This is the thing. This is paraphrasing (I wish I could find the exact quote but it was long ago I first read it), but there are people who want to be writers, and there are people who want to write. The first will either drop out when they realize how hard it is, or morph into the second; the second will keep writing regardless.
It ain't gonna fall on any ears at all if you don't write it, and that's the greatest shame, isn't it, to know there's a good story but there's not even ever going to be the chance, not even the slightest chance it'll ever be read because... well, you haven't written it! Just write it, and worry about publishing later. You're running before you can walk. And to be honest, none of us would ever start if we actually believed our work won't ever make it. To start, you *have* to start with a certain level of self-belief. It's like getting married - you probably wouldn't marry in the first place if you were convinced you'd get a divorce. So you aren't gonna write if you're convinced it won't ever get out there. (I mean write seriously - not just writing something you're never gonna edit or polish or think through etc) Either way, the point for you to worry about publishing is far, far away yet - for now, just enjoy the process. Do you enjoy writing? Yes? Then write. Do you want to tell your story? Yes? Then write. It's really that simple. Now to your question - what motivates me to write? I'm not sure. It's just a lot of fun, and I love the sense of achievement I have when I've written something good - in the same way I feel good whenever I've made something beautiful (I do a lot of arts and crafts too). I want people to see this and recognise it - put it down to an innate desire to show off, I don't know - but I want people to see my work, and love it. Writing is relaxing, and it's creative in a way that drawing, beading, sculpting etc aren't. Those other things relax but it winds your mind down. Writing is the opposite - it wakes your mind up and makes it active. Writing has become the only thing I feel I actually know, it's the only thing I've ever achieved - I am not published, but I say "achieved" because it's the only thing I've ever cared enough to work on. I fluked through education and things usually come easily to me, and I don't put a lot of effort into them, thus the quality of my work has always been good, or even very good, but it's never been, "Yes, I know this." I've never felt as though I really knew the subject. But writing - I've cried over my manuscript and written it from scratch 3 times, I've got three full drafts at 80,000 words that I just ditched, trying to perfect the story. I worked for this. And because of that, it's also the only thing I'm really, truly proud of. I didn't call myself a writer until I started working on my novel. I wrote before but never edited or planned. Then I started work in earnest, and as the days passed I realised slowly, I'm a writer. I really am, because I've worked for it. I've put my heart and soul into this. It's who I am and what I want to be known for. And of course, ever since I was 9, I've been dreaming of one day seeing my name on a book. To have my own book on the shelves. I'd love that. So, I write to be published, sure. But I'd write anyway even if it never got published traditionally. I'd just push it out via self-publishing. Because while I want the glamour of the trad route, in the end, if my work is getting read - I really, really couldn't care less about how it's been made available. I guess you could boil it down to: I write to be read. In any case, I've long decided I'd probably want some books self-pubbed and others trad-pubbed. Any shorts or promotional pieces, prequels, and also novels that can't seem to find a home with a publisher - I'd self-pub those. And then others, I'd hunt an agent down. My point is - it wouldn't ever come to the point where my work is not read, and if it is read and loved, even by a few people, then to be honest, I'd be quite satisfied.
I plan to edit until my story is good enough to be published. If it is and no publisher picks it up, I'll self publish. When I think it's ready and if a couple readers agree, like my son who is an avid reader and honest with critique, and maybe my critique group if anyone will read the finished version after having painfully waded through the unfinished chapters, then I won't need a publisher to agree. It would be nice, but I'm comfortable without such recognition. I'm writing the story for me, not for a select group of publishers. I can't imagine writing it if that weren't the case.
Thanks for the replies, everyone. It's always great hearing this stuff from people who are either in the same boat as me or are further along my desired path. I know there are other motivations, but they didn't seem tangible until hearing it from all of you. I may still have doubts about my ability to get published, but I want to give my story a shot.
^ This. I've only been writing a short while and I can honestly say when I put pen to paper for the first time, it was not with any desire to get published, it was simply to see if I had in me what it takes to construct a story. Then, much like Ed's experience of having his work branded as immature, I started to see flaws. I've been trying to eliminate them, one by one, increasing my knowledge of the nuts and bolts of spelling and grammar, trying out different styles to see what compliment any innate ability I have, and which serve the story I'm endeavouring to tell the best. It's not publication I'm thinking of at this point, it's raising my writing to a publishable standard, and until I feel it is, I'm more than happy to plough ahead because I'm learning so much, not just about writing, but about myself. If I manage to pull myself up by the bootstraps sufficiently and then get lucky, all well and good, but even with the effort I've gone to already, if the benefits I've reaped as a consequence are all I have to show for it, I'll still feel like I've succeeded.
