5 Pieces of Writing Motivation Every Writer Needs to Hear
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If you're currently finding yourself staring at a blank page and struggling to get any words out, or maybe you can't even bring yourself to open your manuscript document at all, then this post is for you.
It can be incredibly challenging to retain your writing motivation since it is such a time-consuming, emotional, and energy-intensive process. As a professional book editor, nothing upsets me more than hearing that an author has lost their motivation to write and they are no longer going to work on their story. So, to help you get out of this rut, I want to offer some inspiration and motivational writing tips today that hopefully rejuvenate your energy and help you return to your work with newfound passion and excitement!
You Are the Only One Who Can Tell This Story
My first piece of creative writing motivation is the fact that you are the only one who can tell this story. Presumably, you began writing in the first place because you have this story in your head that you are itching to get out. It's something that you are passionate about. Perhaps your characters feel like friends and you even hear them talking to you, or perhaps the story is a version of a family story that was passed down from your parents or your ancestors, or maybe it's even your personal story — something that is very intimate and closely connected to you as a person.
Whatever this story means to you, remember that you are the only person who is going to get it out in the world. No one else is going to write it for you. So, if you don't tell it, this story that you care so much about is not going to be told. If this story means anything to you, then hopefully you can use that as motivation for writing.
Granted, it is a lot of responsibility put on you as the story's creator, but hopefully that responsibility invigorates and excites you. Think about all of the people out there who are going to connect with this story but haven't heard it yet, and write for them.
Every Book You Love Began as a Rough Draft
My next piece of writing inspiration is to remember that every book you love began as a rough draft. Right now, I want you to look at your bookshelf (or, if it's not in sight, picture your favorite book in your mind). You're likely picturing a gorgeous cover — a physicla hardcover or a paperback, right?
Guess what? That final, beautiful, polished finished form that you are picturing is not how the story began. It began as text on a page, just like what you have right now. And over time, as the author worked on it, that text got molded, cut out, shifted, omitted, moved, torn apart through rigorous rounds of revision. What you are seeing is the final product. You're not seeing how the sausage got made.
I think of the book evolution process almost like a caterpillar to butterfly metamorphosis; if you just looked at the butterfly, you would have no idea that it started as a caterpillar. Your work in progress right now is that caterpillar, so stop comparing it to the butterfly. The caterpillar is beautiful and essential in its own right, and it is that critical first stage of the process.
Do not let looking at all these gorgeous finished books discourage you because you think your book is never going to get there. It just hasn't gone through its metamorphosis quite yet.
No One Has It Figured Out
My next bit of book writing motivation is that no one has it figured out. I promise you. It's so easy to look at best-selling authors and think, “Oh, they have some secret knowledge that I'm never going to get. They've cracked the code, and for them book writing is just a piece of cake.” But that is not the case at all.
If you talk to any successful authors, many of them will tell you that becoming a best-selling author just comes down to discipline and that writing never necessarily gets easier but they just force themselves to do it over and over and over again. They do the work not because it is always enjoyable and not because it always comes easily, and certainly not because their creativity is always a free-flowing waterfall, but because they have dedicated themselves to it. Even highly established authors feel periods of writer’s block and no motivation for writing. The difference is just that they don't let it hold them back and they persevere through it.
Know that there is no definitive how-to guide that you are missing. There is no secret that everyone knows except for you. You're not missing any hack or shortcut to writing a great novel. Everyone goes through the same slog and all of these same challenges. There's a quote I really like that goes, “You learn to write by writing” — and that is so true. While courses and degrees and workshops and YouTube videos can all certainly help, the only true way to learn how to write — especially to develop your own craft as an author — is to just do it. It is one of the only industries where there are no formal qualifications needed. The training is just to practice writing. So, give yourself that time.
You Have a Gift
My next piece of novel writing inspiration is to know that you have a gift. Being able to conjure complex worlds and multifaceted, interesting people just from your brain and put them down onto a page is an incredible skill that few people have. While pretty much all humans enjoy stories, only some are gifted storytellers, and even fewer are actually gifted at storytelling through the written word. And you fall into that coveted latter category. You have the ability to convey your story meaningfully in writing.
While most people can write in some capacity, creative writing is an entirely different beast altogether. Either it comes to you naturally or it doesn't. We all know someone who has amazing stories from their life but they're just not that good at writing them down. Whenever you doubt your abilities as a writer, remember that you were given the gift of being able to tell stories in writing. Now put it to use!
Nothing Worth Doing Is Easy
My final bit of writing motivation for you is to remember that nothing worth doing is easy. If writing a book were easy, it wouldn't be special. You have committed yourself to this because you are part of a small group of people who did not take the easy way out and chose to dedicate their time and energy to something deeply meaningful to them — and that is incredible.
Think of it like the number of people who try to summit Mount Everest every year. Many hikers go up, many hikers make it to base camp, but fewer hikers make it all the way close to the summit, and fewer still actually make it all the way to the top of the summit. To go further with that analogy, if you are ever feeling discouraged, think about that view you are going to see at the top of the summit. You will look down at the bottom to where you were at the beginning and feel an incredible sense of pride and accomplishment. Your blood, sweat, and tears will all be worth it, I promise.
I have worked with hundreds of authors over the course of my career, and I can confidently tell you that never once has an author said to me that they regretted finishing their book. Not one. Even if it never got published, and even if it never got the sales that they wanted it to, they never regretted doing it. They still feel pride and accomplishment in finishing their book because in and of itself, that is a huge achievement. Remember that the next time you need a little extra motivation for writing.
I genuinely hope these motivational writing tips helped spark some inspiration and made you feel excited about returning to your current work in progress. If you keep committing yourself to telling this story, I promise it will be worthwhile.
Thanks so much for reading and happy writing!