Create Motivation: External Benefits for Writing

(Photo Credit: http://impossiblehq.com)

One way to overcome your writing fears is to make sure the benefits of writing outweigh the fears. I've heard many times, “writing is lonely work” and this is usually seen as a problem. This does not need to be true for you. Even though the most important motivation comes from within, you can also create chances for motivation by becoming more involved with the people around you.

Don't be afraid look to other people – writers, family, friends, strangers – for motivation. Other people can offer encouragement, affirmation, and recognition.

Even if you prefer a quiet and secluded work-space, consider writing regularly (even if not often) at a public location such as a deli, coffee shop, or bookstore. Strike up conversations with strangers and – if appropriate – mention that you are writing something.

When someone learns that you write, he often wants to know what you write. And if you see the same person again, he might very well ask “how's the writing coming?” When you go to the same public place routinely, you start to meet other regulars. When they know that you are there to write, you start to feel a stronger pressure to write while you are there.

If you are serious about completing a project, consider telling family and friends about your project. They can help keep you on track, give pep-talks, ideas, and generally keep you moving forward. Also, you are likely to feel pressure to meet their expectations. This can provide the push you need to keep moving forward when your writing slows down.

If you are serious about pursuing writing professionally (or already are a professional), external motivation for the professional writer can also come in the form of publication and income. To involve others in raising your motivation, network with other writers via social media, professional organizations, and less formal critique groups. Facebook and Twitter are great places to share (and read) goals, trials and successes. You can also post daily (weekly, etc.) word counts. Or challenge others to a competition. All three options give you access to people with similar enthusiasms – which can be very stimulating.

Need for Enthusiasm in Writing

Whether you are writing for yourself or for an audience, I think one key to success is to write what you want to read. This means having enthusiasm, passion, and curiosity. When one of these feelings wanes, you can dig deep for another and stoke the fires.

• If you want to read your WIP, you are more likely to finish the first draft. After all, you want to know what happens, right? For now, just get those ideas down on paper.
• If you are enthusiastic, you are more likely to do thorough revisions. Your desire to make your work as close to your idea as possible virtually requires revisions – whether you do those revisions as you go or as multiple drafts. The less your enthusiasm for seeing your idea in its pure form, the more likely you are to makes short-cuts.
• If you want to read it, other readers like you will want to read it. After all, there other people who enjoy the books you enjoy.
• If you are enthusiastic, your enthusiasm will come across to your readers. Enthusiasm for your idea can come across in creative action scenes, resonant reaction scenes, colorful characters, and rich details.
• If you want to write it, it is probably worth writing. As a reader and writer, you have an innate sense of what makes for a “good” story”. Trust those instincts. It may need revisions to highlight the best elements but the uncut gem is in your good idea.

To: Readers (From: Writers)

English: A Picture of a eBook Español: Foto de eBook Беларуская: Фотаздымак электроннай кнігі Русский: Фотография электронной книги (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

A reader of this blog made the comment that just as writing tethers the writer to other people, writing also tethers other people to the author. It works both ways. I've been thinking about this and decided to form my thoughts into two blogs: what writers give readers and what readers give writers. Today: what writers give to readers.

• Entertain: A writer entertains the reader. This is probably the most common reason for reading fiction: to be entertained. Entertainment is not all laughs – tears and fears make the happy times all the more meaningful.
• Educate: A writer educates the reader. Yes, there may be facts about how the material world works but there are always facts (or opinions) about the workings of people and life. As an Aspergers person, I turned to books to learn what did not come intuitively to me.
• Validate: A writer validates the reader. Readers are often drawn to writers who share similar world-views – who have similar thoughts about the way the world does (or should) work. Through this world-view, the writer can affirm the reader's feelings about struggles, joys, and conflicts. The reader finds personal affirmation in the written page.
• Feel: Definitely the writer gives a reader feelings. Every poem, book, lyric, and script is saturated in emotion. Having characters feel is not enough. The reader has a need to feel, too. And the source of feeling – just like in the real world – is in caring.
• Challenge: A writer challenges the reader. Throughout a book, the writer poses a series of questions that the reader tries to answer. A writer may also pose dilemmas about society, love, and other aspects of life. Sometimes the writer provides an answer but other times the reader is challenged to reach the reader's own conclusions.
• Create: A writer gives the reader the power to create a world that belongs just to the reader. A world that exists only inside the page(s) of the work. Some readers go further and create fan fiction, using the characters and world that the writer introduces. And some readers go even further, inspired by other writers they create their own worlds and characters. Both types write for themselves and for a new generation of readers.

To: Writers (From Readers)

Gel pens (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

A reader of this blog made the comment that just as writing tethers the writer to other people, writing also tethers other people to the author. It works both ways. I've been thinking about this and decided to form my thoughts into two blogs: what writers give readers and what readers give writers. Today: what readers give writers of any kind.

