If one waits until they're in the mood or feel like it or the muse strikes, it will take forever (if ever) to finish. This is where the work part of writing comes in. It's not always fun, it's not always enjoyable, it's not always 'inspired'. Sometimes it's a simple and hard fact of putting butt in chair and sweating a bit.
I must disagree. If one has no motivation to write,and they do write, the end result is garbage. I've read books by authors that where really well written but at times the dialogue/plot seemed to degrade, at which point it was hard for me reader to want to continue reading. An example is Peter F hamiltons novel Judas Unchained. The first 500 pages where well written,halfway through the book it sloowed down, filled up with unneeded dialogues and side stories that went nowhere.... There is no point in writing if you are not motivated....
Depends on whether you are a professional writer or just writing as a fun hobby. A lot of the people here would like to write as a "day job," in order to pay the bills. If that's what you want to do, then there are going to be times when you simply have to work (i.e. write) whether you want to or not. Just like with any other job.
If the end result is garbage, then you need to edit the garbage out. (In your example, I would either assume the 'drag' was subjective or he had a poor editor). However, many times forcing oneself to do the work part ends up with a great deal of very good writing. As Steerpike said - if you're a hobbyist, doesn't matter. Write whenever. If you're a professional (or want to be), it's a job. You do it.
I agree with steerpike and shadowwalker. And I want to add that sometimes you just have to write badly for 15-20 minutes and then you start writing better. I don't believe in waiting for inspiration, I write anyway. it might end up less good that some of the other scenes but since I have my outline at least i don't sit and write a lot of crap that doesn't even belong in my story just for the sake of writing something. I can always edit it later (and i do). I believe in looking at it like a job. And I can't imagine any other unpaid job I'd rather do
This is false. There have been many times when I haven't felt like writing and have forced myself to. Often I look back at what I wrote then, and I find that it's some of my best work. I'm sure the same kind of thing happens with many writers, including some of the best who have ever written. Just buckle down and do it. You'll probably find that you'll amaze yourself. To assume that you're going to write garbage just because you don't feel like writing is selling yourself short. Telling others that they'll write garbage if they're not motivated is just discouraging inexperienced writers. Please don't do that.
I've forced myself to write when I didn't feel like it. Most times it's turned out well, like minstrel said. Though I remember writing one story that I hated so much it made me angry. Turned me off to that technique for a while. Now that I'm more focused on a project I like, though, the results are better. When I get an idea for a short story or flash fiction, I think about it and wait until an opening line strikes me and then I write. I like to get those done in one sitting. When I get an idea for a novel-sized story, I wait at least a week before I start writing. That's about how long it takes me to make sure I'm enthusiastic about the idea. If I get an idea and start writing it and I realize the whole idea sucks, I get mad.
How do you motivate yourself to do anything? If you want it bad enough, you'll go for it. Exercising, eating right, writing--it all boils down to one thing: establishing a habit. Once writing (or exercising or whatever) becomes part of your everyday life, you can't brush it off. It's like taking a shower or brushing your teeth; once you do it so many times, you don't think about it anymore. Of course, before a habit can be established, you have to take that first step...and let's face it: Peeling your butt off the sofa to reach that notebook and start writing is hard. However, it's not the action itself that is so demanding; it's making the decision. To keep myself on track, I find myself setting little goals....One day, I might write ten pages. The next, I'll do two reps of non-stop writing for a half an hour each. Or maybe I'll get to a certain part in my story--i.e., finish a scene. The trick is to just get up and do it. Don't think. Write. Oh! And one more thing: do not edit along the way.
Why do you write? That's what you need to ask yourself. If you're writing for the pure enjoyment of doing is, then perhaps you don't need to finish a story. If, however, you also write because you hope to be published, you have to think about why you want to be published. Is it simply to share the story? That's not really good motivation. I sit down and write parts I don't really want to for a simple, yet useful, reason; I'm greedy.
I take a break, go for a walk, stop pressuring myself to write for a bit. I think of my story, but not with pressure, not like "I need to write this, NOW." I think of it in my spare time, flesh out points a bit, change things around, and after thinking about it for a while it makes me eager to write again.
I was with you up until this point. That's a preference in methods once one is writing. There's nothing wrong with editing along the way as long as it is along the way. But that's also another discussion, I believe.
My dream of becoming a published author is my incentive but I mostly write because I enjoy it. I've had a break from writing and after six months of not even thinking about a story, one came to me a few nights ago and already I'm up to 150 pages, I don't edit along the way because I find that I criticize myself too much and end up deleting whatever I've come up with so I keep on writing until the end and then go onto editing it.
