DIARY OF A LOST SCRIBE
Finding My Motivation
by Carlo Dall’Olmo – President and Board Member of PSA
Writing is a challenge regardless of what level you are at. I’ve spoken to amateurs, professionals, and everyone in between and the number one issue I hear is how difficult it is to find the motivation to write when you have none.
Now don’t get me wrong, it is a lot easier to be motivated when you have a check attached to the end of the script but even still, there are days where the words just don’t want to come out. We writers all have lives beyond the page with a million excuses not to write when we want to be lazy. I know – I’ve been there.
What’s a writer to do?
Well, thank goodness I am here to help you navigate those waters. I’ve been there and done that – I’ve dilly-dallied around finding every excuse NOT to write BUT I’ve also written. I’ve overcome those hurdles and continue to do so. Here are a couple of things that have worked for me through the years – maybe they’ll work for you.
Call a friend.
I often find that “talking things out” works wonders when I’m stuck. When I find myself lacking motivation, I pick up the phone and call a good, creative friend from school. I find that talking about motivation usually motivates me. Writing is a solitary venture. We need the companionship from those who appreciate our struggles and know what we are going through. No one better to do that with than an old creative friend.
Just write it.
I know this sounds cliché – lazy really but it does work. I have found when I can’t find the motivation to write I just pick up a pen and paper and write about why I am not motivated. I surprise myself every time and start to realize that my reluctance to write goes deeper than just laziness…that is where the rubber meets the road – finding the WHY! It’s not usually because I’m lazy, there’s other deeper things going on that I don’t want to deal with. Damn that writing thing.
Motivation is tough to get and even tougher to maintain. It takes an understanding of why you don’t have the motivation to successfully overcome it. With procedures in place and lots of practice, overcoming the reluctance to writing becomes easier. If you feel you are stuck and just don’t want to write, relax, it happens to all of us. Try these techniques next time, they’ve worked for me – they might just word for you.