Do You Find It Difficult to Stay Motivated?

You’re not the only writer with this problem. Rebecca A. Corio might be able to help.

Rebecca’s Thoughts

Oh God … it’s “spin” day. A familiar ball of panic thunks in my stomach.

Why couldn’t it be weight day? Or for once, why couldn’t the Energizer™ Bunny, Terminator™-esque trainer call in sick? Just once. Weights would be okay, but cycling to death while everyone else just seems to breeze through the workout … A mental image of that person fills my head. You know the one I’m talking about. The person who never skips class, and who somehow always takes up residency on the stationary bike beside me. I turn away from my gym bag while pretending not to notice the dust bunnies gathering on the zipper.

Tomorrow … I swear

And I do, on the single succulent plant still alive on my windowsill, that tomorrow I will make good on my gym membership. Not going one day won’t hurt … right?

Yes, in fact it will hurt. This is where mental mayhem (I love that phrase!) begins. Prepare for Class A self-annihilation of one’s esteem and confidence. Telling ourselves one day won’t hurt … is a lie.

And one a vast majority of people have committed at one time or another. Tomorrow arrives, and there is an unplanned three-hour phone call, a new movie on Netflix, a bathtub to be scrubbed, pretty much any excuse will do, and suddenly a day turns to a week, turns to months.

Substitute whatever task you like in the example above, but I think life as an author is particularly suitable for comparison to skipping a workout regime.

Maybe we’re crazy.

Why do we do that? Kid ourselves about our intentions? I mean seriously. Why? Whether we are talking the gym or the pen, the struggle is real. But it defies logic. We feel good at the end of a workout or a writing session. (Notice I didn’t say “good” writing, writing session. That the words must be good isn’t the point. The first thing that has to happen is they must make it to the paper.) All it takes for all those feel-good endorphins to fill us is to simply follow through on what we had scheduled, planned, needed, to do. Personally, if I somehow manage an entire week of keeping to my writing schedule, I am waiting for someone to announce a new national holiday at the accomplishment. I am stinking proud of myself.

Instead, we duck our head and spend the rest of our day wallowing and checking our social media feeds. Which results in seeing every other author we know, even the ones we don’t, who got on their cycle and did the deed, hitting their word count and beyond. (Did anyone else just hear Buzz Lightyear?)

Wait for it …

Here comes lie number two. “It is easy for all those other authors (and spin class nemeses) to stay motivated. Just look at them. Those other authors are over the hard hump and already accomplishing their writing goals. Somehow their author life isn’t as hard as ours. They are motivated because everything is going right for them.”

Let’s clear that up now. No … It isn’t.

Let’s get to clearing up the mayhem. If it isn’t that some authors are just born lucky and some aren’t, then what IS happening? How do some find staying motivated so easy?

They don’t.

That’s right. They don’t. Motivation doesn’t just happen. It is a result of several things. The ABCs of motivation I like to call it. Oh sure, there are those divine moments of Hawthornian state when the stars align, and an author can’t write or type fast enough. But far more common are long hours of effort. And here we have our first necessary element. Effort, nothing happens without it. Simply put, the more effort, the more results.

The answer to what comes next is clear, dedication. To be dedicated is to be devoted to a task or purpose. Anyone who has ever finished or even attempted to finish a novel has dedication. The author must be dedicated to reaching the end. Commitment is the next necessity. Webster offers the following definition: “the state or quality of being dedicated to a cause, activity, etc.” There’s that word dedicated. See where this is going? Focused effort, dedication, commitment … If I didn’t know better, I would think we were talking about romance.

Bravery is the next characteristic necessary to maintain motivation. With every manuscript, there is a moment of “this is awful” that grips the author. It takes guts to not give up, to keep going. Being brave means moving forward even when we’re scared. Authors open themselves up and pour all their emotions, the good, the bad, and the ugly, onto the pages. There is a lot to fear in doing that, and thus a lot to be brave about.

Things are starting to pay off, just a little bit farther …

Lastly, and this might come as a surprise, we add to the mix a dash of aggressive. I’m not talking the kind that’s going to land someone behind bars. I’m talking positive aggression. The drive that gives a person a sense of empowerment and accomplishment as they push through the doubts and imposter syndrome to get that last ten thousand words onto the pages. This is not for the faint of heart. A dose of grawrrr is useful.

Writing is like being an athlete. The more you train, the better you get. The skills acquired along the way become part of the arsenal to keeping oneself motivated. The ABCs above provide stability to the creative process, like bumper pads on a bowling lane, they help keep us on track. With these things as groundwork, we can then add creative benchmarks to the process. These benchmarks, specifically identified points that when reached are cause for celebration, help the writer see that the story is progressing. If the only time celebration is allowed comes at the end, well, that can seem like something so far out, it is unattainable, and we might as well give up now. Getting to the end takes daily effort. Victories are needed along the way to give us the strength to continue.

For each writer it will be different to suit their style, their personality. Daily word trackers, friends who help hold us accountable, the little victories we celebrate along the way … pair those things with your effort, dedication, commitment, bravery, and some positive aggression. And suddenly you are the author others look at, wondering how it is you are so lucky to not have a problem staying motivated.

This is scary. Enough so, if we don’t try then we never actually fail, begins to sound okay. Accepting that reasoning is often a lot easier than pushing ourselves to do something we think is going to hurt. Remember, staying motivated to write, to finish the novel, isn’t about writing five thousand good words a day. Good comes at the end. It is in the doing that we win. You show up for yourself. Go team you!

© Rebecca A. Corio

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A former farm girl from the Midwest, Rebecca is blessed to now split her time between Hawaii and the Pacific Northwest. From beaches to woods, she loves the outdoors and animals of all kinds, with a particular fondness for the Akita and the beautiful Maine Coon. Rebecca finds romance in everyday life and in every setting. She loves writing characters who her readers can identify with and weaves bits of truth into all her stories. A believer in Love at first sight and Happily Ever After, Rebecca shares laughter, tears, and her passion with readers through the stories she creates. She loves being the sunshine and light for those around her. The advice she gives most often… When the Universe stops to sprinkle its pixie dust upon you, make sure your arms are open to receive it.

You can find Rebecca A. Corio’s books and more information about her on her website, RebeccaACorio.com.

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