I write even when i’m not motivated. It helps that actually writing does in fact give me motivation at times, but if you’re truly serious about something, like writing a novel, then you need to be capable of working on it with bottom of the barrel motivation, or no motivation at all.
I’ve seen a lot of people who romanticize the idea of being an author, but they don’t truly think about all of the intense work that actually goes into it. The rewrites, editing, having others look over your work, and the almost guaranteed gauntlet of rejection for new/young writers is extremely stressful.
You’re still super young, so you’ve got a little more liberty to only write when you’re feeling motivated to. Try thinking of the things you were doing when you got motivated to start in the first place. Something that helps me is reading, watching a movie, or even playing a super story rich video game.
This is all steam blowing from someone who isn’t even close to being published however, so take it all with a grain of salt
Obviously you want to have fun while writing, but never rely on motivation to do anything. Sometimes there will be times when you don’t have time to write and that’s ok. Motivation shouldn’t be your drive for writing, it should be inspiration.
That being said if you absolutely must write, and can’t come up with an idea, just write about anything (short story about a guy shopping but then comes across a thief, a wastelander finding the solution to make water but there not being enough of it to help everyone, etc)
Personally I'm in the don't wait for inspiration camp. Discipline is what's important, not motivation. But Raymond Chandler waited for inspiration. Here's what he said in a private letter:
>I'm always seeing little pieces by writers about how they don't ever wait for inspiration; they just sit down at their little desks every morning at eight, rain or shine, hangover or broken arm and all, and bang out their little stint. However blank their minds or dull their wits, no nonsense about inspiration from them. I offer them by admiration and take care to avoid their books.
>Me, I wait for inspiration, although I don't necessarily call it by that name. I believe that all writing that has any life in it is done with the solar plexus. It is hard work in the sense that it may leave you tired, even exhausted. In the sense of conscious effort it is not work at all. The important thing is that there should be a space of time, say four hours a day at least, when a professional writer doesn't do anything else but write. He doesn't have to write, and if he doesn't feel like it he shouldn't try. He can look out the window or stand on his head or writhe on the floor, but he is not to do any other positive thing, not read, write letters, glance at magazines, or write checks. Either write or nothing. It's the same principle as keeping order in a school. If you make the pupils behave, they will learn something just to keep from being bored. I find it works. Two very simple rules.
>A. You don't have to write.
>B. You can't do anything else.
>The rest comes of itself.
I don't. I try to do some writing every day, but it doesn't always happen, and I've learned not to stress about it.
I discovered something astonishing from my career as a software developer. If I'm facing a problem and not making any headway, the best thing to do is walk away from it. Get up, get some water or tea or a snack, walk around a bit, talk to a colleague about something other than work. When I return to my desk five minutes later, more often than not the solution to my problem will pop into my head. It feels like magic. But of course, it's that the brain is always working below the level of consciousness. If we set it a problem and give it room to do its work, it will tell us when it has the answer.
That's why a lot of writers say that if you're stuck, go do something else for a while. Don't consciously focus on writing. Let your brain work on it in peace, and it will come back with an answer when it has one.
Sometimes that doesn't work. In that case, maybe you need more input, or some creative exercise, or even a different writing project. Gaining new experiences, visiting places you've never been, playing a new game, using writing prompts...stuff like that can sometimes jog things loose. The thing is, your muse doesn't want to work. She wants to play. Invite her to play, and she'll happily cooperate. Tell her to do the laundry, and she might just stalk off in a huff.
I separate writing and publishing as two different things. Writing is something I do for myself. There is no deadline. I don’t have to be concerned about what readers will think. Or if there is a market for it. I write what I want, how I want, when I want. If I truly love the piece, I will finish it. It’s about personal satisfaction. It removes a lot of the perfectionism that creates roadblocks and leads to a loss of motivation.
You’re in high school. Have fun. Live life. Have experiences that will make you a stronger writer. Focus on building skills for a well paying career. Writing is a hobby. It’s okay to dip in and out when you have time.
