Trouble Spots: Motivation
Courtesy of M. T. Dremer

            If you have chosen to be a writer, be it recreational or professional, there is little doubt that sometimes it can be a little difficult to find the proper motivation to get to work. Maybe its because you are tired and would rather rest, maybe its because you wrote a lot the last day and feel you don’t need to do as much today, or perhaps it’s because you would just rather do something else, rather than sitting at your computer or notebook.

            I don’t blame you, it is important to have a healthy mix of hobbies and work, so you don’t end up going crazy, but when the time comes to write, you have to get down to business.

            So here are a few techniques that you might use to get yourself motivated.

Listen to music

            Now you might be asking: what does music have to do with my writing? Well nothing really, but many times when I listen to music that can in some way be related to the story I am writing, I find my mind going to that writing and playing my story through my head as if it were a movie trailer.

            This is a very simple technique because music can often apply to a wide variety of things so finding the one that suits your story will be easy. For example if your story is up beat, then listen to an up beat song. If it is action packed, listen to an action packed song. Pretend that your story is a movie and that this music is what is playing during the trailer. What I find is that I picture scenes I have already written, making me like them more, but I also see scenes I haven’t even written yet, which helps to give me ideas for how the story might turn out.

            This isn’t restricted to things like classical music either, far from it. You can do this with any song so long as it fits your story. For example if the lyrics are about a struggle someone is having that is similar to the one your main character is having then it would work just the same. However it does have to be a song that you enjoy because you want to associate your story with things you like.

            I know that picturing movie trailers in your mind of your story might sound nerdy but the whole idea is to peak your interest in your story, make the trailer something you would want to see; what you like to see.

Watch a movie

            If you are put in the mood of your story you will be more likely to want to write it, and this is where movies excel. Even in a lot of bad movies they managed to get an atmosphere right, and that is what you are searching for. You want that mood or feeling that exists in your own story, you want to immerse yourself so your interest is at its highest.

            For example if you are writing a ghost story, then rent ghost movies, if you are writing a mystery, then rent mystery movies. It is important to see these worlds as well as read them because you might find there are details you would put in that another author might not, and especially if you have never been to the environment you are describing.

            This area can also apply to video games if that is what you like to do.

Read a book

            Essentially this is the same as watching a movie. Read a book in the genre you are writing in to get yourself in the mood to write it. When ever you are reading something you really love it motivates you to want to write something just as fantastic. Even if you don’t believe you can write as good as that favorite author, it still makes you want to try and that is what’s important.

            I would also like to point out here that in both books and movies don’t always avoid the “bad story.” You would be surprised how much you can learn from something you don’t like, for example; what not to do.

Bring your story to other forms of media

            One of my other hobbies is graphic design, and many times I have found myself messing around with Photoshop in hopes of creating a book cover for my stories. The results aren’t perfect and I can guarantee that a real artist could do a much better job, but the process of using the story idea in a different way (creating a cover) helped motivate me and made me feel good about the story I already wrote. It is a certain sense of accomplishment that I got from it.

            The whole idea here is to look on your story in a different light. This can be difficult if you don’t have any other hobbies or perhaps the ones you do have don’t relate in any way shape or form to writing, but that is okay. You can look on your story in a different light with writing as well. One way is to write a synopsis for it (a brief summary that peaks peoples interests.) By doing this you are forced to think of your story as a whole and identify the main points that should be mentioned in only a paragraph. It helps you to step back and see the story a different way.

            You could also write a short story based in the same universe as your story or with the same characters. This doesn’t take up as much time as something like a novel, and it helps add depth to your fictional world. And sometimes it can be nice to see through the eyes of another character besides the main.

            But this area isn’t restrictive to creation hobbies; let’s say you collect things. Well start collecting things that pertain to your story. For example if you love fantasy you might consider collecting fantasy objects. I’m not promoting buying weapons, but there are harmless objects you can purchase that still relate to your story.

            Draw the characters from your story, carve an item out of wood, visit an area that resembles the environment in your story, it doesn’t matter what the hobby is just find a new way of looking on your work.

My Story Rocks!

As with all of these suggestions the idea is to get the story in your mind, make your story the “cool” thing to do on that Saturday afternoon. When you are interested in a movie, book, or game you are interested for multiple reasons not just one. And so we need to be interested in our own story for multiple reasons.