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Hey fellow writers! So, I’m joining in on this writing competition and am hoping to cover some serious ground in my new WIP. But I’m someone who will often drop a story less than half way into it for lack of motivation. And to add that to it I’ve just received my first rejection for my contemporary retelling of Aladdin today. Basically, I wanna know how do you guys stay motivated as writers? How do all of you keep writing whether you’re at a rough spot in your WIP or have gotten tons of rejections? I just don’t wanna keep giving up anymore if you guys understand that! Okay, I feel like this forum doesn’t even have enough to post it, but I’m just gonna go for it anyway and hope for the best!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
God gives His hardest battles to His strongest soldiers.
TeenWritersNook.comFor one thing, I always try to remember WHY I write and why I want to write a particular story. And when I sit down to write I always try to make sure I’m removing distractions and doing the best I can to help myself focus (like keeping my workspace clean, using the pomodoro technique, using music to get into the mood, remembering to take breaks, etc.). Another important thing to do is to create clear, achievable goals every day. Other things that keep me inspired about my story (and in turn makes me more motivated) would be creating aesthetic pinterest boards for the characters, creating a playlist for the book, and dreamzoning.
Again, the biggest thing is always remembering your WHY. If your story has a purpose and a message, then never give up. 🙂 Hope this helps!
I'm a Kapeefer 'TIL WE'RE OLD AND GREY!
www.jennaterese.com@jenwriter17
THANK YOU SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO MUCH for this!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! It helps a ton!!!!!!!! I will try to remind myself WHY I’m doing this and use your tips!!!!!!!!!! THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU!!!!!!!!!! I know all of this will help a lot!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!God gives His hardest battles to His strongest soldiers.
TeenWritersNook.comYou’re so welcome, Issabelle! 😀
I'm a Kapeefer 'TIL WE'RE OLD AND GREY!
www.jennaterese.com@issawriter7 and @anyonewhoneedsabitofwriterlyinspiration/motivation
My motivation comes from a variety of things. From the intricate designs of nature to little ideas and words I collect in my Writing Journals to the thought that I really can make a change in the world with my work. And of course, Christ. He inspires my work to be worthwhile, by reflecting Him in it.
But I definitely understand what it’s like to feel none motivated. Like I just want to put my novel in a file, shove it on a shelf and wait a month or two… or three. And sometimes a break is good, as long as it’s not too long to where you forget about it entirely.
During NaNoWriMo, my writing pattern was: put writing off for two days, three thousand word rebound, put off for two more days, 3 thousand words. I cut it close but made it with three hundred words over on the last day.The two things I got out of that routine was: routine itself is a very good thing. Setting a certain time to write and doing it no matter what gave me the hand up to cross the finish line. Deadlines are very good things, one of a writer’s best friends, they make writer’s write even when it seems hard. Chris Baty (the founder of NaNoWriM0 explains that very well in his book, ‘No Plot? No Problem!’
The second thing I learned was: to write: even if I didn’t feel like it, even if all that came out of my pen was completely unpublishable, I had to write. And it was that that got me through NaNoWriMo. Eventually, it got easier. It was like running, the more I did it, the longer I did it, the harder I did it. The better it got, in fact, writing became a getaway and I thoroughly enjoyed it. I mean sure, I stumbled, tripped, got my ankle caught in a rabbit hole or two, but I still loved it. And at the end of each session, I would leave off in the middle of an action so I would be wanting to get right back to it the next day.
I also got more involved in the lives of my cast and eventually, I loved writing my novel just because I loved writing about them. I held interviews with them and exchanged stories, thoughts, questions, complaints, and ideas with them. I’d compliment, joke, and talk with them often, (I know, I know, I admit that I probably sound like a crazy person).
Here are also some quotes I find helpful:
“Start writing, no matter what. The water does not flow until the faucet is turned on.”
-Louis L’Amour.“A professional writer is an amateur who didn’t quit.”
-Richard Bach.“You only fail if you stop writing.”
-Ray Bradbury.“If you want to change the world, pick up your pen, and write.”
-Martin Luther.“A writer is someone for whom writing is more difficult than it is for other people.”
-Thomas Mann.“Forget all the rules. Forget about being published. Write for yourself and celebrate writing.”
-Melinda Haynes“That’s what we storytellers do. We restore order in the imagination. We instill hope again and again and again.”
-Walt Disney.And for the statistics about the national (even global) classics:
Narnia was rejected 30 times, Lord of the Rings was rejected 60 times, Leo Tolstoy’s ‘War and Peace was rejected 121 times, (I could go on for a long while). Those statistics aren’t meant to be disheartening, it just proves that the greatest of stories usually gets overlooked many times before triumph.
Also, Chicken Soup for The Soul has a book called, ‘Inspiration For Writers.’ I love it and it covers numerous topics for writers written by writers. It’s all about the struggles we writers face, but also the wonder and awesomeness we live by seeing the world through a writer’s eyes.
That and as said before, music. Exciting music for exciting scenes. Sad music for sad scenes and triumphal music for victory scenes. After all, like a movie, your novel’s soundtrack should reflect the tone in each scene. It wouldn’t make sense to play Mozart in a climactic battle or country music on a pirate voyage. Also, I recommend instrumental music or songs in a different language, because listening to lyrics and writing at the same time can be challenging not to mix them.
Thank you for reading all of that, I hope it wasn’t boring and I hope I was able to help. I wish you luck with your writing!