• Entertain: Yes, readers entertain writers. We love to design adventures for others to enjoy. Almost nothing is more fun than a reader in tears of sadness or laughter. Or a reader who is sleep-deprived because they couldn't put our book down.
• Educate: Having readers encourages writers to educate themselves. We learn more about the world so we can more accurately represent it in our books. We learn about nature, cities, the legal system, and people (just to name a few). We learn how to convey our ideas more clearly.
• Feel: Readers encourage writers to feel. Yes, the path to publication and growing readership is strewn with all kinds of emotions. But every writer is encouraged to feel and think about how feelings work so the reader can have a more intense and vicarious experience.
• Challenge: Readers definitely challenge the writer. Reach more people. Become more skilled in the craft. Invent new ways to surprise and delight. Produce new material. Keep the reader engaged. Lead the reader where you want the reader to go. So many challenges!
• Empower: The reader empowers the writer. Every time a book is read, a writer becomes someone who matters. Because of readers, a writer can become an agent of change, a therapist, a philosopher, a giver of escape, a maker of opportunities. And readers validate the writer's efforts and existence.
• Create: Readers give writers a reason to create. Yes, we would write anyway. But having readers means being subject to expectations and most people try a little harder when there are expectations to fulfill. Writers write a little better when there is someone to impress. Writers write a little faster or more often when someone is waiting to read the next installment.

Writing Is Like Love

Love heart uidaodjsdsew (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Sometimes writing gives me the greatest feeling in the world. Everything makes sense, anything is possible. Looking at your WIP is like looking in a mirror that clearly reflects your intentions. Writing is effortless and time flies by. You are happy and energized. The world is a wonderful place. These feelings are very like the best moments of love, when everything is “right”.

Love answers some deeply personal needs. Why do you write? Probably because it fills other (or some of the same) needs. I write to express myself, to communicate, to think things through to the end, to create something. These needs may not be necessary for basic survival the way food and water are. But writing provides an outlet and a means for personal completion. Writing is my tether to other people. To keep it, I make a commitment to stay with it when things get tough.

How do you feel when life grows difficult? Sometimes writing is an effort, a struggle, a pain, and an inconvenience. Loving relationships can be that way, too. You write anyway. You write because you know the bad times can be overcome or endured. Writing helps you overcome or endure. It is your tether, your life-line, your reminder. You honor your commitment.

Like love, writing contains good and bad. Most people's relationships with writing start shallow but deepen with time – if they keep at it. I think everyone starts with an idealized view of writing. Time shows other sides. Every person reaches a point of decision: to commit or not commit. There are many types of commitment: the two-timer, the flirt, the steady. And the level of commitment can change with time. The nature of your relationship with writing changes with time. You change and your writing changes with you. Maybe you go separate ways. Maybe you live happily ever after.

You Resemble a Nobel Prize Winner

President Bill Clinton with Nelson Mandela, July 4 1993. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

 “When a man is denied the right to live the life he believes in, he has no choice but to become an outlaw.”
― Nelson Mandela (from Goodreads)
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Nelson Mandela is an activist who became President of South Africa and now is a statesman who has won the Nobel Prize. Relevance? Consider the passion of this man-- the conviction, dedication, and perseverance.
Imagine what you could do if you unleashed the same focus on your writing. He doesn't settle for the society that's out there. Not when he can try to be an agent of change. As a writer, you don't settle for the writing that is already out there. Not when you can write something of your own.
Both Mandela and you are working to change the world. Even (maybe especially) when it means challenging current customs and standards.
Take the plunge and tap your writing potential.

Rebel With Your Writing

Rebel (Photo credit: just.Luc)

To be a successful rebel writer it helps to...

1. Have a cause, mission, or purpose.
2. Identify your target.
3. Have a plan.
4. Gather your weapons and get to know them.
5. Take the offensive.
6. Recruit others.
7. Be public.
8. Be passionate.
9. Know the rules. Then you can learn how to successfully break them.
10. Be ready to win.
11.  Refuse to fail.

5 Ways to Free Your Writing

Dancers at the annual Cinco de Mayo Festival in Washington, D.C. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Cinco de Mayo is (in part) a day that celebrates freedom. As a writer, fight for freedom from cliches, stagnation, and writer block! Just as the Mexicans turned back an invading force, you can fight against these enemies of writers everywhere and everywhen.

• Brainstorm: Avoid cliches by listing multiple scenarios. I find that my best ideas come after the brainstorming becomes difficult because I'm really stretching myself. Another benefit of brainstorming is that you can combine ideas, adding complexity – even if you go with your original plan.
• Want: Write what you want, not what you think you should write. You are writing for people who like what you like. So write for yourself and you will be writing for them. Also, when you write what you want you will be more enthusiastic, creative, and persistent.
• Carry: Keep a voice recorder, a notebook, or note cards to record ideas as they come. Then they'll be available when you want them. As an added benefit, the act of recording them can generate additional ideas.
• Ask: Other people love to share ideas for characters or settings. This gives them a chance to be part of the process and gives you a new perspective.
• Rewrite: When a scene doesn't work, rewrite it regardless of your time constraints. Better to do it now rather than later. A bad scene or line – or one that just doesn't “fit” – can mean the difference between acceptance and rejection during the submission process.

