Inspiration and Motivation

[occasionally]

Sometimes I am inspired to write. The idea springs forth from the ether to whisper in my ear: write me. Then the words come, first a trickle, now a geyser unstoppable. Most days, though, I'm not. Maybe I'm inspired. Certainly I have ideas-so many ideas that on any given day I've forgotten dozens by bedtime. Really, perhaps what I mean to say is

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[comedychick]

For me, it really varies from day to day. One of the things that has kept me working on my novel for so long is that I've not only made myself accountable to myself, but to other people. By sharing my progress on Facebook, I've not only been generating interest in the story, but I have a whole lot more people wanting to see me succeed. It'd not just about me any more. It's about those around me who want to see me do well. Knowing they believe in me is actually a pretty powerful motivator for me.

I have days and weeks when I don't write. But I keep coming back because of that.

Plus, I have people reading along as I write. I'm even more accountable to them. They want to keep reading, which means I have to deliver. And the fact they want to keep reading tells me that I'm not the only person who likes my story. That's something that also means a lot to me.

How do I push myself to improve? Again, it's the accountability. The people helping me along the way offer me tips to make things better. They tell me what doesn't work so I can mould it until it does.

Reading other people's work that I admire also pushes me to improve. Like mstrobel and joeymichaels - wanting to write the kinds of things they do pushed me to at least try.

I think a lot about the social issues that matter to me and how I can convey that in writing, too. I thinking knowing I have a voice and realising that I want to stand up for what I believe in has helped me fight my demons. Showing people what I believe in has ended up being something I'm not as afraid to do any more, despite who might disagree with me. When the words call to me more than the fear.

There are still days where the demons are there, where I worry that I'm not going to succeed. But I think now my procrastination is borne more out of the unknown quantities that comes with finishing the project. What next? Now I have to sell this? Promote it? What if people don't like it? I'm still not entirely sure how I fight all of those thoughts. I think it's more ignoring them as best as I can.