Motivation for Writing

Finding the motivation to write isn’t always easy. With a recent burst of writing, I was wondering what the difference was between writing like that, and the times where even sitting down to look at the empty screen / page was a struggle. Obvious things, such as external stress and time pressure will affect the ability to sit down and write, and the desire to write things that are motivating and of interest to readers. When they’re taken care of, and the motivation is still lacking, there have to be other factors that impact the ability to write.

Looking at what’s been going on around my recent writing sessions, I realised there were a couple of factors that I hadn’t realised carried any impact. Probably the biggest one was the books I was reading prior to trying to write. If the book was difficult to read, and it didn’t feel that the author was enjoying themselves, then I was going to find it difficult to sit down and generate a feeling of joy in my writing. On the other hand, if the book I was reading was easier to read, and it felt that the author was truly enjoying their writing, then I ,too, found it a joy to write and convey that into the words being put down for my readers.

When I look at the books that I have yet to read, most of them fall into the second group, and that bodes well for me when I sit down to write in the coming weeks, especially as I’m making a greater effort to allow the stories to increase in length, rather than cutting them off where I feel comfortable. It’s part of gaining confidence that I really can write longer stories without making them needless filler.