What is your Motivation?

[aparsons]

Reading all this makes me want to go back and keep writing my story. Apparently moderntimes and future publishing is my current motivation.

[moderntimes]

Glad to help. Please send money. ha ha

[aparsons]

Lol, after reading your reviews I might pick up a copy of your book. Initially it's not my taste, but it seems intriguing.

[moderntimes]

Just so you'll know, I write adult-level stories. They've got some scenes which may be considered "intense crime violence" and an occasional sexy interlude. Balance that with a fairly high literary narrative and excursions into literature and the arts, with aside references into painting, sculpture, classical music, contemporary art, as well as classical literature, and the juxtaposition provides a sort of rhythm between the rough stuff on the streets with the educated mind of my private detective. But be cautioned, strong language and some "nasty bits" are scattered throughout the stories.

[Heidi M Simone]

Thank you so much for giving a more detailed 'behind the scenes' look of what goes on when wanting to publish a book.

Because of the details you provided, my motivation on continuing writing has definitely increased!

[CrescentMoon]

I find that I write best when I am very emotional. A lot of the times my motivation comes from feeling strongly about certain things, whatever the feeling is. If I'm angry I write out some angry rants in a journal. If I'm sad, I pour my heart out and type up what I feel. If I'm really happy I write some really positive things. I like to use my feelings and then the writing from the feelings and put them together and try to fit it into a story.

[moderntimes]

This is good, Crescent. But the essential idea is to use various emotions in the writing of your stories or novel. If all you're doing is putting them into a "dear diary" which nobody will ever read, those emotions are going to waste, except for therapeutic value, of course.

So it's good that you are taking your emotional input for feed into a story.

[Jonathanlee]

I find it interesting to read how you guys find motivation to write your stories. I have published a few short stories. And now I am trying my first novel. I usually begin with an idea which I feel is novel and I want to tell people about it. But instead of telling them my idea, I create a story to convey that idea... sort of to let the reader discover the idea through my story.

My first short story : the idea was that when people are under threat they want and look for a strong leader who can tell them what to do to overcome the threat. But once the threat is removed, the same persons now want to have their own freedom and their own say. The result is that the strong leader best suited to wartime may not be the right person for peacetime. I built a story about five school boys and their leadership crisis to convey that idea. When it was published it was described as a political parable.

In my second short story, the idea was that hey! polygamy is not good for every man and not every man wants polygamy. In fact polygamy is bad for men in general. This is because for every man right at the top who has 10 wives, there will be 10 men at the bottom who has no wives. This is pure mathematics. This means that a campaign to get rid of polygamy is not pro-women. It is pro-men! So, I built a story about a pride of lions and a cub lion's viewpoint to illustrate that idea.

How about other readers? Do you guys have any other motivations for your writing?

[moderntimes]

Jonathan, your idea of using a story to make a moral point is excellent. I always put things into my novels which I feel that should be discussed or talked about. Lecturing is usually not well received by readers, but teaching a lesson by telling a story is lots better. This is what parables are, after all.

Speaking of motivation, today I received a box of the first print copies of my new private eye novel, sent via my publisher. Opening that box and seeing the bright, colorful covers all lying there, ready to pick up a savor? That's motivation!

[TrishaAnn92]

Having friends, especially those who happen to be authors themselves. One in particular has been a huge motivator through the whole process. My husband is also a huge motivator, he knows I have a passion for writing and even though he finds the dreams I have very odd, he supports me turning them into stories. I'm almost done with editing but have been looking at the paper and moaning over the editing task.

[Jonathanlee]

Thanks MT. I find your take on motivation interesting. This is because I've met several people with Masters degree in literature who can write excellent reviews and critique of novels, but who confess that they cannot write a novel themselves because they don't know what to write. That's similar to an excellent driver who stays at home all the time because he doesn't know anywhere of interest to drive to. I think most literary programs and story writing workshops focus too much on the English writing skills and too little on the idea skills.

[moderntimes]

The likely culprit in this, Johathan, is that actual "thinking" isn't valued or taught much these days, even in higher education.

Thankfully, my parents (Father especially) always challenged me to solve a problem and think of the possibilities instead of just telling me to do something. And in my collegiate studies, I was also encouraged to analyze things and consider various solutions. Even in my science (I've got majors in both chemistry & English lit). And then, working in fairly high-tech research for years, I was always needing to invent or create new venues of investigation.

For whatever reason, my mind is always going a thousand miles a minute. Ideas for stories and novels? I've got a huge accumulated file on my laptop with literally hundreds of story concepts and ideas to write about, both fiction and nonfiction. My 3 private eye novels have stimulated me to outline and sketch about a dozen new novels, the 4th of which I'm now working on. And at the same time I've got a completely different novel in progress (a supernatural horror novel) plus 3 different screenplays, all cooking along as I have time.

For me, it's not lack of ideas. It's sifting thru the numerous things buzzing in my head and deciding which to write about.

Which is why I'm clueless about folks who can't think of what to write about.

[Jonathanlee]

Haha, your reply is so amusing. Yes, I agree with you. Let's have toast to new ideas.
I am amazed that you majored i both chemistry and literature. That's two worlds apart, one dealing with physical things and the other dealing with people and emotions and character etc etc.

I am from Singapore, the other side of the world to where you are at. I noticed that there isn't many other writers from Singapore in this website. And whether there is anyone in your part of the world curious enough to read about stuff written in Singapore and about Singapore.

[aparsons]

Haha, your reply is so amusing. Yes, I agree with you. Let's have toast to new ideas.
I am amazed that you majored i both chemistry and literature. That's two worlds apart, one dealing with physical things and the other dealing with people and emotions and character etc etc.

I am from Singapore, the other side of the world to where you are at. I noticed that there isn't many other writers from Singapore in this website. And whether there is anyone in your part of the world curious enough to read about stuff written in Singapore and about Singapore.

My father spent several years in Singapore in the mid 1980s. I wouldn't mind hearing some recommendations to pass along to him.

[KatherineEWall]

I write because I have characters knocking on the inside of my head demanding to be released, for me to tell their stories. Some of them have been (are) trapped in there for decades, and others show up and get their stories told immediately. I have one poor soul who has been sitting in her rocking chair waiting patiently for almost thirty years. I am sure all the pieces will come together someday, but I think I should hurry. Her patience might be wearing thin. The rocking is becoming more erratic.