This basically. I think Dickens said that anyone who writes for any reason other than money is an idiot, but then plenty of other writers say the exact opposite. Your point of view probably depends a bit on whether you are a bestselling author or not I suppose. The thing which is intriguing about writing is that its something you can do in your spare time, where you have complete control over the end product, and that end product has no real expiration date or limit on the rewards. Did JK Rowling think when she first sat down in Starbucks buying a latte she couldnt afford that she would be one of the richest women in the world a few years down the line? Did renowned writer Dan Brown realise that he would become a renowned writer of renown, with a brace of dreadful bestselling books and even worse film adaptations to his name? Maybe they did. Maybe they were 100% sure that is what would happen. It wont happen for most of us, but it does happen to some of us. I think this is what keeps me writing. The book is only part of the story I am trying to tell. Me writing is another part, and I want to see what happens. I'm too far in now to to stop so I guess this is what I do with my 'spare' time.
To be honest I would love to have published books which are read by thousands, but in reality I would be happy if at least one other person read my stories and enjoyed them. I write stories that I would enjoy reading so really, I'm just writing for myself and if anything else comes out of that then fantastic
Even though I haven't finished my novel, my motivation remains the same. I have a story to tell and I want people to be able to share that story with me, no matter how few or how many.
I think there's no such thing as 'wasted time' in writing, or in any other endeavor. It's a process that never ends, but every step is necessary if you hope to reach a point of mastery. So many people quit stuff when the beginning proves difficult, but that's where devotion comes in. If you love something and must do it, then you can't help but plow through, and those stages become something to build upon.
I understand what you're dealing with. As much as I intrinsically enjoy working on my novels, the idea that nothing will ever come of them does mean I don't have any external motivation to work on them. And sometimes my internal motivation just doesn't seem strong enough to push me to work on them every single day. This is probably one of the reasons it's easier for me to write short stories and children's stories. I can finish them more quickly and find out if someone wants to publish them more quickly. The feedback comes sooner. This gives me an external push to go along with my internal push. My advice to you would be to start out with smaller pieces, something you can get out there more quickly. This will be more motivating in an external sense. Maybe even do the short story and flash fiction contests on this site. Those are addicting and fun, and it'll get you writing. The more you write, the more you'll improve, so it's a win even if you don't win. Or you could write something short and submit it to various online journals. See if anyone's interested. Because you don't have to spend as much time on short pieces, the external motivation (money/publication/what people have to say about your work) comes more quickly. Knowing that you're going to get some sort of external feedback in a more timely manner might help you feel more motivated to write. I know it's been more motivating for myself lately. Sadly I haven't been writing in any of my novels for quite some time. (I have three novels started... ) But I've submitted countless short stories for publication and I've been submitting contest pieces almost weekly, so I'm still being productive with my writing just in a different way.
Not for me. Obviously it is a motivation, but not the reason I enjoy writing. I enjoy telling the stories and reading my writing and realizing that it is good. I am motivated by the stories I have to tell
A true pessimist would be discouraged by all the confident aspiring authors in this thread because it just means more competition.
Originally I started writing because I loved it. I continued because I wanted to be published and later to spite those who thought that would never happen. Later when I realized that it would be hard work I thought about throwing my story ideas away, about never writing another word but there was no way for me to stop wanting to get these stories down. I know my current WIP isn't the next Harry Potter as I envisioned it when I was eight. I know my chances of getting this thing published even if I finish it and spend ages polishing it as far as it can go are almost non existent but that doesn't stop me from sitting at this computer for thousands of words every week, it doesn't stop me spending hours turning over the phrasing of a paragraph or the dynamics of my world and it never will. I write because I won't be able to live with myself if I don't give the idea that's been bouncing around my head for half my life a chance. If one person reads this thing and is inspired by it like books have inspired me I'll consider it a success, even if that person is me and that's why I'm still writing. Would I turn up the chance to be published and have the whole world read my work (assuming it was less embarrassing than it is now)? No. But that isn't what keeps me writing. In my opinion if your only motivation is being published or seeing your name on a book you should either self publish or walk away. If you feel like you physically can't do that even though it's the sanest thing then you have the motivation to write.