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Awww, girl! First, let me just say that I totally get how you feel. And I’m really, really sorry if this sounds cliché, but rejection is what leads to the greatest success. My mom and I were actually talking about that this morning. She was telling me about a video she saw about this astronaut who told how he grew up picking fruit to support his family, and how he was rejected THREE times from NASA before he became an astronaut. And his point was that we’re strong and we’re gonna RISE UP! Lucy Maud Montgomery, who wrote Anne of Green Gables, said her novel was rejected so many times that she eventually put it in a drawer. Years later she brought it out again and sent it to a publishing house, and as we all know, it became a MASSIVE bestseller! And Marjorie Holmes, who wrote Two from Galilee, was rejected for six years before her book was finally published and became another MASSIVE bestseller!
And right now I’m just nodding my head in agreement with you, because I’m actually outlining the second draft of TAS right now and am already stressing. Like, there’s so much to fix! And when I read through the first draft, there were just so many scenes that made me cringe. Right now I’m wondering how I’m gonna fix the mess and actually make this into a novel people can actually READ. Sometimes I wonder why I have such high hopes for it. I feel bland and bored and just discouraged.
But when that hits, I just try to remember why I want so badly to write TAS. Why am I even outlining my second draft and getting ready to edit right now if the first draft was so cringeworthy? And I realize: It’s because I want to touch at least one heart with this novel, because someone out there needs it. I can connect with someone I’ll probably never meet through my words.
You’ve written Into the Lamp and stuck with it this long for a reason. You had the courage to put yourself out there and send your work to an actual agent. Very few people have the courage to do that. They let fear keep them from chasing their dreams. YOU DIDN’T DO THAT! YOU CHOSE TO ACTIVELY PURSUE THAT DREAM. Because you have AMAZING plans for Into the Lamp, and nothing is going to stop you. I’m cheering for you all the way, and I believe in you! And I can say I speak for everyone here, too.
I just want to say I love you and your writing so much, Issa!!!
JC
THANK YOU SOOOOOOOO MUCH for all of that!!!!! I feel much more ready to get back to writing now!!!!!!!! YES! I read it all and I didn’t find it boring one bit!!!!!!!!!!!!!! And it’s really not crazy to talk with your characters, authors do it all the time!!!!! Anyway, THANK YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! It’s gonna help a lot!!!!!!!!!!!
God gives His hardest battles to His strongest soldiers.
TeenWritersNook.com@joy-caroline
THANK YOU JUST A THOUSAND TIMES OVER FOR THIS ENTIRE REPLY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Like I’m over here about to cry after reading it!!!!!!!!!!!! THANK YOU for all of your support and encouragement!!!!! I really couldn’t do this without you!!!!!! I don’t know what to say except THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! And you know what? SAME back to you!!!!! TAS is a beautiful story and you have a beautiful vision for it! I believe it is a dream that God has placed on your heart and I KNOW He’s gonna help you and will somehow make your dream a reality!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! You’re waaaaaaay more likely to get TAS published than I am Into the Lamp (ITL?????? That just sounds weird. XD) Again THANK YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I feel more ready to submit to my next agent now!!!
And I wanna add that I love you and your writing SOO MUCH too, JC!!!!!!!!!!!!!! <33
God gives His hardest battles to His strongest soldiers.
TeenWritersNook.comYour welcome! I wish you the best of luck with- well actually you probably don’t even need luck at all. So I wish you the best of writing!
@abigail-m
Aww, THANK YOU SOO MUCH!!!!!!!!!! Same back at ya!!!!!God gives His hardest battles to His strongest soldiers.
TeenWritersNook.comHey there! I’m so sorry to hear that your story was rejected. That’s really hard to deal with. I remember my very first rejection and how crushing it was, and honestly how crushing every other rejection has been since then. Rejection isn’t ever easy, but unfortunately it’s just a part of how the writer’s life goes.
What keeps me going when I get those rejections is mostly stubbornness, not gonna lie. Once I’ve got my mind set on something I’m going to keep doing it. It’s also remembering what is important to me and why I wanted to tell this story.
I think its also important to remember that there’s a time for everything. Maybe right now isn’t the time for publication, or to get this book done, or get that written and that’s ok. I’ve just got out of a very long season of writer’s block (almost two years, the longest I’ve ever gone without writing). I was going through a very rough patch and no matter how hard I tried it just didn’t happen and that’s ok, it wasn’t the season. And all the rejection slips I received years ago just meant it wasn’t the season to be published or win a competition. So don’t give up! It may just not be the time yet and that’s completely ok 😀
INFP Queen of the Kingdom commander of an army of origami cranes and a sabre from Babylon.
YESS!!!! THANK YOU SOO MUCH for this!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I’ve had soooooooooo many rejections (literally every single thing I’ve written and submitted for something was rejected) in the past but I’ve never thought of looking at it as it just not being the right season for it to work. So, that’s an AWESOME perspective to have!
God gives His hardest battles to His strongest soldiers.
TeenWritersNook.com<p style=”text-align: left;”>
I found these two quotes and thought they belonged in this topic.</p>“Someday you are going to be someone’s favorite author.”
-unknown.
Ooooh, those are SUPER GOOD quotes!!! THANK YOU for sharing it!!!!!!! <33
God gives His hardest battles to His strongest soldiers.
TeenWritersNook.com
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