Tag: writing motivation

CREATE

aquestionofcharacter:

Just create.

Just put pencil to paper, fingers to keyboard, brush to canvas, and go create something that didn’t exist before. 

Set yourself free of the expectations of quality work. Make something and allow yourself to experiment with new methods and techniques. Have fun with it. If it’s dumb, laugh. If it’s weird, make it weirder. If it’s a disjointed mess, smile at the chaos. 

I think when artists stop being beginners and start to grasp the form on a deeper level, they often forget how to have fun because they’re too caught up in the expectations they’ve set for themselves and their art. Instead of feeling passion pouring from their heart, they feel dismay and frustration. 

So right now, just for a moment, let go of all that and make something fun! GO CREATE!

sylviawitch:

thesnadger:

When I was in school, one of my art teachers used to say “this world needs more creators. There’s more than enough destroyers in the world today.”

Just a reminder, if you create anything–art, writing, food, machines, ideas, equations, knits, tools, gardens–the world needs you.

This makes me happy.

Happy creating, everyone

america-wakiewakie:

If you love to write, just keep doing it. Keep writing. If you feel skeptical about your ability, keep writing. If you get stuck, take a little break, read, get to know yourself, collaborate with others, then keep writing.

Keep writing.

Eventually you’ll look back at some of the first things you wrote, then to what you can write now, and you’ll be astounded by your growth. Be in awe that you grew, because growing is so rarely easy, then write and grow some more. 

hi! recently I’ve been wanting to get back into writing as a hobby but it’s been YEARS since I’ve done that (cause of depression and school and other reasons) and I don’t feel all that confident in myself….. do you have any tips for finding my passion again?

fixyourwritinghabits:

I was riding the subway home the other night, and suddenly this popped into my head.

The rise and fall, higher and lower, the rhythm between the opposites that makes your stomach flutter and your knuckles turn white. The sensation of weightlessness. Slipping the bonds of gravity and flipping the laws of nature off. Nietzsche once said something about women making the highs more high and the lows more frequent, but that may have been the bitter resentment of syphilis talking. That queasy feeling of a first taste-a first kiss-a first kill-all blurred together. Indistinguishable. Like a child smearing paint with her fingers, but in this case, it was someone’s blood.
Details.
Art waits for no one, and inspiration is a bitch of a muse.

I want you to pay close attention to the last sentence. 

I can’t tell you how to find your passion, no more than I can tell you what you should write about. The one thing I can tell you is that if you wait for the inspiration to find you before you write again, you will be waiting a long time.

The truth is consistency beats passion all day, every day.

So my best advice to you is to set aside 10 minutes and write. Make peace with the fact it won’t be good. It’s not supposed to be. It’s pure myth that a writer sits down and has literary gold drip from their fingers each time. You will write a lot of garbage, but as you continue, and you build consistency, you will discover some gems that you can work. 

What will happen is that you will slowly get better, and that moment when inspiration hits, you will be able to make the most of it.

-Graphei

P.S. Yes, that’s going in Sirens. I just don’t know where yet. 

Some Tips I Made For Arists

damianmcgintleman:

  • Admit you have talent

No, seriously, do it. Say it right now, aloud, in front of your computer. “I am a good writer/artist/musician/singer/whatever.” Just admit it to yourself. Because I swear when you do, your work will become better. You’d be amazed at what you can produce when you feel confident in your abilities.

  • Stop comparing yourself to other people

“I’ll never be as good of a writer as Hemmingway/Bronte/Rawling!”, “I’ll never sing like Adele/Florence Welch/Joan Jett!”, “I’ll never paint like Picasso/van Goh/O’Keefe!”, “I’ll never draw like Davis/McCracken/MacFarlane!”, “I’ll never play like Hendrix/King/Cooder!”

No. You won’t. You will never, ever be as good as them. And they will never be as good as you. Every artist is unique. You have your own voice just like they had their own voice. Don’t try to be someone else; be you.

  • Be proud of your work

Wrote a shitty poem? Song? Manuscript? Paint something you didn’t like? Drew something wrong? Who. The hell. Cares? At least you DID something! That’s more than most people can say! You finished a piece of work. Be proud of that accomplishment.

  • Realize that not everything you do will be great

This ties in with the previous tip. You’re going to do shitty things. It’s part of being an artist. Stop putting so much pressure on yourself to create something great every time. Strive for it, sure, it SHOULD be your goal. But realize that sometimes you’re just going to do something that sucks, and then get over it and try to do better the next time.

  • Be proud of your talent and enjoy it

I’m a writer and my best friend is a singer. I can’t tell you how many times we’ve told each other that we wished we had the others’ talent. This is a typical “grass is always greener” thing. Be proud of what you’re good at and enjoy it, because someone out there is wishing they were as good as you, I guarantee it.

How exactly can I get back into the habit of writing? I used to write a lot but when my free time plummeted to zero I stopped for obvious reasons. I’m now in the situation where I could write a few hours per day but I can’t get into it. I have several plots finished but I can’t get back into doing the deed. Every time I sit down with the intention – be it writing the prologue or a random scene I like – my brain goes into “nah”-mode.

fixyourwritinghabits:

Identify the reason why you don’t want to write. Maybe plotting makes you lose interest, so try pantsing instead. Maybe you’ve spent so much time on the plots that you feel like you’re obligated to write them, over actually wanting to write. Start a new project. 

Map out your free time, and come up with an achievable goal, be it writing for a certain amount of time per day, or a certain number of words today. My daily goal is 2,000w on the stuff I need to get done. I start writing at 9am on the dot, and try finish before noon. 

Remove distractions by blocking your internet, writing on a shitty device, or leaving the house. I use the Freedom app and pre-schedule blocks of time where my internet will be cut off from all 3 of my devices.

Take it slow. You can always up your goal later. There’s no need to overwhelm yourself now. 

Don’t give up. If you sit down and plan to write for 30mins, write for 30mins. Don’t give up because the words aren’t coming naturally. Just write, anything. Or sit there and think about writing. Dedicate that time to writing.