Motivation: semi-coherent thoughts for writers

So what gets you writing?

Short answer is it depends on the payoff. If you’re writing for fun, then write while it’s fun. Why thrash yourself? Take a month off, let yourself out from under the pressure stone. Enjoy, enjoy! God knows there’s so little other reward in the occupation, you might as well enjoy it. You don’t have to be miserable to write well.

Different if you have a goal other than fun. Perhaps you want fame. HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA I feel better now.

Or fortune. Good luck. If you’re really good, and you manage to tap into the zeitgeist or whatever, you might indeed make a fortune. The arrival of a huge windfall encourages some to continue, while others find it very demotivating. I guess we’d all like the opportunity to find out which we are.

Some of us will make something from professional sales, but it’s not likely to be a full-time income. Then comes the decision: do I continue to treat this as a hobby that occasionally coughs up pocket money, or do I try to make it a job? Handing out bookmarks, writing attention-grabbing blogs, increasing my writing volume in search of name recognition, attending cons and expos and a hundred other little things. Do I, in a word, hustle?

There are a few out there who enjoy the hustle but I’m not one of them. Couldn’t think of anything more demotivating. Each to their own, I guess. Well, I won’t hustle you, but there might be a little swish every now and again. You are reading my writing blog, after all. Be warned: at some point I’m going to try to sell you Silent Sorrow. Swish.

Welcome to the gig economy.

It gets more and more complex. Maybe we’ve been a success in the past. Sold half a million copies, won awards, garnered rave reviews, but the train left the station while you were stuck in the outhouse. Sort of happened to me, that did, getting sick and going through a separation when I should have been tending to my career. Oh well, I’m jogging after the train, not sprinting, not these days, but still doing things I love. Let’s see if I catch up.

In the end, what saves me is my self-knowledge. I WANT TO MAKE THINGS. That’s all I need.

Write because you enjoy telling stories. Write because you have something to say and an interesting way of saying it. And, for your sake and the sake of those who love you, go easy on yourself.