Heyo, I'm an author losing motivation to write because life's been too busy... And I just wanna know what you guys do to motivate yourselves to continue writing...
I really don't want to stop writing but I can't write properly until I'm in the proper mindset to write.
:(
So_mi I'm the same. I guess everything makes me wanna continue writing.
Reading something amazing makes me wanna do something as amazing or better to make others enjoy my work as the peice did to me.
Music motivates me to be creative and sometimes the creativity pushes me to want to write.
Having nothing to do after work pushes me to say fuck it imma write.
Life is filled with unexpected experiences the stimulates my brain. To write means more then simple text on a page.
I am always writing a story. When I speak. When I sing, when I watch. It's all just about harvesting your own thoughts to a mode of directional productivity.
Have fun, dont make writing a task. When you do things for fun they tend to go further then you expected when a little effort is put. Sorry for the long post.
So_mi
For me I just make some side notes on what my novel should go towards to. It takes some time for me to write and think of the characters I should be putting in. I have like a list of Original names that I could pick from, but only a few would be an interesting character choice.
Some of the things that motivates me to write is music, and my cup of coffee. I also interact with my readers on how the novel is going or they leave suggestions for me to read on and put that in my bucket list of things I should improve on.
Another way That motivates me is the ability to write a full long sentence without stopping and time myself. Then I read it all over again and make some changes. Then once it is perfect I take that and put some of the ideas into my novel. Some of the things I write has nothing to do with the novel itself and just some random nonsense to keep me going. It also helps me relax at the idea of writing, and continuing to write consecutively. Like what i am doing right now. I am writing a long sentence already and I do not know what I am talking about most of the time.
Then again it just takes practice and the dedication as an author to write what the readers enjoy. I see that there are tons of harem novels and not enough reincarnation or isekai type novels. More fantasy novels and not enough romance novels. Readers have their preferences we have ours as well.
Imagine reborn as your favorite character, Or got transported into a world full of magic. A world that has a system that you can use. Or a world that you can create yourself.
What makes an author is the ability to think clearly and have a goal that can be achieve. This is The_Cheese. and I hope one day you can continue writing as an author with support of your readers.
So_mi when i'm not motivated to write... i read... a lot... coz i only starting writing because of a novel i read which has so many cliff hangers... and the author is a sick mf who continually repeats his plot over and over again with no progression whatsoever yet i'm still hooked in reading his garbage... well says a lot for that author, he really does make great face slapping scenes... where was i again? hahahah! ahhh yess... so i go back to my 1st passion which is reading when i'm not motivated to write... so when i encounter yet another cliffhanger, this makes me want to continue the cycle and tap that keyboard once more... hope this helps you! glhf writing! cheers!
I'm writing because I feel like I want to 'live' through the story of my MC. Many times, I watch something and wonder, 'what would I do in their place'.
Also, it keeps me awake when I'm in boring meetings at work.
So_mi I took a hiatus during my entire last college semester and part of the summer before. Life had took an unexpected turn, so writing happened to fall to the side among other things. Granted, I wasn't in the best health ever, but I didn't want to hurt myself more (because of time and responsibility constraints) to write. Thankfully, my readers were understanding, and I didn't lose much (if any really).
I think if I had forced myself to write, it wouldn't have done myself or my story an good. In fact, now that I'm back, I have a renewed energy and determination to continue. So having a break can actually be the best motivation instead of trying to force motivation out. Because then, as others said, it becomes a chore, which is the least ideal for creativity. So relax, unwind, pig out, do whatever the hell you feel like, and when the times comes, your mindset will be more than enough ready to tackle writing again.
Best of luck to you! Have a good life and New Year!
I'm bored so I write
I'm busy at work so I write
I'm Spirit so I write
Rak0 this is actually the reason why I wanted to write! I was inspired by one the books i read and had an idea that 'what if...' and before i knew it, BAM 220+ chapters out! Thanks for your input! Having fun while doing it is really different from seeing writing as a task but the problem is... the silent pressure I give myself because of my writers. I feel bad since I don't update regularly :( And i kept going on breaks since I have trouble with coordinating words together since english is not my first language :( and because of that, its draining away my motivation to continue.
So_mi I can't write properly until I'm in the proper mindset to write
This is the single biggest mistake amateur writers make. If you wait until you feel like writing, you will very rarely write.
The best way to do this is to set a simple goal, and make yourself stick to it. It will feel sometimes like you are wasting time, but trust me, as someone who has done this professionally, 90% of being a successful writer is being disciplined enough to keep writing without motivation or inspiration. You don't have to write every single day, but you do have to write consistently, want to or not. The more you do this and the further you get into your habit, the easier it will become, and the less effort it will take.
