Chuck Wendig | You don't need motivation

[Fishbowl Helmet]

Another great piece by Chuck over here. The demotivational poster at the start is worth the click, but the article is worth your time as well.

Here's a snippet from about the middle...

Waiting for motivation or inspiration or time — it’s like expecting a present and receiving none. It’s like waking up on your birthday that nobody remembers, and you stumble around all day hoping that someone will spring out of an alleyway and besiege you with delicious cake or slap a gift into your hands except that doesn’t happen.

Nothing comes and you go to bed, unfulfilled and uncelebrated.

Conjuring little tips and tricks — they work. I know they work. I use them. You use them. But you can also rely on them too much. You can use them to the point that they cease to be tricks and they become cheats — it becomes an act where you are constantly trying to fool yourself into writing. You’re looking for fuel, but can I tell you a secret?

You don’t need fuel.

You generate your own energy.

You generate your own momentum.

 

[Gonk the Insane]

Wise words. I was hooked at "maniac zombie parrot". The more you write, I think, the easier it is to find motivation/inspiration.

 

[Juliana]

That was fun. I do like his blog.
(hashtag wizard of oz)

And I definitely agree; the more you write, the easier it is to sit down and write.

 

[Toby Frost]

I think there are two sorts of inspiration, and only one is really needed on a day to day basis. You have to be inspired to write the novel as a whole: the whole concept must be something that you really like and want to see come to life. If that is the case, then you don't need to be especially inspired to write at any single given time. In fact, the sooner that you get used to writing without being full of inspiration, the better, because a lot of writing is legwork, so to speak. That doesn't mean that it's unpleasant, far from it, but you get used to pressing ahead with something that you've had planned for a while rather than being driven by sudden inspiration.

 

[Phyrebrat]

Lots of writers are affected by depression. In those cases motivation is crucial.

pH