1) Motivation should begin and end with you, the author. What does this mean exactly? It means choosing a plot that drives your creativity and setting up characters as pawns in your quest for personal entertainment. If you’re excited about learning what is going to happen next in the world you’re envisioning, then so too a pack of readers with similar interests will follow. Don’t let your satisfaction with your work be dictated by the audience (counting notes, comments, views, etc). Write something you could love just as much even if it was locked away in a notebook nobody else was ever going to read.
2) Talk to other authors. Everyone gets stuck sometimes. Having someone to bounce ideas off of or vent to when you’re losing interest in your work has the potential to renew the spark.
3) Plan in advance. The more of your story you have outlined, the better the odds you’ll commit from start to finish. A good old-fashioned brainstorm can go a long way in the long term when inspiration for a new idea first strikes. It’s a lot more challenging to build a path to a destination that’s completely unknown. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve abandoned a story because I had no clue where I was going with it or why I had started writing it in the first place. Do as I say, not as I do.
4) Get a beta reader. If you don’t have much experience writing then there is no shortage of experienced writers out there who are willing to help proofread and offer suggestions where welcomed. Never let format or grammar errors be the reason an amazing piece of your artistic vision gets dismissed.
5) Drabble away. Take a break from a series you’re writing and let yourself rant out something completely different. You don’t even need to publish it. Just get your mind out of one setting and throw yourself into another land for a while. If it turns into a one shot, great. If it ends up in the recycling, move on.
6) Observe other fandom art. Watch YouTube videos. Look at graphic manips. Read other fanfics. Remind yourself what drives your fanaticism and how you got here. Refresh your fan energy and come back to writing with your interest back on the rise and renewed.
7) Know your limits. If you come to a point where other priorities need to be observed, live your life first. Fanfiction is a wonderful outlet but can also be very time consuming for an activity that comes without financial compensation. There may be spiritual or emotional rewards to the experience, but it’s not going to complete your degree for you, put food on the table, fold your laundry, nor pay your internet bill. Sometimes what’s mistaken for “boredom” with a story is actually the feeling of being overwhelmed about sacrificing a certain chunk of time to write when you’re juggling several other responsibilities. If the story doesn’t help address any of these stresses, it may add to them instead. If writing is no longer benefiting you, let yourself be okay with taking a step back for a while.
/EndRant
– Liz aka Yunogiveitup
for any other writers that need this!
I needed the first one as a reminder.
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