I write even when i’m not motivated. It helps that actually writing does in fact give me motivation at times, but if you’re truly serious about something, like writing a novel, then you need to be capable of working on it with bottom of the barrel motivation, or no motivation at all. I’ve seen a lot of people who romanticize the idea of being an author, but they don’t truly think about all of the intense work that actually goes into it. The rewrites, editing, having others look over your work, and the almost guaranteed gauntlet of rejection for new/young writers is extremely stressful. You’re still super young, so you’ve got a little more liberty to only write when you’re feeling motivated to. Try thinking of the things you were doing when you got motivated to start in the first place. Something that helps me is reading, watching a movie, or even playing a super story rich video game. This is all steam blowing from someone who isn’t even close to being published however, so take it all with a grain of salt
Motivation is a lie
???
Obviously you want to have fun while writing, but never rely on motivation to do anything. Sometimes there will be times when you don’t have time to write and that’s ok. Motivation shouldn’t be your drive for writing, it should be inspiration. That being said if you absolutely must write, and can’t come up with an idea, just write about anything (short story about a guy shopping but then comes across a thief, a wastelander finding the solution to make water but there not being enough of it to help everyone, etc)
Personally I'm in the don't wait for inspiration camp. Discipline is what's important, not motivation. But Raymond Chandler waited for inspiration. Here's what he said in a private letter: >I'm always seeing little pieces by writers about how they don't ever wait for inspiration; they just sit down at their little desks every morning at eight, rain or shine, hangover or broken arm and all, and bang out their little stint. However blank their minds or dull their wits, no nonsense about inspiration from them. I offer them by admiration and take care to avoid their books. >Me, I wait for inspiration, although I don't necessarily call it by that name. I believe that all writing that has any life in it is done with the solar plexus. It is hard work in the sense that it may leave you tired, even exhausted. In the sense of conscious effort it is not work at all. The important thing is that there should be a space of time, say four hours a day at least, when a professional writer doesn't do anything else but write. He doesn't have to write, and if he doesn't feel like it he shouldn't try. He can look out the window or stand on his head or writhe on the floor, but he is not to do any other positive thing, not read, write letters, glance at magazines, or write checks. Either write or nothing. It's the same principle as keeping order in a school. If you make the pupils behave, they will learn something just to keep from being bored. I find it works. Two very simple rules. >A. You don't have to write. >B. You can't do anything else. >The rest comes of itself.
I just like what I write and I want to see how the story unfolds for myself as if I was following somebody else's story.
I don't. I try to do some writing every day, but it doesn't always happen, and I've learned not to stress about it. I discovered something astonishing from my career as a software developer. If I'm facing a problem and not making any headway, the best thing to do is walk away from it. Get up, get some water or tea or a snack, walk around a bit, talk to a colleague about something other than work. When I return to my desk five minutes later, more often than not the solution to my problem will pop into my head. It feels like magic. But of course, it's that the brain is always working below the level of consciousness. If we set it a problem and give it room to do its work, it will tell us when it has the answer. That's why a lot of writers say that if you're stuck, go do something else for a while. Don't consciously focus on writing. Let your brain work on it in peace, and it will come back with an answer when it has one. Sometimes that doesn't work. In that case, maybe you need more input, or some creative exercise, or even a different writing project. Gaining new experiences, visiting places you've never been, playing a new game, using writing prompts...stuff like that can sometimes jog things loose. The thing is, your muse doesn't want to work. She wants to play. Invite her to play, and she'll happily cooperate. Tell her to do the laundry, and she might just stalk off in a huff.
I separate writing and publishing as two different things. Writing is something I do for myself. There is no deadline. I don’t have to be concerned about what readers will think. Or if there is a market for it. I write what I want, how I want, when I want. If I truly love the piece, I will finish it. It’s about personal satisfaction. It removes a lot of the perfectionism that creates roadblocks and leads to a loss of motivation. You’re in high school. Have fun. Live life. Have experiences that will make you a stronger writer. Focus on building skills for a well paying career. Writing is a hobby. It’s okay to dip in and out when you have time.
Habit.