Thread: What’s the magic screw you turn that keeps you writing?

I just wondered what it is that keeps people writing when the urge to do so falters.

An interesting question. gohn mused upon this and I felt his conclusion was so accurate, I made WF blog of it. You should go read it!

Take a break and don't force yourself to write, wait until your brain is ripe for the picking. Or pooing, if you read the blog.

The magic screw that I turn to keep me writing is the television knob. I have to turn it off. Seriously, I have to get away from distractions. I do my best writing on vacation.

Another trick I have used successfully is to force myself to do 10 minutes of writing a day. If the writing goes well, I will keep at it as long as I can, if it goes poorly, I keep to my 10 minutes, then quit till the next day.

Reading one of my favorite books or watching a favorite movie always inspires me to keep on going; it serves as motivation to do just as good. Plus it gets me in the mood.

Coming up with new ideas. If I want to get to the new shiny, I have to complete the old shiny first.

Little luxuries keep me going. Food, electricity, leg waxings, no debt collector harrassment -- I like those things. Those things require money. Money requires writing.

If all that logic fails me, I stand in front of the mirror and practice saying, "Do you want fries with that?"

Writing is something that keeps me going. It helps release my frustrations of the day. Generally, life is all right but there are moments every day where you have to compromise, perhaps when the world just doesn't keep up with your expectations for it. Well, that never happens when I'm writing. The world I write about is exactly right for the situations that I need and it's a great way to work through these little frustrations.

So, at some point, writing is a coping mechanism for me. On another level, it's just something that I do. It's part of my life. I've been writing semi-professionally for about sixteen years now. Nearly every day I have produced at least a thousand words and on most occasions two thousand. Of course there's been a lot of rubbish in those two thousand words sometimes but that's what editing is for after all. I'm not sure what I'd do if I didn't have that period of time to myself where I could let my brains pour out on to the page... that imagery is probably a little more unsettling than I was going for there.

Finally, I suppose there is the money aspect. It's nice to be able to sell your stuff. Writing has acted as a little bit of a cushion for me. It paid for my first car. It paid off my parents mortgage when times were hard for them. It's enabled me to do countless things in the past, including not be tied down to a proper job for most of my life. You have no idea how freeing that can be, to know that if you walk away from work then the chances are you can pay your bills. It's got me away from some really horrid jobs in the past and I tolerate my current position only because it brings in so much more money than I could possibly sustain by writing.

Actually, I suppose what I am trying to say is that writing gives me freedoms, be it emotionally, mentally, spiritually or physically, that I will always be eternally grateful for. That's why I keep writing, because to no write would mean I would not truly be free.

Originally Posted by The Backward OX

I just wondered what it is that keeps people writing when the urge to do so falters.

Finishing a book, printing it out, and seeing the looks on people's faces when I tell them I wrote it. It's priceless.

There's no greater sense of satisfaction for me than writing the words "The End". That's what keeps me going on those days where my love for the written word falters.

Originally Posted by The Backward OX

I just wondered what it is that keeps people writing when the urge to do so falters.

Man, if I quit something everytime the urge to do it faltered for a few days, I'd have flunked out of elementary/primary school.

Okay, bad example...

There's no "magic." I just know that if I don't keep writing, I'll never get published. Not that that goal seems any closer now than it did at the beginning.

Simple answer: Insanity

the magic screw you turn that keeps you writing?

I haven't met her yet.


When I do, look out.

This question has bothered me for all these days that it's been up. What does it mean? Are there those for whom the urge to write falters? Pity the poor souls. There is no cure for death.

Originally Posted by garza

This question has bothered me for all these days that it's been up. What does it mean? Are there those for whom the urge to write falters? Pity the poor souls. There is no cure for death.

Yes, it happened to me. But, oh happy day, I'm over it. I'm firing again. Shoulder pain had played a part in the down time and altho it's still there, I've somehow put it in the back of my mind. I'm keeping the makers of paracetamol rich but at least I'm writing once more.

I don't need incentive to write, usually, but when I do, I'll reward myself with Magic: The Gathering card packs.