How Do I Write Part II -- Motivations

 Why should I write?

This is the question every writer asks. 

Is it worth it? Will I get paid for it? Those are highly varied concerns that every writer has when they start out their craft. Not every writer starts their journey early, and there are many writers who only seriously begin writing because that is what they have chosen as a career path.

There are many reasons why one would write. Writing for fun is definitely one of the main reasons, especially in the youth or the older generations that were more reared by the written text rather than the TV screen or the virtual text. It is never easy to learn how to write, so it helps those kinds of people to find joy in the writing process before they jump right into the real work.

For those who don't always write for enjoyment, or struggle to find time for it, how would I give myself the drive to write when I don't have the time or don't the energy for it?

There are plenty of strategies.

Setting Goals

This is the first major step towards actually getting something written. It does not have to be anything hefty. Just ten pages a day, or five, depending on your schedule, would work. It might sound like a snail's pace, especially if you're undertaking a larger project like a novel, but this is still a very good practice to follow. Don't jump in if you don't feel ready, but please try to map out what you want to do to give you less stress in the editing and revision process in the long term. You'll certainly feel better about yourself if you have an idea of what you do, and you make the stride to at least plan how much you want to write down on a daily basis.

Various authors have different strategies for this. For example, Brandon Sanderson, author of the Mistborn series of high fantasy heist novels, records the amount of words he would write for a book of his along with keeping a sort of quota on how many words a day he would have to write. Stephen King would follow a similar 2,000 words a day policy, as stated in his book On Writing. (Stephen King. On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft. Scribner Press, 200. pg. 154).

I am always varied in my output, especially in regards to words put down. Sometimes I can write over 2,000 a day, other times almost nothing, or nothing at all. But it does at least help to know what you want to write, and how much you would like to write.

Reward System

Another common form of motivation is the reward system. This is certainly a more effective way to compel you to write than other forms, because you can easily feel the goodness in you after completing a chapter. Yet it can also suffer from a lack of commitment in yourself. Take for example the drinking game that some authors get entwined into. Some writers like drinking more than others (whether or not there is actually a correlation is up to your interpretation), and would even go to the point that they would pretty much only write when they have a drink. 

Authors like Charles Bukowski find it acceptable to drink certain kinds of alcohol during the process. In the interview above, he says that he would not drink something as hard as whiskey while writing. This seems reasonable to certain authors, but I still think it is not a very wise decision to make the time allocated to writing have alcohol as a dependent variable.

Sure, I do like drinking when I write, but I don't always keep those two things in the same slots in my everyday schedule. I typically drink on weekends, holidays, personal celebrations and days when I feel a little down. But I always write whenever I could. Being a college student, I have to write whenever I can. That process should never be limited to hours of relaxation because it would make it difficult to get anything done in the longer term. In a way, it feels like authors who always rely on alcohol to get them through writing hurdles are people who have no idea how to motivate themselves to write in ways that would be more intellectually beneficial.

Valuing Importance

As a college student, knowing what assignments should get done first is key to scholastic success. This does not just amount to the assignments you work on, but also on the other tasks and chores, and conflicting events, on your everyday schedule. A book is a long-term commitment, but since you might not choose traditional publishing, with its tough deadline hurdles, you would have more time to complete a book. That book, no matter how long it takes to be written, should be more important than other things, like playing games or surfing the web. Writing is a craft, and you need to commit yourself to getting something done rather than always keeping yourself idle.

Conclusion

There are no set in stone methods to motivate yourself into writing. Every writer has their own preferences and time slots for which they could engage in their craft. It should be noted, however, that writing is work. While it is true how Stephen King mentions how writing turning into work can be "the smooch of death" for an author (Stephen King. On Writing. pg. 153), it should be noted that there are always obligations to be met. Writing is a commitment, as is getting a puppy. Writing might not pay, at least immediately, but one needs to learn the craft, and accept the fact that the editing process can take as long as writing itself, more or less. The whole point of treating writing as work is that it requires personal investment to make yourself proficient in the craft. It is no use seeking a mentor when you have no drive to learn, nor is it even worth learning if you lack the passion to understand more.