how do you motivate yourself to write?

Guilt. I say to myself: "Parametric, if you can't put words on paper, you are not a writer. You are a talker-about-writinger. You are a slacker, a poser and a failure. You hate yourself and want to die. Only through writing can you gain validation! Now put your ass on the chair and your hands on the keyboard!"

Usually works.

drink excessive amounts of Absinthe?

What motivates me to write?

I remind myself that making something beautiful with words, even if it's nothing more than an overturned kerosene can in an abandoned yard, is more than just entertainment. Writing is important on so many levels. Once I remember this, I can't keep myself from it.

... just say to myself, "Ken, you've got to do some writing, now, whether you want to or not."
Works 75% of the time, which ain't bad.

I also have this problem, but it's really just me getting stubborn and wanting to finish where I am instead of skipping over.

Screw it. Just skip over and write something cool. Later you can go back and change settings/characters and patch plot holes.

Write what excites and interests you and you can write with ease.

I can't do it. I had to start a critique group that gives strikes when we don't make a weekly quota. I'm at fifty MS Word pages in seven weeks (we do 10pp a week, but my first week was a 10-page novel outline and I re-submitted one section because I had to make huge structural novel-affecting changes to answer some valid issues brought out in critiques), so it's working.

I was forced to have two weeks away from writing. My wife and I had two weeks in Fiji and I wasn't allowed to take my laptop. When I returned, I realised I wasn't happy with my WIP. I'd been procrastinating over the previous two weeks but now I realise that it is because the writing isn't as tight as my other works. So now I'm attacking it with the razor and cutting off anything unnecessary. I'm feeling better about it already. When it's back to my normal style I'll be able to progress.

So if you're not getting into your wip, edit it. When it's exactly what you want, you'll want to continue.

I don't bother trying to motivate myself when I don't feel like writing. Instead, I sit down and start writing whether I like it or not.

Granted, I do whine about it occasionally, but at least stuff gets done.

Maybe you could get a beta that will hold you accountable...?

Write up a contract to your dream agent/publisher. Stick it on your desk like you have deadlines to meet.

JJ

I'm always amazed at people who say they only write when the inspiration strikes. If I waited around for inspiration, I'd have all of two words written: "The End." My inspiration comes as I type and force myself to show up in the chair. I don't force myself to meet a certain quota of words, though. I think that's silly. (I could write a ton of purple prose that way and call it a day). But I do have daily goals of scenes I want to finish writing, editing I need to do on a chapter, etc, that keep me on task.

I like electricity and food. And I enjoy writing. That's plenty of motivation right there. If you're having to fight *that* hard to get motivated, then maybe this isn't the gig for you. Either you want to succeed at being a writer, or not. It's that simple. How bad do you want it?

Start another project--some new idea that is fresh, exciting, and gets the words flowing. Then, when that one gets a little tough, start on another new, fresh and exciting idea. When that one gets a little tough, jump to another new one. That way, you'll never have to worry about this writing thing becoming the least bit work-like and you'll never have to face the challenge of sending out a finished project for professional evaluation. It's the ultimate safe house.

I keep going because I like having written. I like when the words and scenes work out, so I'll keep going because I can't write things I'm happy with unless I actually write. But over all, I keep going because I love having the finished product. The short stories for submission or the novel that will land me an agent (and publication.)

It's like my lawn. I have an acre of lawn and a push mower. I don't get excited about mowing the lawn, but oh, do I love how it looks when I'm done (3.5 hours later...)

If you're stuck in your story, I think you need to look at what happens next. Perhaps you're writing a character in a way that is against who they are. Perhaps you are writing boring scenes, but don't want to admit you are bored writing them (in which case, just skip ahead), perhaps you are writing a conflict that is implausible or unimportant. Time to think, hard and brutally honest about what's going on in your story. I find I stop when I don't know what happens or I've written something wrong... but I KEEP WRITING because, as I write, the ideas breed other ideas, characters say things that close plot holes, and the story will slowly come together as I continue on.

But you can always go with Nero's advice.

This might be worth looking at:

http://procrastinatingwritersblog.com/2009/05/08/staying-on-track-for-non-deadlined-projects/

Linda Adams said:

This might be worth looking at:

http://procrastinatingwritersblog.com/2009/05/08/staying-on-track-for-non-deadlined-projects/

Click to expand...

Nice, Linda. Thanks for that link.

Two things I've been doing lately that have helped me keep myself in the game:

I have my current WIP open at all times when I'm using the computer until my goal for the day is met. That way I just keep staring at it, and sooner or later I'll get tired of looking and just start working on it.

Also kept open in a Firefox tab is Neuro's challenge. Nothing motivates me like trying to prove someone wrong. I'm kidding, but the intent is certainly there, and quite effective at that. One day soon I will be able to add a post of my own to that thread. Then another, and another...

As you can see from my sig I too struggle with motivation; I'm great at starting, terrible at finishing. My current WIP is the farthest I've ever been in a long project and I am determined to make it the first one to reach the end.

The bottom line is, experiment until you find something that works for you and stick with it. You'll get there sooner or later.

My stories won't write themselves. If I don't write them, no one else is going to do it for me.

For folks who want to make a career out of this, motivation is a bad word. Discipline is the key: Butt In Chair, Fingers On Keyboard. Once you're working under actual deadlines, you can't wait around for motivation/inspiration.

For folks who write for the sheer joy of it, that should be motivation enough. The exact reason you sit down and write stories should be enough to motivate you to do it.

Motivation is bogus.

If you want to be a writer, you write, whether or not you feel like it.

DWSTXS said:

drink excessive amounts of Absinthe?

Click to expand...

Although this works too.

The general feeling I get, from reading what people have posted on this site and others, is that most writers get rather caught up in not being able to write. This is something of a Catch 22. If you don't have the need to put pen to paper, then the feeling will remain with you for far longer than it need.
I don't read the works of other writers when the mental ink dries up. It harms my ability to see what I want to write, and gives me the false impression that I should be writing in the style / form / setting in which the author I'm reading has used.
The best way for me to get back to a project (and this is a subjective solution to a problem which is personal for everyone) is to watch television, listen to music, play a DVD, put on a computer game for a while... Anything other than reading a book. When I finish watching, listening or playing, I use the stimulus to generate something that resembles useful writing. It doesn't always result in ideas, phrases or scenes that are anything near useful, but it can get me out of a rut more often than not.

I can't remember which author gave the advice, but there is a scene-adoption technique that I also tried to work with. The basic idea is to switch on a program (TV or radio) in the middle of an episode, and switch off again before the end of the episode. Your assignment would be to write a scenario that gets the characters into the scene, then conclude events after the portion you watch or listen to.

Don't give up.

I go through phases where I paint, go on a cooking or baking spree, garden or whatnot. I always come back around to writing, but it's fun to have other side projects going on.