Motivation.

[smw]

I’d like to talk about motivation, what prompts it, what knocks it down. At the moment, I have two primary projects – the sequel to my first novel and a sprawling project by the name of To Love the Sky that I’ve had brewing for years upon years. While the sequel has a great deal going for it – sorceress main character! curses! madness! my stoical badass favorite woman I’ve ever written! – it’s the sprawler that’s getting my attention. Part of this is due to a name change in the first volume of the duology (it used to be Barter and is now Sea Change, which means it doesn’t match with Palter, the sequel’s), but it’s also tied to the fact that I have made the decision to post TLtS online for a small audience. That means people exist who I’m storytelling to, and that is far more pleasant than the possible money-making venture and source of wider readership that is Palter.

So, y’all: what gets your enthusiasm for a project revved? What shuts down the creative engine?

Comments

[intothewood]

I'm shut down right now, and it's because I have no idea where this thing is going. That's not usually a problem for me - I kind of like writing on the fly and letting the story develop for itself, but this one is going to require some planning. I'm a lazy writer, I don't like to make plans! It's a disruption to how I normally work and it's really thrown me.

I've picked up a very old piece that's really just a short story that may or may not have potential to become a novella. I already know exactly where it's headed so maybe that'll satisfy my current need for order. I figure if I can work on that, maybe complete it, I'll be ready to go back to the troublesome one.

Having an audience is very good motivation, I like writing to entertain my friends. I suppose the pressure on those sorts of projects for me is low, so I can just bash it out. The more personally invested I am, the more difficult it is to write. It's like I get frozen by my own expectations.

[gehayi]

Talking about projects. Talking about them is the surest way ever to be certain that the story won't be written. Once I figure out how the story ends and tell someone, I no longer need to write it. I'll talk once I get the first draft done--but I need to get that written first.

It drives me crazy, because all the writers I know LOVE to talk about their projects and I can't do that. And sometimes they don't like that very much. *sighs*

[jessicasteiner]

Talking about my project is always good. I think the key is to try to remember what it was about the project that excited you when it first came to you. If you can tap into that again, it'll rekindle the flame.

Another good motivator is picturing what it'll be like in the future when the project is complete. That's especially good when you're not just talking about one particular story, but for example if you're trying to become published, thinking about the end goal can be a motivator.

I also try to break projects into tiny chunks. Doing, say 500 words a day, or even 100 words a day, isn't TOO hard to get motivated for. And on days when I'm not feeling very motivated, I can just tell myself that I'll feel way better if I get this one little thing done, rather than failing to meet my goal. If the project seems overwhelming, it's hard on those bad days.

[jessicasteiner]

Actually, after reflecting a bit, I wrote up a detailed post on the topic, if anyone's interested in reading it.