Motivation is weird?

[kmlangleyauthor]

I had this idea for a new story last week and I’ve been working on it over the past couple days, but somehow I’m not super excited about writing this story. But I can’t seem to stop writing. I keep having more ideas and plot points. Character arcs. And all the while, I kind of want to be working on other stories

Which is entirely backward from how I usually am. My “normal” is having characters and a storyline that I love and I’m excited about... but when I go to write, I hit the proverbial block. So feeling “inspired” to write and being vaguely meh about the characters and story is reeeeallllyyyy strange for me

Is it depression? Does this story just suck?? Am I stressed out of my *bleeping *mind? Maybe! Who knows? Why can’t motivation and inspiration just be friends???

[WisdomChimp]

I usually feel like writing something that isn't mine. It's kinda a "it ain't mine, so i won't worry about it" type relationship. I'm not just writing anything, especially when working on someone else's story, but it's mostly because i don't feel too pressured.

Usually the pressure keeps me in a state of writer's block because the story is mine, the development is mine, and overall quality of it is mine.

So what i believe you might be going through is a trade of a story you're not pressured by vs your passion project you're not completely confident about.

It could be something else, though.

[Rhonder]

I'm in a similar-but-different weird place rn.

I have my next "main" project that I've been working on writing for the last several weeks. It's an idea that I had on the back burner for a long time (and generated ideas for over time) that I finally decided that I want to tackle next, So I was super excited to get started on it! But much like your 2nd paragraph, it's like... I'm simultaneously excited to work on it, but the more I push into the first draft of the outline the more questions keep coming up, and trying to answer those pushes me away from wanting to work on it as much xD

Meanwhile i've recently started up a "side" project based on a tabletop RPG campaign I've recently joined and I've been cranking through that like mad. I think the 2 main factors are:

1.) I don't actually have to do much writing for it, as most of the dialogue is already made by the other players- I reword things slightly but it's all already on the table.

2.) I've also let myself be a little faster/sloppy with the art on this one, which still looks pretty good tbh and lets me finish strips a lot more quickly.

But so it's like the "quick and dirty" side project has taken over most of my time because it's like... instant gratification xD As it stands, I'm just gonna keep chipping away at both of them as I'm able to~ The important thing is that both projects are still fun so even though one has an awesome concept but is a drag to work on and the other one is like creative junk food, it all works out in the end @u@;;

[kmlangleyauthor]

So what i believe you might be going through is a trade of a story you're not pressured by vs your passion project you're not completely confident about.

This is highly likely and I don’t know how I didn’t see that before you mentioned it

I've also let myself be a little faster/sloppy with the art on this one, which still looks pretty good tbh and lets me finish strips a lot more quickly.

But so it's like the "quick and dirty" side project has taken over most of my time because it's like... instant gratification xD

Yes! This! I think it’s the instant gratification + not really caring how “good” the story and dialogue is. It’s just exists. I mean, it’s fine, but it’s not a story that I’m thinking I should post anywhere, by any means

[foxnflames]

I have the motivation to update my series banner but every time i look at my screen i forget how to draw? But if i want to do a quick doodle of whatever i can knock it out in like 30 minutes.

[kmlangleyauthor]

Just for fun he other day, I decided to draw a chibi (of an existing character!) and it ended up looking like a 3 year old had drawn it? It was so bad So now it stares at me in judgement every time I go to draw anything...

[foxnflames]

I tried to draw a fox and i could not get the fur how i wanted so i aggressively gave up. And when i did my first cover and thumbnail, A MESS! But I hate doing proportions for chibi characters. I find a base and trace it

[Riisana]

I clicked on your profile and then I saw the big mood:
"Sometimes I’m okay and sometimes I suck at life."

This is pretty much me.
But yup! Motivation is weird

[kmlangleyauthor]

Fur is SO HARD!! I only started doing digital art this past April so I’m still a hard core newbie on that side of things, but I’ve been hand drawing a bunch of animals recently and, seriously! Animals and fur is insanely hard!!

