Tumgik
#definitly a good pick me up and distraction after a rough week last week.
rebelbyrdie · 5 years
Note
If you don't mind me asking, how do you keep yourself motivated to write? I always lose steam after a point or distract myself with other ideas...
Oh good question! I don’t mind at all. I used to have the same problem. I have so many unfinished stories. I would start stories and write a few chapters then get a new idea and start a new story and on and on.
The last few years of my life have been full of changes for me as a person and a writer. So it is not a simple answer.
1. I haven’t talked about this much. I entered a fanfic-to-published contest 2 years ago-ish. I, obviously, did not win and that was a serious confidence killer. I thought I was a pretty good writer, but I was not good enough. It was not a great time for me. So I took stock of my writing. I have been writing fanfic about a decade ago and have come a long way. I still had a long way to go. So I could quit or keep going. I decided to really focus on quality over quantity. I could either write every story that pops in my head and have a lot of stories in a lot of fandoms…or I could really focus on 1 story and give it my all. I picked my favorite story and set aside everything else. I write, edit or format every day. I keep detailed notes and set small goals to help me along.
2. My dad passed away. He was always very supportive of my passion for writing. Some of his last words to me were: Never give up, keep writing. So I have that.
3. I really love my story. It is something that I’ve had in my head for years. It is all about fairy tales and fantasy. It is also about fixing everything that went wrong with OUAT. Once and the charecters it created really helped keep me afloat during a very rough part of my life. So I want to fix it the best way I know how. Regina and Emma saved me, now I need to save them.
4. I stopped paying attention to numbers. Hits, kudos, and quantity of comments and reviews. I don’t compare myself to other fic writers. I focus on my story and how it makes me happy.
5. Sometimes I go back and read an older story then read my most recent chapter. I can see how far I’ve come and how much I’ve improved.
6. I take breaks when I need to. Some nights I veg out and play Stardew Valley or read or catch up on whatever I want on Netflix.
7. At this point I’ve been writing The Swan and Nightingale for 6 years and I have to finish it. I just…have to.
8. If it makes me laugh, it makes the cut. I have fun with it. Writing has to be fun! I work 40 hours a week then write almost as many. Ya gotta enjoy it. If you’re not having fun, then it is time to switch projects. Do I get frustrated? Yes! Do I hate editing?  Definitly yes! Overall though, I love it. I genuinely love writing. If I wasn’t writing fanfic I would be writing something else. (I do actually write non-fanfic things too). I let myself be silly, I make bad pins, I write silly jokes. I also entertain myself by putting in hints and foreshadowing. I imagine people reading the later reveal and getting excited or even annoyed.
9. Feedback. I ignore the how many, but I really really really love feedback. I read comments multiple times. I’m going to write anyway, but if 1 person enjoys it enough to say something than wow!
I hope this helps a little. Writing is very personal and highly subjective. What works for one person, will not work for others. Everyone, even the biggest and most well-known fanfic writers, those who have been published, even well established main stream writers struggle. Anyone who says writing is easy is a liar.
3 notes · View notes