Initially I wrote just to get published, but once I did it felt different. I was less concerned about selling the book and more concerned about people reading my story and giving me that feedback; however, it did give me a desire to write even more. I've only been published in an anthology so my ultimate goal (at least for now) is to have my very own book. Once that happens my goal or perspective may change. We'll see! ~Chad Lutzke
In the beginning (my teens) the prospect that even if one is published they may never succeed in making a good living from it, seriously deterred me. I wanted it to be my career but what good is a career if the prospects of making a living from it were so low? But as the years moved on I saw again and again how writers did indeed find ways to live and live well while doing what they liked. No withstanding the classic movie or tele series deals which seem to enrich some writers, there are many avenues for an income for the professional. I knew in my early 20's I wasn't ready to write, I lacked the focus and life experience to an extent and I was distracted by how easy it was to create a good income in a corporate career. But now that I'm in what is likely to be my last corporate career I am beginning to see how writing is a real possibility for my retirement (if you want to call it that). I have more insight into people and human nature than I ever used to and my mind is more fertile with interesting ideas than it ever was. And even though my business brain can still map out a career and a living, I'm finding the financial side to be a much smaller motivator than it once was. Now I write to express who I am. If that gets published so be it, if I win a movie deal, I wont say no. But if nothing more than I put my thoughts to paper happens I will be equally satisfied in my career choice too. While the desire for recognition (being published) is strong in the early years, it's not always enough to go through the level of work required to bring an item to a finished stage. It's a hollow victory, in the same way that reaching the rung on the corporate ladder that you aimed for is. Very anti-climatic. There has to be something more personal and compelling behind it. No artist, or dancer or singer ever makes it just because they wanted a paid position. Putting in that level of work requires something from the soul and a burning desire to express it.
Are you implying that those who self-publish clearly just want their names on a book and don't really have motivation to write...? What you wrote doesn't make sense to me. Please explain? Because the way I understood you, that's a pretty narrow-minded and damning verdict on self-publishing, and on those who choose to self-publish. But I'm not at all sure I understood you correctly...
I believe EllBEss means that if you're just in it for the glory, then you've got it all wrong. The motivation to write should come within you. It should be because you have a story you want to put on a piece of paper. The whole 'my book is on the selves!' thing is just a bonus. Not that there's anything wrong with it, but to me, it's a bonus.
Aha okay that makes sense It's true that if you're just in it for the glory and not for the love of writing/storytelling, you'd never finish anything to publish anyway, regardless of which route you're concerned with! It's simply too much work. I hear people say, "Oh I want to write a book!" sometimes, and I'm kinda like, "What have you written?" And inevitably they never have anything, always "too busy". I no longer take those people seriously. Perhaps I'm being slightly snobbish though lol.
There are many small, personal reasons why I write. These internal motivations though aren't what really drives me. In fact, I've completely paused my writing process altogether in order to focus on reading about the craft. I've obtained some suggestions as to what works are most useful to an aspiring writer and I'm flying through them; hoping that this knowledge will ultimately aid in propelling me towards my eventual goals. And to expand upon that, my eventual goal is to be published. Not only that but I don't want to have any other occupation. I aspire to live purely off the avails of my writing someday; ideally extremely comfortably. Here's the thing. I have a Facebook account like most people these days. I often see posts of my friends hosting small barbecues in their backyards; speaking as though this event is an example of the pinnacle of life. I don't want that. The thought of spending the rest of my life in this city holding weekly barbecues after 5 days of some day job fills me with despair. I need something else; something more grand. So I write. I have shown a history of being good at it so why not go for it? If I really don't want this normal mundane existence to be my life, I have no choice but to do whatever I'm capable of doing to achieve my goals.
I view traditional publishing as quality control of my work, and if my novel doesn't get accepted, it means I need to make it better. I don't write solely in order to publish, i'd be writing anyway, but it's important to me to tell a good story, which is why I'm interested in improving.
I was more talking about writing purely from a desire to traditionally publish, which reading back over my post was not have been completely clear. I believe when it comes to the actual writing the motivation to write is far more important than the motivation to have your name on a book. Once it's finished and you feel it's up to scratch you can do whatever you wish with it.
I have to play devil's advocate against the assertion that your main motivation should be for the love of it, because I get that a lot as an artist and it makes me sick. I had a potential client contact me a couple of weeks ago wanting me to provide concept art for a remake of a very high profile video game. The game was well known, and they were auditioning for voice talent, and scouting for artists. On his profile, he stated that we'd be required to check in daily, take critique and revise our work according to their strict schedule, even participate in required meetings. He then revealed that they technically didn't have the rights to make the game, so everything had to be volunteer (because they couldn't do crowd funding but they did have the blessing of the company so long as no money was exchanged). Basically, he was asking me to shirk my paying clients, sweep my schedule clean, and work long hours for months without pay all for the luvs. I get this more often than you know. People tell me to my face that I shouldn't charge for my services, because artists ought to draw for the love of art. Never mind that we have bills to pay too. I mean, I wouldn't ask my neighbor to dig a hole in my backyard for 30 hours for free (the time it takes for a typical, well polished illustration). Why do you ask me sacrifice my time then? Yes, I draw and I love it, but my time is valuable. I went to college and got a degree in art. It's my profession. It's okay to make money. It's okay to want your writing to support you. That does not mean you are in any way less of a writer or artist, or whatever you hope to be. It's one thing to accept that getting published under a publisher is a long shot, but it's another to insinuate that wanting to make money makes you less in some way. Perhaps the writing world is a different beast altogether, but sitting on the other side of the industry, I can tell you that pervasive thought gets old really fast.