Also, try these two tricks-
First, keep a notebook on you solely for writing. Use it only for taking notes, jotting ideas, or recording observations or snippets of dialogue. Develop a habit of using it daily, and re-reading it often. This will help feed the garden of your imagination so it is fertile for new writing to come out.
Second, always end your current writing session halfway though a sentence, dialogue, or scene. This will give you an immediate jumping off point that will get you moving without needing a lot of thought. Most of the difficulty and anxiety around writing typically manifests within the first few minutes of starting a writing session, and is largely based around not knowing what to write. This is due to it taking time for your mind to settle into the space it needs to be in to write effectively. Save yourself from this struggle by making the next thing that needs to be written obvious. Doing this will give you a moment to let your mind warm up and fall into a writing flow, and should make your writing less anxiety-filled and more productive.
Hope these help!
So_mi oof writing in a language your not entirely comfortable with is a pain. Hope you get back into it. And hey you don't need to feel bad. I'm actually writing most of my story before publishing
Lol. So I dont have to worry about updates and also so I give myself plenty of breathing room to continue writing. Take it at your place and don't stress
The_Cheese ooohhh i seeeee. We're quite the same. It's just that I really can't write if I don't feel like writing even though there's a good idea that popped into my mind. It takes me about 3 days max to forcefully write out one chapter while if I am in the mood, it takes me just an hour or two.
Now, the thing is........ I kinda have to update for 2 weeks straight for a contract... and I have noooo idea how to do that since I am physically literally PHYSICALLY unable to stack chapters T_T
Also, I will add that writing helps me stave off my self-loathing, depression, and the ever-present existential dread of my own mortality that I live under.
So, there's that.
Immovable087 hahahahaha I see. That's cute 
Clownac makes a good point to. There are a variety of things that keep you proactive on you writing development.
Only tip I can give is have a goal/purpose/direction so you never fall into a I'm stuck circumstance. Because everything you choose to add or not are the details of your story that give it personality and establish your mark as an author.
I contrary to clownac section my works. Making my story as a series of episodes. This allows me to have fun and choose the next scene based on the limits/laws of my world.
Being half through something makes me ponder longer on how to go about it stressing me and prolonging my advancements. I prefer to end at the start of the new scene.
kazesenken yess, sometimes you can't help but be jealous of the world you made and can make you think, "what if i was the mc" so bad. That's also one of my motivators!
“You can always edit a bad page. You can’t edit a blank page.”
― Jodi Picoult
The first step of being an author.
Ending at the end of a scene is usually, though not always, how I prefer to do it, so long as I have a clear idea of what the next scene is. If I'm already struggling in a scene, then to me it makes sense to stop somewhere in the middle, and return later. A struggle usually means I need time for my mind to process, and sitting there getting nothing done is not a good way to do that.
So_mi I've been around hehe. But I'm no professional. I just enjoy writing. Every now and then I do developmental editing with people trying there hand in writing. But I never really tried to go into the profession of literature.
I'm basically just a hobby writer. That writes novels. Short stories, every now and then.
Professionals have me respect. I would never have courage to pump out a book and decide to publish it. Hehe.
Just recently I decided to do a fun project and publish it on this site for the hell of it. Hehe. My next step to developing my writing. 
Clowniac yep I understand. And I agree it's all about doing it the method that works for you and, being open minded to experimentation to continue developing yourself.
I spend months visualizing my work before writing. So by the time I do start I have the essence of the story. This does not mean I know the plot and everthing that is going to happen. Just what I want my story to convey and how I plan to do it. Since I write my stories with the purpose of conveying a msg, concept, idea, etc. In the most meaningful way I can think of.
LostInFictions writing them and not publishing them muahaha. Also use word
The_Cheese hehe yep. Imma do mass releases of over 10+ chpts if my story does good. Lol.
But that meme fit what imma be doing lol
:laughing:
LostInFictions OMG MY THOUGHTS EXACTLY!
The_Cheese I love that gif.
So_mi I had a 12-year hiatus on one of my stories due to a string of offline stuff. I might not be able to give the best advice. I'll try.
For me. Setting a routine helps, using a daily word count goal. Something totally realistic. Like, "today I'm going to write 200 words". If you set an easy to achieve daily target, it should help you write to a routine.
It also helps to take a breather for inspiration. Return with fresh ideas.
Hope that helps.
Just be straightforward with them. Tell them if you're taking a break, the reason for doing so, and when you will resume. And then stick to it.
I've taken most of this month off, and have still gained over 100 new collections and lost none. People just want to know what is happening.
Oh, and in response to your previous question, I've been published in both fiction and nonfiction, and worked in game development as a writer for years. I've also been offered a contract on here, though I didnt take it.
I think Webnovel should pin this.. it'll help a lot of new authors.
Will now buy a cute notebook for this ehehehe
