# Motivation?



## Kolbe (Jan 24, 2010)

What motivates you to write? I've had some trouble getting motivated lately. Is it easier the more you write?


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## Atrak (Jan 24, 2010)

Not having internet. I didn't have it all last summer, and wrote constantly. Otherwise...*shrug* it just comes  . New ideas motivate me. I doubt it gets easier to get motivated the more you write, but it probably gets easier to start writing.

Btw, that's the fastest I've ever seen someone change their species  .


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## Fokkewolf (Jan 24, 2010)

atrakaj said:


> Not having internet. I didn't have it all last summer, and wrote constantly. Otherwise...*shrug* it just comes  . New ideas motivate me. I doubt it gets easier to get motivated the more you write, but it probably gets easier to start writing.
> 
> Btw, that's the fastest I've ever seen someone change their species  .



Lol, no internet had its effect on me too. Also this summer exactly . 

Another source for me was the end of the May-June. I had real troubles with my mood that time (lots of coffee + headmistress with a complexion of a pregnant hippo fucking my brain every day.), so writing the scraps for further work was a good way to get better.


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## Xipoid (Jan 24, 2010)

Taking a stroll and doing things I haven't done in a while.


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## Anokorok (Jan 24, 2010)

Writing definitely got easier for me the more I did it. The motivation level was always the same, but the words started coming out of my head more easily.

Write whether you feel like it or not. Self-discipline is a greater sword than motivation. I schedule my writing time from 8 to 10. Butt in chair, hands on keyboard. No Internet, no games, no music, just writing. 

Granted, I'm still motivated to write because I need scripts for my comic and a concrete idea of what is to come. If I have no script or idea of what I'm drawing, then I have nothing to draw and the whole day is a waste. If I waste a day, then really I'm just telling myself, "Why draw comics when I can go back to what-is-the-point-ville and be a cubicle rat for the rest of my life."


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## GraemeLion (Jan 24, 2010)

Cut the cable TV.  Read more books.  Set your priorities properly.  You'll definitely want to write more then


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## Jelly (Jan 24, 2010)

God, I guess.

And yes, the Wu Wei of Chapbooking is the Tao of Lucidity, man.
keep one in your butt pocket and by intrinsic nature, you'll pull it out anytime you're struck with an idea

Just remember to approach writing from True Yang, not False Yang. To feel full of energy and the ability to speak is not necessarily the most lucid of states, you might just start barking; remember to keep an air of discipline around an organic state. Or something.

Oh, and this is something I learned from methods of Tai Chi: don't shy away when ideas start getting out of control. You might find that completing a thought that feels to be contrived and scattering away from you, might actually help you figure out what you're really trying to say.

In composition, a lot of these ideas are called "Field Studies" or "Sound Studies," you can use them to identify how you categorize and dwell upon the world.


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## Altamont (Jan 24, 2010)

Personally, it all just kind of comes to me at the most unexpected times; though I've found that sometimes other artistic works serve as very good sources as inspiration when the well is dry.

Not in a "based on" sort of wat, but in a "get your creative fluids a-pumpin'" sort of way. For instance, I've been working on a story for a couple of weks now (a collaboration with atrakaj, as it is). I was watching old episodes of lost to prep for the Season Six premeire, and all of a sudden an entire story-arc for the whole story just hit me in a wave.

So, yeah, my inspiration usually comes when I'm inspired and/or engrossed by a really good story/ work of art. Or randomly. Either or.


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## Atrak (Jan 24, 2010)

Altamont said:


> Personally, it all just kind of comes to me at the most unexpected times; though I've found that sometimes other artistic works serve as very good sources as inspiration when the well is dry.
> 
> Not in a "based on" sort of wat, but in a "get your creative fluids a-pumpin'" sort of way. For instance, I've been working on a story for a couple of weks now (a collaboration with atrakaj, as it is). I was watching old episodes of lost to prep for the Season Six premeire, and all of a sudden an entire story-arc for the whole story just hit me in a wave.
> 
> So, yeah, my inspiration usually comes when I'm inspired and/or engrossed by a really good story/ work of art. Or randomly. Either or.



Aye, I'm reading said idea now  .


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## Ieatcrackersandjumpcliffs (Jan 24, 2010)

When I feel like proselytizing.


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## Attalim (Jan 25, 2010)

Music, other books, Tv, 

The truth is my motivation to write is very on and off, and it really likes into the rest of my life. If I am too happy I will always be doing something and will never sit down to write, if I get too depressed I can't really get up the desire to write, so for me I only get motivated to write when I am in balance.

Maybe that is an indication that to me writing is something that requires balance, that needs to be both positive and negative, light and dark.


As to where I get my ideas... Usually me ADD hyperactive imagination.


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## Atrak (Jan 25, 2010)

Attalim said:


> Music, other books, Tv,
> 
> The truth is my motivation to write is very on and off, and it really likes into the rest of my life. If I am too happy I will always be doing something and will never sit down to write, if I get too depressed I can't really get up the desire to write, so for me I only get motivated to write when I am in balance.
> 
> ...



