From Motivation to Determination

Photo Courtesy of Evgeni Dinev

When I think of the word motivation, the scene pops into my mind of an actor standing on a stage, asking the director, "But what's my motivation?"  What the actor is asking is really, "But why am I doing what I'm doing? What reason do I have for reacting in a certain way to another actor or situation occurring on the stage."

Often I hear writers saying that they write because they have to, that they're "born writers."  Other writers say that they write because they want to be published.  Some writers say they want to make a career out of writing.  Some writers say they write for themselves.  (On a total side note, I personally don't understand how you can write something and not want other people to see and enjoy it.  But, I digress.)  My point is that the motivation for a writer to write is unique to that person.

What comes after motivation, though?  Motivation gets us started, and gets us to put our "dreams into work clothes" but what carries us through to the end?  What makes us "a lifetime writer." (To give credit, I can't be sure if it was Nina Amir or Christina Katz who used the term this weekend.  My tweet deciphering is still weak, but it was one of them.)

Since I began writing seriously I have heard, and maybe even used, quotes such as "writing a novel isn't a sprint but a marathon."  I have heard over and over how only a small percentage of people who want to be writers actually finish a novel. Sadly, I hear of writers who give up, who stop trying to find a home or an audience for their work.  The very work that they spent hours, and days and years to perfect.

At some point, we have to move from motivation to determination.  We have to decide that we are writers, and that we will succeed.  We have to become determined to see the journey through to the end.  We have to not look at the present as it is, but keep in mind what we dream for our future.

I love the quote from Ray Bradbury to "Stay drunk on writing so reality can't bite you in the (back parts)"  Reality changes with each choice we make.  We get to have a say in our reality.  We just need to write.