Writing motivation often suffers during the novel-creation-to-publication process, and hanging in there becomes tricky. But story magic pushes us through dark, difficult times (with help).
For some writers, the stars align. They write something amazing, get an agent and publisher, and hit the bestseller’s list. For the rest of us, becoming a successful writer takes time, trial and error, blood, sweat, tears, and human sacrifice. Just kidding about the sacrifice, I think. Anyway, it’s a long, humbling journey, lined with possible hits to our writing motivation like…
… the leap of faith needed to begin a project—trusting an idea enough to take the hardest step, getting started.
… wallowing in a rough draft’s murky middle when the story drifts, gets stuck, or falls apart.
… trip-ups on the race to the end, when uncertainty mounts and rewrites beckon, that is, starting over.
… passing your rough draft to its first reader, anxiously awaiting their feedback, and then… da, da, da… hearing that more work is needed.
… obsessing until the one-hundredth edit produces a final draft, you hope, and you must let it go (or go insane rewriting it again).
… embarking on the quest for it to be traditionally published, starting with querying agents—the first line of defense—and getting rejected. Repeatedly.
… the joy spike when agents ask for more if you’re lucky, and you wait… and wait…
… the joy-geyser when agents ask for a rewrite and revise, you incorporate all of their suggestions, and you wait… and wait…
… and the drowning-in-Chardonnay-while-ugly-crying moment(s) when you get rejected anyway.
… turning to self-publishing and taking on the expense and marketing yourself despite being a terrible salesperson and social media introvert.
… when reviews are few and sales are low… or no one reads it (even your own family).
… your first not-so-great review chips away at your self-worth.
… when marketing proves ineffective and expensive.
… and deciding it’s time to move on and try again, and the process starts all over.
Yikes, still want to be a writer?
Everything on that list has happened to me. Repeatedly. But I’m still at it. A dozen manuscripts and twenty-plus years later. How do I keep my writing motivation when things get tough?
I don’t. Not always. Sometimes it feels like clawing out of a deep, muddy pit. Why do I put myself through this? Over and over?
How many hits can my writing motivation take before it becomes a dream deferred, drying up or festering or, hell, exploding?
As a kid, I needed no motivation to create. I just did it. First, an imaginary creature called a Propoducity in preschool. It was fat and round with big eyes and could live in water and on land. Tales of my Propoducity “entertained” my parents on long drives, and it became a household thing.
Soon after, I had three other imaginary friends—Pubba, Dicka, and Felicia—and we had long conversations and played together and sometimes, they would get me in trouble (I was quick to blame them for any wrongdoings). Ignoring my idea-fairies simply wouldn’t do, they were so lovely and fun. I needed no encouragement to pretend, and learning to write gave my stories a place to go.
Quick Note: It’s a weird name—Propoducity—but I wonder if that was an early sign of my innate need for productivity. Hmm. Also, if you think it’s weird that I had imaginary friends, then shame on you—what do you think fictional characters are? Dummy.
Anyway, I started my first novel in the third grade. It was called A New Life, and my teacher, Mrs. Brown, let me and my classmates act out scenes from it during free time after lunch. And again, I had no problem creating or sharing my work. I just did it.
In high school, I finished my first novel—a teenage romance. Nerves didn’t get in the way of me passing the manuscript to a friend, even though she passed it along to the whole school without asking. People I hardly knew came up to me and said, “Hey, I liked your story.” And, well, that was it! That’s when I knew I wanted to be a novelist. (I didn’t realize it then, but my friend Tammy was being a Grady.)
But my writing motivation became jaded in adulthood, as most things do—that’s when I started ignoring my idea-fairies. I felt torn between doing what I wanted (writing stories) and must-dos like finding a stable, predictable career. My parents insisted on college (a must-do), and with no degrees in creative writing offered at the time, I went with the next best thing. English. And became a teacher. A mother. A preschool director. And writing became a hobby.
Writing on the side produced an inconsistent blog and a few novels that mostly ended up in the manuscript graveyard. Later, after failing to score an agent (again), I published Sea-Devil: A Delilah Duffy Mystery through a small press. What I first thought would be a great stepping stone ended up being another, more expensive manuscript graveyard. For two years, my book wallowed in obscurity while they retained all the control, most of the royalties, and offered no help with marketing (or editing). I ended up buying out my contract. And we’ve been meandering through self-publishing ever since, mostly part-time.
But seven years ago, I took a leap of faith and became a full-time writer. And I’ve spent much of that time fixing my missteps, strenuously editing my books, for one. So, while I’ve never needed writing motivation to create stories, I needed more focus, time, and a kick in the pants to do things right and get into the nuts and bolts of being a self-published author.
That means…
- Maintaining a fun, helpful, and entertaining blog consistently to connect with readers. (12 Reasons to Stop Ignoring Your Blog)
- Becoming a blogging SEO tech-geek though it’s against my nature to understand how these things really work. Google-feelers, right?
- Self-publishing edited, polished, professional books. My 5th Delilah Duffy Mystery is finally here! (Tools for Writers: My Must-Have Favorites)
- Finishing what I’ve started, like a complete mystery series. I’ve always loved a good mystery, and it’s a beautiful & bittersweet relief writing The End on my heartfelt series. (Series Pros & Cons and Do’s & Don’ts).
- Pursuing traditional publishing (with a vengeance) for new projects that are, again, polished and professional.
- And being okay with rejection when/if this doesn’t work out. Rejection is only redirection. (How to Get Over Rejection for Writers)
- Planning projects months in advance, having goals, and getting shit done like a boss. (Make Goals, Not Resolutions & Goals for Writing: 5 Lessons Learned)
- Constantly learning, becoming a better writer, and finding writing motivation EVERYWHERE because you never know when the next idea-fairy will flutter into my path, whether through Famous Artists, Murder, She Wrote, or Reading More Books and Graphic Novels. I always have my jar ready.
Because… The best way to maintain writing motivation when things get tough is by DOING. Looking forward, completing tasks, and having fun with them without adult emotions like insecurity and disappointment interfering. Like when I was a kid—I just did it.
And so should you. Story creation is magic. And the world needs more of that. And it can never have enough stories, either. So, never stop trying to share yours. Consider writing your superpower and stories, a healing adventure you can send people on.
With all those hits to my writing motivation, you might wonder if I’ll get my happily ever after. But the truth is, I already have it. I create stories I love and blogs to inspire, and I’m getting better at both with every word and click.
So, if any of my struggles resonate with you, boost your writing motivation by remembering why you started… to create a little story magic and keep going to find the best way to release that magic into the world.
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