Congrats. You are on your way to making your writing a work of art. Balance of positive and negative space is one of the fundamental principles of design. I too try to write in balance. If it's too happy, it's too perfect. A kid's story. If it's too dark, it has become emo.


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## Murphy Z (Jan 25, 2010)

A while ago, I read a really awful book, and I thought "I can do better!" But I've long given up on that kind of motivation, especially after I started out writing really blah stuff.

There's various motivations for me. At least writing the first draft is fun to do. In some ways it's like a game, and I see what I can do with a set of rules. In some ways, it's like a stunt, and I can see what I can pull off.

I think if you keep at it, generally it "gets easier" to motivate yourself, find ideas, write better, etc. There will be high and low points, especially if things happen in RL.
I'm sort of recovering from a case of the "lazies" at the moment.


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## Altamont (Jan 26, 2010)

atrakaj said:


> Congrats. You are on your way to making your writing a work of art. Balance of positive and negative space is one of the fundamental principles of design. I too try to write in balance. If it's too happy, it's too perfect. A kid's story. If it's too dark, it has become emo.


 
I agree %100. When I started out writing seriously (back in my fan-fiction days of the seventh grade) I made the characters as likeable and perfect as possible, with stories drawn in the most extreme blacks & whites imaginable. Reading over them a year later, I found them deplorable, so I veered in to the opposite extreme, writing stories with brooding protagonists and dreary, rain-drenched settings. Also: Deplorable.

Writing is a process that is so much about balance, and personal balance at that. As of this point, I think I've found a very happy medium, where I'm able to come up with tense, mature stories where the stakes are very real, but I'm still able to inject the humour and pathos needed to save it from becoming a melodramatic bleakfest.

Besides, I think that makes the story-telling much more natural. No matter how happy life can seem, there's a dark side to everything. and vice-versa; even though life can also seem unbearably miserable, there's always at least one moment of light-heartedness and hope. In crafting a story that's true to life, an author has taken his first step in to creating a work of art that will not only represent the lives of those who experience it, but impact it as well.


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## Atrak (Jan 27, 2010)

Altamont said:


> I agree %100. When I started out writing seriously (back in my fan-fiction days of the seventh grade) I made the characters as likeable and perfect as possible, with stories drawn in the most extreme blacks & whites imaginable. Reading over them a year later, I found them deplorable, so I veered in to the opposite extreme, writing stories with brooding protagonists and dreary, rain-drenched settings. Also: Deplorable.
> 
> Writing is a process that is so much about balance, and personal balance at that. As of this point, I think I've found a very happy medium, where I'm able to come up with tense, mature stories where the stakes are very real, but I'm still able to inject the humour and pathos needed to save it from becoming a melodramatic bleakfest.
> 
> Besides, I think that makes the story-telling much more natural. No matter how happy life can seem, there's a dark side to everything. and vice-versa; even though life can also seem unbearably miserable, there's always at least one moment of light-heartedness and hope. In crafting a story that's true to life, an author has taken his first step in to creating a work of art that will not only represent the lives of those who experience it, but impact it as well.




Yeah, I just have a problem with my protagonist winning all the time :/ . I need to work on that.


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## blackedsoul (Jan 27, 2010)

Feelings, Thats a big one. My feelings inspire A LOT of what I write... I guess you can tell that in my journal... but I won't go there.
So yea, its best to follow how you feel at the moment and go with what your hand puts to paper.

A few words can turn into a masterpiece :grin:


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## Atrak (Jan 27, 2010)

blackedsoul said:


> *Feelings*, Thats a big one. My feelings inspire A LOT of what I write... I guess you can tell that in my journal... but I won't go there.
> So yea, its best to follow how you feel at the moment and go with what your hand puts to paper.
> 
> A few words can turn into a masterpiece :grin:



Big text does not lie. I agree with this.


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## GraemeLion (Jan 28, 2010)

atrakaj said:


> Yeah, I just have a problem with my protagonist winning all the time :/ . I need to work on that.



Your protagonist is supposed to win the large majority of the time.  That's why audiences read.  Good guys win, bad guys lose.  It's a tale as old as time itself.

What you might want to look at is whether or not your audience is believing the bad guys CAN win.  

Good guys win.  Yes.  But they need to just eke it out.   You need to have the audience on the edge.

Now, that doesn't mean a bad guy can win and a good guy lose, but the greatest stories of all time end up with good guys winning, and bad guys losing.


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## nybx4life (Jan 28, 2010)

Kolbe said:


> What motivates you to write? I've had some trouble getting motivated lately. Is it easier the more you write?



Usually, because you get more adjusted to having more ideas to write with.

Yet, I've lost my motivation, most likely due to playing video games too much. Though, it's good to write down any ideas you get to write with before you lose them, so you can visit them later.


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## Altamont (Jan 29, 2010)

I play lots of V-games too, but the real reason for my writers block is, well, fear.

