last bit I have written like 3 times at least. When I don't feel like writing after that, I close it again and do something else like reading a book or even playing some games. Hope that helped somehow.
i never have to motivate myself to write... it's nearly the same to me as breathing... i can't not do it... this may irritate some here, but i truly believe that if one is 'meant' to be a writer, or has committed oneself fully to being one, then lack of motivation simply isn't an issue... though being able to stop, or finding the time to write could be...
I don't need to motivate myself either; I really enjoy it. And I feel bad when I've NOT wrote something. My problem is if I like a bit of writing enough to finish it.
i feel a little bit kidded there, the two of you never had a day where your motivation was nowhere to find? well yes i love writing. My friends are always shocked how much and how fast text i can produce in skype or msn when i just try to tell them a simple story of what happened today. Sometimes they get annoyed. But thats just because they are too lazy to read this mass of text and want to know the keylines, the important part.
^ Not really, I've sometimes felt like I had nothing to say or nothing interesting to write; but I've never not had the motivation to write. Even if I write something that is boring (like this post) there will be few who will read it, so why should I care.
^ true indeed. Guess my interpretation of motivation was more like you said above. "nothing to say" or "nothing on my mind". Although its probably more of a "lack of words" or "lack of a subject". Still my method does work for me, even though my interpretation of the subject is different.
I haven't read all the responses, so I'm not sure if someone has suggested this or not yet. But I do a pretty detailed outline, so I know where the story is going, but also so that I can start writing at any point in the story that I want. I hate starting at Chapter 1, so I start where I feel like writing! It's great for writer's block. If you don't like the section you are working on, just leave it, look at your outline, and write what strikes your fancy that day. I just have a certain number of words a day (usually 1000) that I need to write, but it doesn't matter if it is consecutive. I often find that when I come back to a scene I had been blocked at, I can usually work past it, and sometimes even find it flows easily.
The experience that in writing something I have to master it to a higher level. This always brings out new understanding of the subject in me and improves my knowledge and my writing.
I'm facing this problem right now. So, thanks for this post I have been trying to finish a collection of poems- basically gathering all my poems that were scattered for years on (rewriting and editing included) and it was ambitious to filter and edit nearly 70 poems in 2 months.(I can't do otherwise for now as I have a full-time teaching job at a hectic place so I am literally drained after work). But now that 14 are left, I feel so demotivated! I was expecting I would feel better and more enthusiastic as I would approach the end of it.. I tried both methods, forcing me to sit and write and it failed. I ended up just making an outline that I was not willing at all to write, so my writing became literally dead in it. Now I am trying the other option after I read about someone who gives a phase of 'creating the urge' before starting to pen things on paper.I have not touched it since a four days now due to other commitments.( I was preparing for my driving test- which I got today ) So, I will see if I can work on those parts as soon as the urge makes me feel ready for it. Maybe it will work for me. (fingers crossed) ...Not that I don't know what to do with them, I know but it is either plain demotivation or laziness!
I only write when I want to. I write when I am inspired relaxed and in the mood. I do not write for a living I write for fun because that is the only I can get hundred per cent of me in my writing. Writing under pressure si not something I do. I despise word counts too. I do not like being told what to write how to write and when to finish. I write according to me.
I agree with maia and lemex, I don't have to motivate myself to write, I LOVE IT and I never feel any pressure that I "have to write" or have to produce something of quality, maybe that is why I rarely get writers block? Sure there are days when I rather read a good book in my bed while drinking a cup of tea, so I do that, I don't make a big issue of it. The day after a "day off" like that the words come more easily to me. As somebody else said too, I find outlines are a good help for the times when I lack ideas, to me it's something to fall back on and not something I should strictly follow. Basically I make writing something enjoyable, something that makes me look forward to it every day. I don't have to reward myself, the writing is its own reward.
I love to write, but I admit I don't always want to. There are things I'd rather do sometimes: watch a movie, play a game, read a book. But when I don't want to and I know I should, I compel myself to. I don't really need any motivation except for me getting on myself for it.
