My Motivation and Incentive to Write

I haven't written anything new in weeks. I blame some of this on it being summer when I have a big yard to take care of as well as normal household chores. For most of this year, when I have been inspired to write something new it was usually a poem. Not that a poem deserves less praise than a story or novel, but it definitely takes less time to write.

Charles Dickens wrote A Christmas Carol in six weeks. Six weeks! How is that possible, writing longhand with a pen that had to be dipped into an ink well over and over? Prolific writers such as Dickens may be so in tune with their craft they can just sit down and write. On the other hand, while not belittling his talent, he was married. His wife was in charge of his household.

I never felt confident enough in my writing skill to depend on it for a paycheck. I sometimes wonder if I might have had a career doing what I loved. I do know this for sure--I just can't say to myself, "OK, get your act together and write!" Something has to inspire me first. Either that or I need an incentive, and even then, life has a way of getting between me and my keyboard--interaction with family and friends, housework, doctor appointments, grocery shopping, pet care, exercise, gardening, and so on.

To me, inspiration is the most crucial part of this process--discovering something that not only moves me but has the potential to educate or entertain others. These ideas often spring from one of the five senses--a spectacular sunset, a smell that makes me cover my nose, a song that makes me cry. Sometimes it arrives in the form of a sixth sense, an idea that just feels right.

Serendipity comes into play when I'm at the right convergence of time and place for an “aha” moment that I otherwise would have missed. These opportunities sometimes reveal themselves when I take a wrong turn, either literally or figuratively, and come across a situation, idea, word or group of words that escapes the box. I carry pen and paper with me at all times so I can jot down these unusual perspectives.

Dreams and memories have great potential for inspiration because they can be so intense. Well, I have to admit as I get older the memories aren’t always so intense, but the dreams and memories I do recall are usually those with the greatest potential for writing material.

After I come up with an idea or storyline, the next step is to turn whatever inspires me into a poem, essay or novel, and for that I need motivation--some incentive that makes me sit at my computer instead of vacuuming or pulling weeds. No, I do not enjoy vacuuming or pulling weeds, but chores often become excuses to delay the writing process.

Deadlines are a great motivator. These can be self-prescribed for the disciplined writer, many of whom set goals of a certain number of words or pages by noon, by midnight, or per day. Frequently deadlines are dictated by a boss, publication, critique group, writing competition or the timeliness of the subject. Faddish or timely topics have motivation built right in because their newsworthiness has a short lifespan. Charles Dickens had to get A Christmas Carol into print before Christmas or wait an entire year--perhaps another reason he was able to write his masterpiece so quickly.

Critique groups can push you to write since you are expected to have your work in the hands of the group's members by a set time. The writing group I belong to (Central Oregon Writer's Guild) helps those of us with writer's block with presentations that get our creative juices flowing. Publishing a blog helps by forcing me to post something on a somewhat regular schedule. Writing competitions work for me because they encourage me to write, stick to a schedule and really, really polish my work.

The stimulus to write can be the thrill of seeing my words on a page or in some instances, receiving an award, affirmation, or tiny payment. And the biggest incentive of all is the wonderful feeling I get playing with words, rhythm, and sounds followed by the thrill of accomplishing a worthwhile project. I definitely need to get back to that happy place.