Writing Motivation

Writing demands your attention when the muse passes near.  Writing grabs your wrist, jerks your mind into hyper-drive and wiggles your fingers at incredible speeds to attempt to capture that which the muse bestows.

What happens when the muse takes the day/week/month off?  You sit down, if you saturate yourself with writing wisdom, and you write anyway.  What reason exists to stay your fingers from the keys?  Laziness?  Lack of inspiration?

Ray Bradbury wrote a tremendous little book on writing titled, Zen in the art of Writing .  This book is a quick read, but it should be read over and over and over.  Mr. Bradbury's take on the muse stands both humorous and real.  The muse can not be summoned.  She's not on call.  When she regales a writer with her presence, said writer should make words while the electrons flow.

Writers need to commit themselves to their craft.  I've written a lot about this and most likely will write more.  Why?  I believe most of us suffer this - the paralyzing malady of complacency, apathy, boredom, fear - you plug in your own neurosis.  Writing is what we do folks, yet there appears all too often a reticence to do that which we crave most.

One place you can go when the world overcomes your desire to write (the world being chores, children, spouse, significant other, chores - yes, I listed that twice...), is your computer or trusty pen.  "Oh no, not that one again!" I can hear you saying.  Everything comes back to that point though, doesn't it?

You cannot get back in the saddle unless you sit down and write.  Staying out of the saddle is unnerving and tends to escalate that fear I mentioned earlier.  I am finding that forcing myself to sit down and key is only as difficult as the first five minutes.  After five minutes, I'm wondering if I can get away with writing all day.

I can't tell you what will put your bottom in that chair or what will trigger you to pick up that pen or fire up the laptop.  What I can tell you is that YOU must find that key.  Somewhere, somehow, you must unlock your potential and use it.

My road has been a series of starts and stops, jerks forward and agonizing layoffs.  I've experienced extended periods of writing volume to even longer stretches of total non-productivity.  Writing is a business AND a numbers game.  Like it or leave it, this remains true.  The person who diligently puts words to paper (or electrons), improves their writing and owns a higher likelihood of getting published.

When in doubt, key.  When wondering if an idea will come, scribble with your pen.  When feeling as though no one will ever want to see your mind painted by words on a page, test your inhibitions with a dose of reality.  Forge ahead.  The ol' "Damn the torpedoes!" thing.

Where you go when you feel 'blah-ed out' is to your writing.  Where you go when inspiration fails you is your writing.  You are your best chance at a motivator.  In fact, if you cannot motivate yourself, you could be in for some really tough times.  Take it from me - whenever I break down and rely on my own writing to pick me back up, it works. 

Get back in the saddle and make something happen.  No one's going to shoot you if you write crap.