Motivation - can you invoke it?

[M T McGuire]

I think a lot of it depends on how your creativity works. I'm surprised at the number of "what's the problem?" type responses there are here.

Mukoan, it sounds like your and my creative streaks might be similar. I find I'll have a phase of intense creativity followed by a less creative phase when the ideas aren't coming and the writing I produce doesn't click. I use these dips for editing. I am guessing your key difficulty arises when you're in a creative phase but the time is not available to utilise that creativity until you are knackered at the end of the day and physically unable to. Other folks, ask a teacher about revision, they will explain that the brain reaches saturation at a certain point and after that nothing more will go in until it is rested. THIS is what we're talking about I think.

I'm not sure everyone creative gets to the point when they're too tired to produce anything but then, other people may not live lives which are as hectic or be more organised. The fact is, it's a gift which works differently for everyone. All I can say is that if you're one of these people who can write glittering prose when your brain is fried beyond belief then you may not understand the point of this thread and frankly, I'm rather jealous of you.

That said, there are at least two people here with temperamental muses and I don't think it does any harm to compare notes and coping mechanisms.

This isn't the same as procrastination, it's not the same as writer's block, it's not about lack of desire to write, it's about finding ways to hold onto the stuff that comes out of your brain when it's fresh so you can write it up when it isn't.

Mukoan, apologies if I'm wading in here but I think you're raising a valid point.

Cheers

MTM

[dadioflex]

Originally Posted by M T McGuire

All I can say is that if you're one of these people who can write glittering prose when your brain is fried beyond belief then you may not understand the point of this thread and frankly, I'm rather jealous of you.

Are you having a go at me? I'm a creature of scant sleep and ragged nerves so, regretfully, may mishandle oblique comments delivered without conviction.

My point was a boohoo for the OP with the sleepy dust in his eyes when the morning's half over.

Sleep is death.

[queentess]

Originally Posted by mukoan

[snippets] What I'm interested in however is how other people go about invoking a sense of motivation before they write - what gets their creative juices flowing?

I'm all ready to rock 'n roll in a writing sense when I'm at my day job. i.e. when I can NOT actually write.

I'd just like to feel a little more like writing when the time presents itself.

As I said before, I'm not a writer, but I am a "creative type" in that I do a lot of knitting, crocheting, sewing and similar things. I frequently get that "gotta work on it NOW" itch during the middle of my work day. I control it by bringing a small project to work and getting a bit done during lunch.

When I get home I have a house to clean, dinner to make and a 10 month old to watch (all with the help of my DH, thankfully), so I'm pretty tired in the evenings too, and sometimes don't feel like being "creative" or have a hard time working through a project or writing a pattern. My solution to get those creative juices going is:

1. Turn it into a routine. I work best when I'm setting aside time at approximately the same time every day. Even if I'm an afternoon person, getting into a routine can shift my schedule from my desired time to my scheduled time.

2. Work in the same environment. Having a clean, sane work environment is key for me. I have to feel organized, and I have to have a separate space in my house that is used just for this purpose. This is the same for my "working from home" rule, where when I'm doing office-related stuff at home I work best when I have an area dedicated to that purpose and I'm not just sitting in the tv room or something.

3. Do anything, even if it's crap. Can't get going? Work through it. Work on a different project. Churn out crap. Play with your materials. Maybe it'll turn into something later. Maybe it'll give you ideas. Maybe you just need a break. But continue with the "creative" mindset and use that dedicated time. Try to form a habit out of your creativity. If all else fails for me, I organize my materials. Sometimes I'll come across a gem scribbled on a bit of paper, or I'll rediscover a yarn that I forgot I had, and that'll trigger an idea.

[kennyc]

Originally Posted by queentess

I'm not a writer, but here is John Scalzi's take on it

[Music&Mayhem]

You could always pretend you've just been diagnosed with a fatal illness and have only one week to complete your story/novel. That should get you moving.

Okay, I'm one of those people who has no problem getting down to the business of writing, mainly because I have only a certain amount of time available. Just do it. Writing is a job, like any other.

It's hard to say why people have problems facing the blank page. Some writers suggest ending the day's work in mid-sentence so that you can just continue the next day. That doesn't work for me, but hey, we're all different.

Much of my creative inspiration comes from reading the work of others, or reading newspapers and stumbling upon some bizarre item that sparks my curiosity. If I'm already into my novel, I just look to see what's going to happen next, hopefully something traumatic to my characters, and write it.

As Don DeLillo says: when you're driving a car at night, you don't have to see all the way to your destination, you only have to see as far as the headlights show you. (or words to that effect)

[mukoan]

Thankyou kindly to everyone for the tips, advice, links to articles, etc. I've been able to apply some of the ideas to my own routine with moderate success - so I'm truly grateful.

I also wanted to quote MTM, as she has hit the nail on the head in regards to the intention of my original post. The John Scalzi article is wonderful and all, but:

Originally Posted by M T McGuire

This isn't the same as procrastination, it's not the same as writer's block, it's not about lack of desire to write, it's about finding ways to hold onto the stuff that comes out of your brain when it's fresh so you can write it up when it isn't.

** Edit: Woohoo! 100th post! Obviously I have plenty of time to write

[M T McGuire]

Originally Posted by dadioflex

Are you having a go at me? I'm a creature of scant sleep and ragged nerves so, regretfully, may mishandle oblique comments delivered without conviction.

My point was a boohoo for the OP with the sleepy dust in his eyes when the morning's half over.

Sleep is death.