I love my stories, to death, and there's always this nagging tug in the back of my mind (or heart, because the stories come from there as well) that just feels like writing it down won't do it justice. There's plenty of projects that I have started a million times and restarted then again simply because there's a part of me that is never satisfied.

Though I think I've found the perfect murder weapon for that awful bitch of a confidence-troll: Writing as much as you can whenever you can  Cliche, yeah, but it is the only way one will ever write anything. At all. Stories don't just appear, they have to be created, and the only thing that will allow that to happen is a good ol kick to the balls of that nagging troll and some heavy, sincere, unadulterated outpouring of emotions through the wonderful craft that is writing.


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## Gaeuvyen (Jan 29, 2010)

I get motivated by E.A.P. and the mountain goats, nuff said.


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## ekobor (Feb 6, 2010)

No T.V. For sure. 
Lack of internet can be good too. 
Stop reading. 

Basically cut off all other forms of entertainment. You'll start wanting to write just to get rid of the boredom xD



As for what motivates me? Randomised writing prompts from Seventh Sanctum. A random sentence in a book. A conversation with a friend. Sitting out side in the grass. Looking at trees. Looking at art. Drawing. Writing one story often leads to another. Sleep. Dreams. Music. 

Writing is my passion; everything I do, see, hear, experience inspires me to do it. When I get stuck, I stay stuck. I don't try and force it, forced words are the worst. People can tell when they are forced. I do another craft. I crochet, I read. If I still don't want to write in a week, I look at the things above. If I still don't want to write I start the forced words. Once you start a forced story, your brain will start to say 'ugh, this is god-awful, why am  I doing this?!' and will kick into gear. You'll start getting more flourish. And eventually something will come out of it. 

Never throw away your writing. Even if you hate it. Especially if you hate it. Keep those things to read when you feel like you can't write another word. Those are the things that will pull you out of it. Take that poorly written chunk and tell yourself "Okay, today I'm going to re-write this. And it shall be marvelous!" And then set off re-writing that thing you hated. 

The only thing you should let yourself stop you from starting is never having stopped. =P


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## Altamont (Feb 6, 2010)

I'd have to agree with everyting ekobor has said, except for the "stop reading" part of it. I'm sure it's possible to find motivation without reading, but in terms of growing as an author and creator, I think the most valuable tool a writer can have is a veritable legion of books from which he or she can learn and draw inspiration from, not so much in a storytelling sense as a stylistic sense. 

I'm not saying that you should just copy the modernism of Joyce or the classicalism of Poe, but even the best writers have formed their writing style out of an amalgamation of everything they've read before, literature that has become so much apart of themselves that they've taken everything they could from it and created something new.


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## ekobor (Feb 7, 2010)

I debated putting that line in there, for the very reason you stated. I did, though, simply because I have found if I stop reading for maybe two, three days, my brain starts yelling at me for stimulation, and the writing flows like air through a turbine. Fast, furious, and in a tornado of propulsion. 

Once I feel that, up come the books~


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## Scarborough (Feb 8, 2010)

Anokorok said:


> Writing definitely got easier for me the more I did it. The motivation level was always the same, but the words started coming out of my head more easily.
> 
> Write whether you feel like it or not. Self-discipline is a greater sword than motivation. I schedule my writing time from 8 to 10. Butt in chair, hands on keyboard. No Internet, no games, no music, just writing.



Eh. Essentially this. Writing's my default setting; I've been writing at least 1000 words/day. Like how some people play video games or masturbate or whatever, it's what I do when I'm bored.

I come to a blank page with different feelings. Sometimes it's like eh, whatever, might as well. Sometimes it's like oh god I haven't written a good thing in weeks what makes me think I can write something decent now. Sometimes it's like Yeah I'mma Kill The World With This Story Alone.

It's usually the "eh whatever" pieces that I like the most.


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## AzulTS (Feb 8, 2010)

Something random will come along and I will build on it. Depending on the idea, it either goes to the Long Term Memory Bank, the Short Term Memory Bank, or my notebook for later reference.


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## Tyvara_Panther (Feb 8, 2010)

My motivation to write is that I love it. Writing is fun and freeing. It"s a chance to be the creator of a new dimension.


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## Atrak (Feb 9, 2010)

Tyvara_Panther said:


> My motivation to write is that I love it. Writing is fun and freeing. It"s a chance to be the creator of a new dimension.


 
Haha, welcome to the Forums, Tyvara  . I wonder what your post-per-day stat is XD . And yeah, alternate dimensions are fun.


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## Tyvara_Panther (Feb 9, 2010)

atrakaj said:


> I wonder what your post-per-day stat is XD .


  crappy probably. The writers forum is about as far as my interest extends. I've got too many projects to work on.
And thanks for the welcome. ^^


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## Atrak (Feb 9, 2010)

It's:
Posts Per Day: 0.01 
I wonder if that's actually it, or if it just can't go any lower. The latter, probably  .


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