Benefits of a Journal

Journal 2 Feb 2005 pg 2 (Photo credit: Terry Bain)

I started a stream-of-consciousness journal as a form of therapy and heightened self-awareness but soon saw improvement in my writing. I began keeping a typed journal. At first, I wrote maybe 20 pages a month. I didn't know what to write. A year later I write freely and my page count last month was 120+. This included random thoughts, what was happening during my day, how I felt and what I thought about that, blog posts, book and character ideas, and self-motivation, just to name a few topics. But back to how a stream-of-consciousness journal can help your  writing.

• Speed: The more often you write, the faster you will get. It may not pay off right away but think in terms of months and years.
• Fluidity: You will find that you write with fewer pauses, less thinking “what should come next”, because you are training your mind to write without hesitation
• Voice: I found my writing voice in my stream-of-consciousness journal. If you are struggling with this topic, look to where you write most naturally and with the fewest inhibitions. That is where you will find your voice.
• Twists and turns: You can use your journal to brainstorm alternative paths the action in a scene can take. Sometimes writing down the ideas instead of just thinking them can make all the difference.
• Characters: Once your thoughts begin to flow, you'll find yourself writing about whatever is on your mind – like the people around you and your characters. You find yourself writing background and attitudes for those people that you didn't realize you knew. And your knowledge deepens.
• Theme: Looking at my journal showed me what I often wrote about, what were my preoccupations. I realized that the same beliefs and attitudes were imbedded in my books. You can develop these into themes.
• Philosophy: This is somewhat tied to theme but goes a bit further. After a while, you find yourself asking yourself why you write. The answers you come up with are part of your personal writing philosophy.
• Encouragement: When you find it difficult to get around to your WIP, you can remind yourself why you write. What you get and give by writing. What you hope to accomplish. You can be your own cheerleader or bully (whatever works) and be your own motivator.

People Like You

Originally Posted: April 20, 2013 by alicorndreams





Don’t ever let anyone quash your dreams.  Don’t ever listen to people who tell you that you can’t.  For any reason.  Never believe for even a second that you can’t.  You can.  I’m living proof!
When I was in the 4th grade (decades ago) I wrote a story for a Language Arts assignment.  It was called “The Cat, The Dog, and The Jellybeans”.  I got an A on the paper, and the teacher said she really enjoyed reading it.  I was hooked.  It was then that I decided I wanted to write.
I told my family.  They thought it was cute.  They all told me that “People like you don’t write, honey.  And if you do write, you will never be able to publish anything.  And if you do publish things, you will have to pay people to publish your work and you will never make any money at it”.  They didn’t understand that it wasn’t money that it was all about.  The words were just in my head and I loved them.
I wrote for the literary journals in school.  I wrote and I wrote and I wrote.  I rarely told anyone at home I was still writing.  My teachers encouraged me.  Kids at school congratulated me.  But the words in my head still echoed.  People like you… people like you… people like you.
Skip forward, (by this time I was REALLY hiding my writing because it didn’t pay and no one understood) and find me sitting in a cube farm, making a living but not really living.  I needed a book to help me figure out how to do my job.  And there wasn’t any book written.  So, after I slept (it was a long project) I got mad and wrote the book I wanted to read.  And I found someone willing to take a chance on me who published it.  And I got an advance on royalties check.  And I saw my name on a book jacket.  And I was hooked again.  I wrote a few geek books.  And was published.  And I fell in love with the words again.
People like me, and people like you, can write.  If you don’t mind living your dream and chasing your own dandelion fluff, you can do it.  It isn’t easy.  Sometimes it is a lot of work and sometimes it means forgoing things that you might rather do, but you CAN do it.
Find your voice (of late, mine has been headed back to poetry, my first love) and let your own voice sing.  Don’t ever pay heed to the people who tell you that People Like You can’t.  We are all people like you, and people like you CAN!

I See You’ve Put Your Pen Down…

Originally Posted: April 14, 2013 by Rowan

Because it’s hard. Because you’re busy. Because the words don’t come to you, because you’ll never be good enough, because you’re a worthless, hopeless, loser. I want you to pick it up again, physically or mentally. Pick up the pen, Right Now.
You don’t have to write. Just hold it in your hand and feel it for a second. Remember what it was that got you hooked on writing, that made you want to write more. Remember the rush.
Now feel the fire start in your belly. Feel the burning behind your eyes, feel the full force of your emotions. The beating of your heart, the clenching of your soul. The tightening of your fist as your dreams weigh down on you.
You want to write.
Don’t you dare put that pen back down. You are a fighter. The words come to you through a haze of pain, they bleed from your fingertips and scratch across your brain. Is it worth it? Are your dreams worth this?
Yes.
If you want to be good at this – if you want to make words dance for you, jump across the page and set themselves on fire for you, you’ve got to pay them in blood and tears and sweat.
You’ve got to sit down and write.
And you will.
Rowan S. R. is an author-creature at The Writing Corp. To read more of its writing, check back here or hop on over to Rowan S.R’s blog.