[kmlangleyauthor]

Haha I forgot that’s what I had there
So freaking weird

[foxnflames]

I started digital art in June and the learning curve is HUGE. And I don't even think I can draw animals the fox itself was good but then I erased everything and went back to my thumbnail. I suck at fur but i can draw beautiful men.

[kmlangleyauthor]

Yes! Such an intense learning curve!! I actually found a little drawing to mimic and I sketched it out by hand first, taking me approx 5 minutes, then sketched it out digitally... taking me 2 hours and it was a really simple little drawing lol (I’ve definitely gotten better since then but I’m still really slow.)

Umm, by all means, draw all the beautiful men

[Green]

Motivation is like a poison apple.

[artemficta]

If I'm not passionate about the work I usually think that's a good point to drop it since my lack of passion will show through to readers, not to mention make it incredibly difficult to draw as a comic and promote.

Actually this exact thing did happen to me in the version of my comic I wrote before my current one. I wrote the whole script for that version, but I wasn't passionate about it so I ended up going back to a previous version I was more passionate about and reworking that one. That one is now my current comic that I'm happy with.

[joannekwan]

Hm, sometimes you have to do a bit of reflecting.
Perhaps you can add something a bit self-indulgent to get you excited about this particular story like including a romance, revenge, or a 'boy and his dog' subplot, whatever you really like.

As for the characters, sometimes it's all about connecting with them on a certain level that can drive your motivation to essentially 'deal' with them. For example, I was having a hard time figuring out a love interest. He was basically blank-faced in my mind and I had only a weak idea about his mannerisms. That was until I realized that 80's Sam Elliott would be a great base to mold him around, the look, the way he talks, etc. It really brought my character to life and I finally found myself enjoying writing his character.

[kmlangleyauthor]

Motivation is like a poison apple.

I would love for you to clarify

If I'm not passionate about the work I usually think that's a good point to drop it since my lack of passion will show through to readers

If I have a story in my head for more than about 2 hours, I have to write or else it’ll just rattle around in my brain and make me feel crazy. Usually when I get these little inspirations, it’s a certain character and I’ll write 3-5 pages, get it out of my head, and never have anything else to add. I have TONS of these little tiny “snapshots” of stories. I think they’re good writing exercise and can be good for character development.

Occasionally, those little snapshots grow exponentially from their tiny idea, and that’s what happened with this one. I’m already 12 pages in and I just... I don’t know. I will point out that the story I’m posting right now is literally the first time I’ve ever let anyone read anything I’ve written... so the likelihood of ever posting this story is slim to none

[kmlangleyauthor]

Perhaps you can add something a bit self-indulgent to get you excited about this particular story

I think you might be right. I had a vague “clear” idea of how the story was going to go but some of the characters are not cooperating... I think I need to let them do their own thing to a certain extent.

When I wrote the first page, my brain was like, “these two will end up together!” But another character came along and I think they’ll be a better love interest... It hit me last night at midnight that the initial love interest kind of has their own storyline and just personality wise isn’t quite right.

sometimes it's all about connecting with them on a certain leve

I’ve been so weirdly motivated to get all the “events” written down that a lot of my characters seem weirdly blank? Despite the fact that I have full backstories and (mental) character sheets for them? So, just for fun, I might try to write from each of their POVs and (actually) write out some character sheets and if I’m still apathetic after that, I’ll come back to it in a month.

That said, I’m under a massive amount of stress right now and that might be affecting my judgement on...well, everything. Hopefully life will settle down to a reasonable level of stress soon and I’ll reassess how I feel about various things I’ve written. Writing can be such a good stress relief for me but it doesn’t mean I always like what I’ve written

[foxnflames]

When I wrote the first page, my brain was like, “these two will end up together!” But another character came along and I think they’ll be a better love interest... It hit me last night at midnight that the initial love interest kind of has their own storyline and just personality wise isn’t quite right.

Don't you love when you already have your OTP then you build up another character and you're like noooo they're cute too

[kmlangleyauthor]

Umm. Except that third character already kind of had a significant other things about to get messy!

[foxnflames]

I love mess! I need to get the mess started in my story