Motivation and the Writing Life

On Inspiration and Delivery: The Creative Process

October 16, 2017October 16, 2017Motivation and the Writing Life, Uncategorized

by Elizabeth S. Craig, @elizabethscraig

Writers sometimes joke that the worst question to get from readers (and one of the most common) is “where do you get your ideas from?”

I recently read Light the Dark, edited by Joe Fassler, (I received a complimentary copy from Penguin editor Sam Raim). One of the cool things about this book is the fact that it has lots of different writers’ thoughts on where they ‘get their ideas from’…and it doesn’t only cover inspiration, but creativity and the artistic process itself.

Inspiration is a tough subject. It varies from writer to writer. Sometimes, I think, we don’t even realize exactly what inspires or influences us. In Neil Gaiman’s essay, “Random Joy” for the collection, he talks about this:Continue reading

Time to Write

October 2, 2017October 2, 2017Motivation and the Writing Life

by Nancy Christie, @NChristie_OH

When I was thinking about what topic to explore for this guest post, three words kept coming into my mind: “time to write.”

Maybe it was because, overloaded with pre-publication marketing work for my upcoming book, Rut-Busting Book for Writers, I kept “robbing Peter to pay Paul”—stealing the small amount of time I had dedicated each day to fiction writing (my passion) to complete all those promotional tasks on my To-Do list.

Nancy Christie's book "Rut-Busting Book for Writers."

Or maybe it was because despite knowing what I wanted to focus on once my writing book was safely “birthed”—preparing my second short story collection for publication—I kept finding my mind returning to a novel idea that was just “a gleam in its mother’s eye.” And then of course there were the client projects (my income source) whose deadlines were fast approaching.

Every day, I am very conscious of the tick-tick-tick that indicated that time is passing while the items on my task list remain uncompleted. Like so many writers and authors I interviewed for my book, it wasn’t that there was a shortage of ideas or projects I wanted to pursue. It was more a time shortage, leaving me feeling like the White Rabbit who kept checking his pocket watch and muttering, “so little time, so much to do.”

So how do we handle it, given that, for many of us, writing is both a creative calling and a business? How do we make time for writing? And is it just about literal “time” or do we also have to think about the other meaning of “time to write”: whether now is the time for us to begin (or return to) writing?Continue reading

How to Slow Time for More Relaxed, Creative Writing Sessions

August 28, 2017August 26, 2017Motivation and the Writing Life, Uncategorized

by Colleen M. Story, @Colleen_M_Story

“Oh, I want to write today, but I just don’t have the time!”

You’ve probably felt this way more than once. In fact, if you’re like many of us in today’s world, you’re feeling frequently pressed for time, and like you just can’t find enough of it—especially for writing.

The bad news is that when you’re constantly under the gun, creativity suffers. In a 2002 study, researchers analyzed more than 9,000 daily diary entries from people who were working on projects that required high levels of creativity. They found that stress, in the form of time pressure, resulted in less creative projects.

“When creativity is under the gun,” the authors wrote, “it usually ends up getting killed.”

The good news is that you don’t have to feel this way. Here are five tips that can help you slow your perception of time so that when you do get a moment to write, you can approach it with a calm, relaxed state of mind.Continue reading

Comfort Zones and Writing

August 25, 2017August 24, 2017Motivation and the Writing Life, Uncategorized

If you venture out of your comfort zone and can’t find your way back, maybe it’s all good.

by Garry Ryan, @GarryGarrettRya

This story probably began in Singapore. I spent the last two years of high school in a sweaty multicultural concoction of diverse languages, foods and monsoons. It was jarring and I had to adapt. An unexpected dividend was the ability to become a student of the inner workings of societies.

Back in Canada, the kindness of Casey and Pablo exposed me to First Nations’ perspectives. Sometimes the intense heat of a Blackfoot sweat lodge left burns on my shoulders. It also allowed me to see – with more clarity – the connections between humans.

Hummingbird

Keeping Motivated

July 7, 2017June 22, 2017Motivation and the Writing Life, Uncategorized

by Elizabeth S. Craig, @elizabethscraig

I lurk in a lot of Facebook groups and while there are always writers who are pumped up about writing and promoting (yes, really, there are those writers!) I notice that there are just as many who seem frustrated or discouraged: either with their writing progress or with their lack of sales.

Sometimes they’ll be at least making steady sales and then will get completely undone by a terrible review.

Sometimes they say that they don’t really have family support for writing or feel as though they have to make a ton of sales to justify their writing.

Sometimes their life has turned upside down with medical issues for themselves or for people close to them. Or it’s turned upside down for other reasons.

In these circumstances, it’s really tough to keep going. There’s a lot to be discouraged about and sometimes it’s hard to be creative or motivated when faced with a lot of discouragement.Continue reading