Writing motivation

Published by neil on November 14th, 2007

Over at the Golden Pencil, Anne Wayman asks: Would You Still Write If You Had A Million Dollars? The answer, surely, is a no-brainer. Can any serious writer respond with anything other than yes?

I suppose, like so much we do in life, it comes down to motivation, But I have to think that the vast majority of writers do not expend the energy they they do, purely for profit. From what I consistently hear it seems most new writers will have to invest ten years of their lives before really “making it”. It is a level of commitment which surely must be born of a much deeper instinct to be creative and communicate, than it is from seeking monetary riches.

Would I keep writing? Absolutely! I may find my day-job more satisfying than any previously, but with another means of financial security I would certainly switch to writing full time. Right now, with the preproduction of the TableRappers audio novel, I would welcome additional time to spend on it. Things have been saturated for the past few days and I have not managed to sit and write any actual words now since last week. If it was not for the additional tasks being completed for the online aspects of the project, then I would be wholly frustrated.

We write because we have little choice about it. Something deep inside drives the need to express outwardly, and novel writing in particular, offers the ultimate in creativity, building entire universes entirely from the imagination, and in a form most accessible to the majority of people.

Thinking about it, though, I would not write full time. There would be time to explore drawing some more, too, and a number of personal web based projects to experiment with. A full itinerary perhaps, but writing would certainly form the majority share.

Tags: creativity, motivation, Writing
Posted in Writing |