How do you keep up motivation/rekindle the flame to continue toward your writing dreams?

Leyelle 2024-04-14 12:55:31 UTC #1

For me, I find it never really goes away completely because it's my dream. I can't NOT write. But when I'm burned out, I'll sometimes read over my old work or work on a different story for a while until I'm ready to get back to the one that's been frying my brain. Also on days when I'm getting out of the groove, it can be helpful to write a chapter, I've found, just to get it out, even if it's pretty meh, and come out the next day or sometime later to revise it. Sometimes it's not as bad as I imagined it was. And sometimes I can conjure emotion when I'm feeling out of it by listening to a really emotional song while I'm writing.

I wrote Lullaby while listening to "Free Falling" by James Arthur.

R.n.P 2024-04-14 15:17:08 UTC #2

For me, I and my writer have so many good ideas for the story so we strongly believe in the potential of our story to catch the hearts of people

Leyelle 2024-04-14 15:19:20 UTC #3

and that's what keeps you motivated? basically your passion?

2DLenzy 2024-04-14 21:28:51 UTC #4

*Short essay incoming, Lol!

I feel ya on the 'I can't NOT write' (though for me, it's drawing, and storytelling in general).

My original dream was to do 3d animation, but that fire died down after a harrowing capstone project and I thought I'd never come back to it. I somehow got into storyboarding and 2D sequential storytelling which led me into doing this comic, not without some flops and hard lessons, but that's what having a passion really is (it literally translates 'to suffer', so I've learned to enjoy my suffering a little bit). Now I'm playing around with 2d animation, but with a more centered purpose and building up from scratch.

But still, getting away from drawing (or just the screen) for a few days feels really good and refreshes the spark, as long as I don't stay away for too long, or cling to my gotta-draw-escapism to distract myself from a real life. I guess the cliches of "chasing the dream" and "make whatever's in front of you your passion" both apply in the balance-least to me. Cause when I'm balanced, I can make stuff happen easier.

So, uh, when I feel down, I discovered that chasing the balance keeps me in sync -- not too motivated, but also not too unmotivated. Hope that made some flippin' sense, did not sleep well and my brain is a little fried.

kyupol 2024-04-14 21:38:07 UTC #5

I don't do anything to motivate me. Someone else from a different place gives me the marching orders. The "voice" in my head from God knows where. And it gets louder whenever my "self" takes the back seat.

Leyelle 2024-04-14 22:55:40 UTC #6

get some sleep lol, but it makes sense

Glofernwolfe 2024-04-14 23:50:07 UTC #7

A regular reading habit always helps me, especially when I have the block or I'm too lazy to write. Honestly, I'm not a big reader. My partner and sister both read books like they've been kept hungry for knowledge... they literally eat books. But I'm much slower. I have a stack of 4-5 books piled up on my bedside table that I read in parallel.

If I stop reading for a while (I literally went through the pandemic without reading a single book but that was the only time I didn't read), I don't have the inspiration to write.

jadendouglas 2024-04-15 04:41:12 UTC #8

It’s actually okay to burn out and rekindle. Take some time, put some focus into other aspect of life for a minute. Don’t get to worked up about it. You’ll get the itch in no time, but if you sit there and fight with the writers block I swear you solidify it. Idk why, but every time I stress and try to push through it i met with even more resistance. When I allow the space the creativity comes flowing naturally.

MK_Wizard 2024-04-15 14:24:14 UTC #9

For me, it's the fact that I did make progress artistically and more. Everything has been leading up to this and the best is yet to come

Leyelle 2024-04-15 15:30:33 UTC #10

Ahh, sort of like me, if I'm not consuming any new stimuli, I have little inspiration to write. but fortunately a lot of mine comes from life experiences too, it's just that if things are dull for too long, I'll start to run dry. Books, movies, music and shows and such are some of the best motivators for me

Leyelle 2024-04-15 15:31:19 UTC #11

makes sense for some people, just take a break. that's not how it works for me i've found, working on other stories is how I undo writers block. I also can't ignore writing as it's my only career rn lol

Leyelle 2024-05-12 13:01:04 UTC #12

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Leyelle 2024-06-05 02:28:18 UTC #13

Sometimes if you're not motivated to write a story it means you don't know your leads well enough. Taking time to get to know them better, their backstories, hopes and dreams, interests etc., can help you become more invested in the character and feel like they are someone whose story you HAVE to write. You could also try drawing them. Sometimes it's just nice to be able to put a name to a face, like I did recently with my new leads Essence and Dominic.

JogVodka 2024-06-05 19:10:30 UTC #14

Just the idea that I'll complete my story one day is enough to keep me going. I honestly want to see this to the very end even if it'll take me a while.

Hybrid: Humanity

Genre: Fantasy / Action

Description: In the 1800s, an unprecedented convergence of demons and humanity altered the course of history, sowing the seeds of conflict and camaraderie. Now, in the world of the 2100s, a half-demon teenager is drawn into a realm teeming with covert battles and concealed truths.

Within this intricate tapestry of magic and mystery, ancient pools of power house unrevealed potentials, ready to ignite. Accompany our enigmatic protagonist as she journeys through a world where allegiances flicker like shadows, and the distinction between friend and foe remains perpetually uncertain.

Mansi_Gu 2024-06-05 19:27:14 UTC #15

Sometimes, it's hard because of the routine - study routine for two post-graduations - but when I'm looking at nowhere, just dazing and thinking about zero things, I get the flame refreshed. Then, I realize all I needed was a break.

Other times, my motivation gets filled when I write my other future works while writing ideas for publishing papers related to my post-graduations. Sometimes, I go very bold and write AUs about my stories LOL and tends to go a bit further in the storyline... but I think the main reason I keep motivated is that writing makes me feel refreshned, and I like writing and drawing the stories I write.

And I'm curious to see how things will end in my stories haha! Also, if it gives someone the same myriad of feelings I have while writing/reading it, it fill me with joy as well hehe.

rainwang 2024-06-09 04:58:40 UTC #16

I remind myself that creativity is important in this capitalistic world, and that this is the outlet of all my negative feelings that I cannot really speak about.

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Letter Addressed To The Fire is a story told in letters, diaries, journals, documents, and the likes, aside from the main characters' thoughts. It is a story about prodigies of rival groups finding solace in one another without knowing who the other really is. It is a bittersweet story that speaks about finding gentleness amidst a cruel world.

Thank you!

Leyelle 2024-07-06 17:11:55 UTC #17

Am I the only one who often finds watching movies or reading new novels inspiring when you're feeling burned out working on your own? Sometimes reading a story or watching one in the genre I'm writing helps me get into the right headspace to write my own better.

skidiggy 2024-07-06 19:29:30 UTC #18

I hear you on rekindling the love of writing through movies/novels. Sometimes, I'll pop in an old sci-fi or romance in the background and try to remember why I'm writing. This happens a lot after I write myself into a corner or cannot come up with what I'm looking for after a couple of drafts.

It helps to put something on that inspires the mood or theme I'm going for in the current chapter. Sometimes, it's lovey-dovey, sometimes it's action-packed. I hope to never run out of inspirational material to keep the creative fires burning.

Leyelle 2024-07-06 20:01:34 UTC #19

same, it really helps especially when you have sweet versus sadder slice of life stories to pick from and such too

Leyelle 2024-07-28 14:31:30 UTC #20

making more and more ideas.

hopefully i won't burn my brain out. here's my newest one