On Finding Motivation to Write

Over and over throughout my life I have found that most of my motivation to write comes from reacting to things.

I used to think writing was a thing that came from within. And in some ways, it is. Maybe for a long time, it absolutely was. Writing was what I did when there were things inside of me that needed to get out.

But more and more I find that those things inside me stay inside me until prompted. Until something outside makes me realize what’s inside, and then what’s inside spills out after whatever is out there.

Sometimes I know there’s something inside me that needs to get out, and I just don’t know how to get it out until I find some external thing that sets off the reaction.

Sometimes there’s nothing particularly eager to escape, and then I see something and all of a sudden it’s like a storm brewing out of nowhere.

But I’ve learned that for me, these days, writing is almost always reactionary. No matter what it is I’m writing about, how personal or internal it is, the process of putting it into words is a reaction–an almost involuntary one–to some external stimuli.

Now that I know that, I’m working on ways to learn to harness that brewing storm, that uncontrollable spilling of the Inside, and learn to make the internal and external work together.

All part of the process.

I’ve got a new project brewing, possibly. Stay tuned, and click here to help me in the decision making process by responding to the pinned post at the top of the page.