Nah... not having a go, actually your reply wasn't one of the 'uh?' ones, obviously my efforts at tact have bombed horribly. Trust me if I was going to have a proper go, I'd do it.

I felt a bit sorry for Mukoan because I could absoultely understand what he was saying. It wasn't a winge or a rant. I don't stop writing when it isn't working and my impression was that he doesn't either.

The point is that sometimes, if you get tired enough, there's nothing left. I'm not talking physical, can't-keep-your-eyes-open-tired. Give me some coffee and I have no trouble writing when I'm like that. I'm talking about a very different thing. I can't explain it properly because this is the first time it's happened to me but, to hijack a hackneyed phrase, it's like thinking through treacle. It's when you're overworked something and even the daydreams stop. Everyone's different, I was just amazed to find someone else who experiences the same thing.

Does that make any sense?

Cheers

MTM

[WPotocki]

Okay, motivation ... what do I do to invoke motivation, huh?

Well, I've tried squirrelly things and not so squirrelly things. I like to experiment so I'm very off the wall with trying new things and thinking things up.

With the very first book I wrote, I was having a horrible time beginning. Someone gave me the excellent advice to set the mood. They said if you're having a date or wanting romance, doesn't putting on the right music and dimming the lights help? I was like, yeah! It sure does. I write horror, but when I thought about the story it was really a very twisted love story. I put on Prokokiev's Romeo and Juliet, sat down and the words just poured out! It worked! Once the faucet was open, it all came out.

Then ... let's see, I hit a wonderful patch of time when I'd wake up, have my coffee and watch Dark Shadows (they had reruns of the old series.) As soon as the program ended, I was in the mood! I'd sit down and write from about 11 AM til around 4 or 5 PM. Then I'd get dressed in my jogging clothes, go to the park and walk and/or run. I found that moving actually gets my ideas flowing. If I sit - doesn't happen. If I move, my brain kicks in. The walking/running stimulated new ideas and allowed me to visualize/conceptualize the next day's chapters so when I started writing the next day, I knew what was going to happen. Really helped and the book and screenplay were written in no time.

It took me awhile to figure out that moving actually helps me think. I finally got it because when someone would give me something at work to do (I worked as a graphic artist), I'd be like ... duh! Couldn't think up anything. Then I'd go home and lo and behold, as soon as the air hit my face by walking home, the ideas would flow.

Now? What do I do now? Now I try to be consistent in the time I work. Routines help. I am very attentive to writing down the first strains of the novel that the muse tells me. That means literally dropping everything and writing down the character's first words, or the first paragraph of the novel. Once that's down, it seems to work out, but I really have to capture that first bit. You can't ever get it back.

Oh, the squirrelly thing I did was buy Kelly Howell tapes. This was right after the Dark Shadows period. Actually one of her tapes worked really, really well. Ironically, it wasn't the one for Creativity. Go figure! And I did love some of her tapes. Really fabulous especially High Focus.

And the other squirrelly thing I did was go into the inner workings of the brain. It seems for creativity, we need to get the limbic system to work. Any great emotion seems to kick start it. That's why the music worked and why some people have ruined their lives by thinking that they can only write when they're depressed. They would have found that really any emotion can work - even happiness - but it's got to be a really, hyper, bigger than life type of happiness. Also the subject of our novels can work since the storyline is usually something we can get emotional about. Since we're writing it, we're probably prone to thinking the storyline is interesting. In other words, if I'm writing a sad story, I'm often crying during the writing of the sad parts. Again, my being emotional about it is helping unlock the limbic system which is aiding my writing which is aiding me in becoming emotional which is ....

Oh, I'm sure you get it! LOL

If I think of anything else I'll post it. You never know what is going to work for you.

Good luck. It is really hard finding time and holding down a job, but it can be done.

[kennyc]

The latest issue of Poets&Writers (Jan/Feb 2011) is "The Inspiration Issue"

[ASparrow]

I'm plenty motivated to write and to perfect my writing. I'm obsessive from chapter to chapter, always thinking about finishing the next one until a book is complete.

Where I've lost all motivation is on the promotion end of things. I know that's an unhealthy attitude, but I really don't care anymore. All I care about is my next story, and the one after that. Who reads them, seems irrelevant.

I'm not sure why this happened, but I think it's a combination of having limited time to devote to the craft and having such slim hopes of developing a wide readership, even slimmer now, with my piss-poor attitude.

[Notre Dame]

Did everyone miss the obvious? You talk about writing during your working day. You don't have to, every day. Write on your day/days off when you're not as tired. When I worked full time, I used to write maybe three times a week, for maybe two hours a time. And I've written over 20 books, ten of them published.

You want motivation? Just start. If you write rubbish, it doesn't matter. What is important is that you will have something to re-write, and that very act will set you off, even if the act or rewriting becomes tearing it up and starting afresh. I wonder if it's motivation you need - if you really have a desire to write, you will - or whether it's a dearth of ideas & there are ways round that problem.

http://www.chrisscottwilson.co.uk

[M T McGuire]

I'm a stay at home parent living miles away from all rellies. I have no time off, my 'job' is 24/7 and there is no thought collection time. The lack of mental space in which to have a thought of my own is the issue with the writing. Once small fry is in bed there is a little time to write but the grey matter is too blitzed to do it.

However, I wouldn't have my life any other way. We're up to two mornings at nursery now and i trust my subconscious. The muse will return as and when. Book two won't be coming out next year but hey, all that means is that by the time it does, it will be all the more eagerly anticipated because more people will have bought book 1.

Cheers

MTM