The last couple of days and the past few conversations I’ve had, have lead me to think about motivation. In particular, a writer’s motivation to write.
I think it’s important as we head into the WORD Challenge to think of the reason you became a writer in the first place. We all had a reason, a goal, a plan when we first sat down to write. Do you remember yours?
Mine was the sheer joy of writing the magic of romance.
I can’t possibly convey to you how much I love to write. It’s not a chore or a job, but a necessity like breathing or an addict’s fix. Because really, there is such a rush when the correct combination of letters on the page create a perfect moment of magic. That time when the hero and the heroine come to life, when you can see them, feel their angst and flinch at their trials, when you care for them and their happiness–when they become real. That feeling of rightness, that mild hit of endorphines, that dizzying feeling of “damn, that’s good!” is the reason I write.
So as I enter the WORD Challenge, my tangible goal is to finish the last 300 pages of my rewrite, but the goal that truly motivates me is to write as many of those perfect moments as I can. Everyday, I’ll be working toward that end. When November is over, I expect to look back and think, “Wow, that was great.” and have a 414 page manuscript of many magic moments to show for it.
Writing can be draining, exhausting, frustrating, but please, please, please don’t ever let it become a chore.
Remember your motivation. Why do you write? Why is it important to you? Whatever you personal reason is, hold it close to you, tape it to your monitor if you have to. Rediscover the passion of writing. It should refresh you, revitalize you. You conceived your story idea for a reason, at one time it inspired you. Let it do so again.
Forget page counts and words written, concentrate on your characters and their story. Fall in love with them all over again, or if you’re starting a new book, allow yourself to fall in love for the first time. Your manuscript is a beautiful work of art, brought to life by your hands. Allow the joy of that to overcome everything else.
Yep. That is what it all boils down to when you get to the nitty gritty of writing: passion. Whether one is a beginner or advanced; e-pubbed or NY pubbed; new author mid-list or best-seller;etc one should always have passion for what one is writing. I think that is one of the reasons so many readers(online that is) are so bored and jaded with the romance industry today. Writers have lost their initial passion–or even most of it–to compete within the confines of the market; to keep up with the “Joneses”(in our case, authors like Nora Roberts, Julia Quinn, Jennifer Crusie, Laurell K Hamilton, and other really prominent romance/romance sub-plot authors.); to keep up with fellow writer friends or aquaintances; to combat the fear whenever we read a market report on what’s selling; or what is going on within a certain publishing house. Yes, constant visibility on the shelves is important–especially for a new author–but sacrificing one’s passion for writing for shelf space will ultimately hurt one in the long run. This is why I have stopped myself from allowing my passion to diminish due to outside influences–and why I am so fortunate to know alot of great writers who share the same mindset towards writing as I do.
on October 30th, 2004 at 1:41 am
I’m with Isaac… I write because I have to. I’m a fourth generation writer, and I always knew I was doomed… er, destined to be a writer :grin:. I wrote my first full novel (almost eighty pages) in fourth grade and never really stopped writing after that. I’m pretty sure the urge to write is related to obsessive compulsive disorder, and I don’t mean that in a facetious way– some of the “symptoms” I experience when I’m involved in writing a book seem perilously close to OCD to me, like a total inability to concentrate on anything else. But either way, I write because it’s what I do. There are days I wouldn’t mind quitting, but let’s face it… it’s not gonna happen!
on October 30th, 2004 at 5:44 am
YES YES YES!!! GAWD that was good. And I agree w/Ellen on the OCD aspect too(LOL@doomed). I’ve even gotten into a ritual that I clean after every ms
because the poor place suffers so bad when I’m writing.
I can’t immagine not writing.
But at least now I’ve reached the point I can give myself time off and I’m not quite so inclined to obsess about it. 
There’s even a healthy twinge of fear that keeps me writing. I spent three years unable to write and a part of me is scared I’ll end up back in THAT place.
I’ve said it before but I’ll say it again. A good day of writing is the day you can’t stop becuase you can’t wait to find out what your characters do next.
on October 30th, 2004 at 6:19 am
ok, Don’t blast me, but I think I could stop writing. LOL It’s nto that I dont; enjoy it. But My enjoyment and satisfaction coem s more form the finsihed product than the actual writing. It comes from the sense of accomplishement I get when I look at te page number at the end of the day and see that i actually progressed.
AND I also agree with the OCD thing. I think that’s why I struggle often. Because I would like to have some Balnace in my life, between work, family, friends and writing. And none of my family or friends are writers so they have no concept of understanding when I say I need time alone to write. And balance is hard to find when I get so bsessed with whatever I’m writing that I blow everyone off, and then then they get demandeing and the guilt trips come. I’m sure you all can understand that as well. But I do find that these things can take away from my love of writing. I just hope and pray for the day when I can write full time to come soon. Because yes, sometimes I do feel like giving up on it. Not because I don’t love writing, but because I can …and sometimes I just get tiredof trying to strike that balance.
on October 30th, 2004 at 12:13 pm
I understand about balance. Believe me. As long as I can balance my dayjob, my kids and my writing I’m happy. Everyone else can take a walk. The ringer on my phone has an off button. And I have Caller ID
But guilt I have no use for anymore. I am selfish. What I want comes first. What I want for my kids comes first and everyone else can fall in behind me! I spent too many years of my life letting folks walk all over me and step on my feelings and ignoring my feelings. Now it’s my turn to be a selfish b**ch.
And I’m sorry but I adore you and it pisses me off that people guilt you into giving up any of your very valuable writing time :evil:. How in the world can you write full time someday if you can’t write now because people guilt you into giving up time on something that is NOT important to them??
They will never understand what isn’t important to them.
Grrrrrrrrrr my breaks over before I start rambling even worse….
on October 30th, 2004 at 1:53 pm