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Originally Posted by TheBlackStallion
Hey everyone, I'm a writer and I've run into a problem that I can't quite resolve. I have these wonderful ideas for stories, but I never get around to writing them because I don't feel like it anymore. I figured it's because I lack motivation to go through with it.
So I guess the question I want to ask is: How do you stay motivated when writing? I've never had this problem before, so any advice is welcomed
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When I read this I seriously felt a tinge of amusement because I encounter the exact same problem!!! -high 5!-
Every author will undergo this phase sooner or later, and how long it lasts depends on how much the author loves to write. For me, this phase lasted for a few years because of school, and I'm just beginning to get out of it. I googled the web and read books to see what would help, and I must say some things work better than others, but I'll propose some stuff for you to try out first.
1) Nanowrimo.
Seriously. Even if it's not nanowrimo, you should
write a story from start to finish without stopping to edit. I managed to do mine this year (even though it clashed with my finals) and felt an overwhelming sense of achievement. I managed to pen down one of my ideas into a full (albeit half-assed) novel that I have yet to edit. Actually, this philosophy should more or less be applied to every single project you work on. DO NOT EDIT THE FIRST DRAFT UNTIL YOU'RE DONE WITH IT. The first draft will always be crap if you follow this. Don't think too much, just write. Then when you're done with a chapter (or the entire fic), go back and edit. I must say that it takes a lot of willpower to do this but hell, since when was writing not an issue of willpower? Set yourself a daily word count goal.
2) Always write down your ideas.
I have a folder full of story ideas that I have yet to explore, sitting in my computer, waiting to bust out onto text. Just like an artist always puts inspiration onto their sketchbook, you should always pen down your ideas, just so that you can be inspired when you have a dry spell, though I doubt that's what you're having now.
3) Find a place and time.
I used to be a person who could only write and immerse myself in writing when it was midnight until 3am, on my bed. Sometimes I would open the windows when it just rained and smell the freshness of the night. It really helps if you write in a surrounding that won't exactly be too comfortable, but not too uncomfortable either. Nowadays I tend to write on the subway or on the bus in a book, and now that I've graduated I can't really write with my laptop on the bus back home from school, so I'll have to find a better writing time. But yeah, it's good to find a place and a time. Some people have to lock themselves in their rooms to write, some have to be in the great outdoors. Find your spot.
4) Go back to your inspiration.
For that initial "push" that you mentioned in conjuring the energy to start up your story, go back to what inspired you to write about that specific plot. Think about all the questions that you want to address, feel them surface in your mind, then write to let it all out. However, sometimes it would be better to write out all these questions and answers in planning before you start because if you're like me, you'd end up spending one whole session doing nothing but planning out the questions that you have with regards to the issue. Some people just jump headlong into the writing, and that's fine too. But try to recall what the idea was that prompted you to think of that specific plot.
5) Get a beta
Get a friend/someone on this site to review your works and actively discuss them with you, so that it's not a monologue and you don't feel so un-compelled to write.
TL;DR
Find your style of writing, when you like to write and where, get someone to read and discuss your work with you, find the source of your inspiration and draw the energy from there.
Hope this helps! If it doesn't, feel free to ask for more!