Hi, I definitely fall into the more organic camp. If I'm not inspired then the chances are that even if I try to force myself to write something, I'm going to end up sitting in front of a screen, reading and rereading what I've written, and changing a word here and there. I need to take breaks from time to time. I need to be inspired. But by the same token when I am inspired, I can write like a demon. Case in point, my newest book Pawn, I began on the 9th of December, almost within the hour after finishing watching an old TV series, 'The Aphrodite Inheritance'. As of this moment it's 58k, the cover's done and the story is almost complete. I just wrote and wrote and wrote. I could never have forced myself to write this book. (I'm thinking that next year I really have to enter Nanowrimo!) Of course in order to do this, other things / other books had to slide. The editing of Alien stopped dead, the second novella in the Wizard at Law series hasn't been looked at in two weeks, and Shavarra has also been put on hold. All of them I would have had to have forced myself to work on once I started on Pawn, but Pawn is currently my obsession. So to return to the question, for me at least, forcing myself to write is fairly pointless. It's really about finding something that I really want to write and then letting the passion run wild. Cheers, Greg.
What motivates me is reading bad writing on the shelves. I mean if something so rubbish can be published then I have hope. When I read genius stuff I become depressed, lol.
My emotions drive me to write, personal experiences help, music gives a lot of inspiration, and last but not least my imagination. That's my formula and it never fails to work. I've written for 15 years, and lately it's only when it feels like I'm doing it right. I've back-read my old stuff and I realize I've always been good at writing, it was just that I didn't have the enough self-esteem to admit it. You're probably good, you just need to have more confidence in yourself. Have a nice day!
i got bogged down also....discovered how to outline and even though i'm not writing the novel directly i am still making progress in laying a road map of sorts.
Start with....." and end with " . Put anything in between those quotation marks. This is all I have to do to begin writing. Put what you write in quotation marks as if a character is speaking. For example, Skratch adjusted the contrast on his computer monitor. He typed, "Start with quotation marks. Then put anything, I mean anything you can think of between these lines." His knee ached. His kneecap slid out of place. The feeling almost made him vomit. The next time you feel bogged. Start with "
I want to write every day, whether it be my journal, ideas and brainstorming or my current main project. Unfortunately the last six months have been particularly insane. When I finally have my one free hour a day (in order to get a decent night's sleep while wrangling two kids under five, working full time, running the house, remembering to spend time with my husband and friends and trying to not live like a hermit!) I've really struggled to WANT to write. I think it's mainly because I know if I get involved in my story, it will suddenly be four hours later and I will be cactus for the next day. (Especially since my one hour usually doesn't start until 10pm! I don't play well with others if I haven't had at least six hours sleep, haha) I'm generally not one to wait for inspiration, although I do put extra effort in when something strikes, and I firmly believe that I need to write something every day, particularly to simply maintain the habit and routine. I do struggle though, and then feel guilty when I don't spend time on my story! I've recently taken to handwriting in my lunch hour just to get something on paper - it seems to be working as the content has been quite good (in my eyes) but it just makes me want to skive off the afternoon and keep writing! Can't do that when you sit directly outside the boss's office..... Or if I did, maybe I would suddenly have A LOT of free time on my hands!
i don't get the " " bit... not everything writers write is dialog... all writers don't write fiction, either...
An interesting exercise for people who don't have time to write (and this isn't directed at anyone in particular - just something I saw and suggested to a friend of mine) is to keep a diary for one week - just jot down the time you start something and the time you finish it. At the end of a week, not only do you see the average time you spend on various necessary activities, but you see just how much time is frittered away on other things. The only caveats on this exercise is that you have to be detailed and honest. I first did this eons ago, when I was single parent working full-time. I *had* to figure out where I could fit in this thing or that thing or go totally bananas, and this was amazingly eye opening.
I write because I enjoy it. And I don't force myself to write anymore. I used to make myself write even if I didn't want to, but not only did my writing not turn out well, but I didn't enjoy it. When that happens, I put whatever project I'm working on aside, and I come up with something new that I want to write and start on that. Then, after a few weeks, or months, or maybe even a year, I can return to the project I put aside with a clear head and better understanding of what to do. But, even so, as a writer, I sometimes feel lazy if I'm not writing. To overcome that, I will go to a bookstore and spend an hour just looking at covers and titles and back cover descriptions. This way I at least feel like I'm absorbing a lot of creativity and writing energy.
