Portrait of Writing
Motivation. Some of us have a lot of it. Other's need a kick in the pants to get it going? Either way, without proper motivation your goal will never move off your to do list.
So the inevitable question from me is...what motivates you? To write, to draw close to God, to ___________ (fill in the blank.)
Hum. What motivates me to write? I really hadn't thought of it until now. If I dig back into my childhood, writing was a way to release my inner emotions in a safe environment. I wasn't really good at expressing myself verbally, but I got my point across when I wrote. Then I got really good at it, got A's in school in my writing, and people praised me. So you can see where my motivation came from. Now my writing has turned into a natural out pour of who I am.
I am therefore I write, so to speak.
But just like goals can change, so can motivation. Was your love of writing once enough to keep you happy? Are you now so obsessed with publication that you've lost your joy of writing? If so, I'd say it's probably time to re-evaluate your motivation. Publishing doesn't validate your life. Don't believe me? Check out one authors' view on the subject here.
2 comments:
Interesting question. I think a lot of us began as you did. In fact, I think back to my favorite series by L.M. Montgomery, not the Anne books but the Emily books. Emily had the same thing, not so good at conversation, needed to write to get her feelings out in a safe place, and did well when writing in school. I have always assumed that, like most writers, the "writing character" was the most accurate self-portrait of L.M. Montgomery, just as Jo is the most accurate image of Louisa May Alcott.
That said it was not until God said "Write" that I went from writing because I anted to to writing because I was supposed to. My motivation is not money (I have published friends, unless you are a top seller you mke much less than minimum wage as a writer --which is why I also am not pursuing Art as a career either, same problem. :))None of my hobbies (obsessions) would keep food on the table unless God took them over and made them moneymakers. However, I continue in each of them because He said to. He gave me the gift of being a ble to et my point across in the written word (which is good because verbally I am a mess.) He has said to write, therefore I write.
Depends on the situation. I write in my journal to sort out thoughts - it helps me peel the layers of flesh back to see what God's purpose is in a situation I'm facing. When I blog, I have a different motivation. It's more a sense of sharing my story, including others in my life journey, and letting people know they are not "the only ones." I don't see writing as a separate part of me, but as an expression of who I am. I don't have deadlines or publication expectations to keep me motivated, and a lot of the time I see writing (even in my journal!) as frivolous use of my time (it doesn't do my dishes very well and I'm hopelessly practical =(). It is pretty far down on my priority list right now. Maybe when my kids are all out of diapers...!
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