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Hello, furballs, and welcome to the next part of my little writer's assistance guide! So far, we’ve looked at the trouble of writer's block. Now here in this part, I'm going to talk about that wonderful little drive that keeps us writing through good and bad, the one that we curse to hell when it fails us. I'll be talking about motivation!
First, a reiteration of some core facts about this guide. I am NOT a trained writer. I've done no courses, no workshops. I don't attend any writers groups, and I don't claim to have professional knowledge. I HAVE been writing for over ten years, and I HAVE sought out the knowledge that I can to improve my skills. However, this little guide is going to have little to nothing to do with technical writing, if I have my way. Rather, this guide is being provided as a way to motivate and inspire other writers here on this site. I'm not going to tell you what to write, or how to write. I only hope to provide you with some mental ‘tools' that will allow you to craft your words to their greatest potential. That said, let us begin!
The next lesson is this: Stay motivated, and you'll keep writing!
Motivation. It's one of the hardest things for a writer to find, sometimes. I mean, writing's fun. Really fun. But c'mon, so are a lot of things. It can be a pain in the arse to find the time to write, and that issue can always be compounded by the utter trouble that we can have simply finding the motivation to write. Motivation can be a real bottleneck to any writer, especially when there's always other things to do.
A good example from my own life. I used to do most of my writing on my laptop. I still do, when I just need to write in bed, which is a place from which I do a lot of my writing. But my laptop's got a busted L key, which sometimes results in it either not working at all, or working too well. So these days and until I can get it repaired, I write on my desktop computer. Which... is where all my games are. Where I watch a lot of TV shows and movies. Where I caterwaul to various music that I like (if you’ve heard me... sing, for lack of a better word, you know what I mean). It's laden with distractions for me. Why write a stupid little story about a fox fucking the hell out of a wolf in the summer heat, when I can jump on Guild Wars, get on my Monk and do a Sabway-assisted Vanquish run of Old Ascalon? I have a short attention span sometimes, and the only exceptions to it seem to be Guild Wars and Doctor Who. So, what do I do to stay motivated?
One thing that I do that took me a while to build up was music. I like to listen to music while I write (usually a playlist of OC Remix tracks in my case). It calms me, and the instrumental tracks that I listen to (see also: all tracks) keep me from bursting into off-key song. It's focusing for me, at least. It doubles up with the fact that I've gotten into a habit of listening to the same playlists when I want to write. If I want to write but just don't have the motivation to pick up the proverbial pen, then I turn on that playlist and look over the work I want to get done. Pretty soon, you can't stop me from writing!
Absence of distraction is a big help. If videogames distract you from your writing, banish all of them from your work computer and keep the consoles away. Take your DS out of your draw and chuck it under your pillow or something. Keep whatever's distracting you physically far from your work. If you're going to be lazy, the least you can do is make it hard for yourself. Usually the reason why I find that I close my word document and boot up Guild Wars is because I've hit a snag in my writing, and it's right there in front of me. I keep my laptop (mostly) game-free, as a work computer. I've noticed a severe drop in productivity for me at least, since my keyboard's gotten wonky. Once I've separated myself from that easy distraction, I should get those writing muscles working again in earnest!
That tip's not just for videogame addicts like myself. I'm always logged into AIM and MSN, but I have a very specific away message I put up when I'm doing serious writing. If you're going to be serious about your writing, distractions are a large contributor to your motivational lapses. The more you're distracting yourself with other people, the harder it's going to be for you to want to try to write. If you're going to make writing a major part of your day, then people are going to have to learn to realize and respect that. Don't ask for their understanding, and don't ask them to give you time. Take your time. Don't ask or beg or grovel for it. Take it back by force if you have to, and use it to write. Don't let yourself be distracted, or you'll find your motivation slipping. An hour set aside each day for writing is more than a lot of people I know do, and while I'll cover time management next time, setting aside time for yourself to write is something I wish more writers actually did.
Keeping yourself interested is a big part in staying motivated. It's also why we writers of large-scale projects like novels tend to stall out in the middle. The beginning is full of intrigue as we try to get all the brilliant ideas down on paper. The end is exciting too, because we're drawing so close to the finish and want to round the story out. But the middle... ugh. Such a drag. You've got everything sorted, and you're moving through the story. It's interesting, yeah! But... you know it all. The intrigue of the earlier pages is gone, and the excitement of the final pages is still off in the future. It's here that motivation can slip, in the middle.
Staying interested in a project is hard for the best of us. I know a writer that doesn't have this problem at all, and I'm extremely jealous of her. This lack of interest in our own work can also contribute to the illusion of writer's block (see also: guide to writer's block), and further keep us from our goals. If this is a problem of yours, fear not! The second guide can help you with some of those issues, and you should check it out for the answers. Never be afraid to change things up for yourself and your characters, either. Try writing a scene with everything from your novel, but completely outlandish. I was having trouble with a novel of my own, so I took one of the characters and wrote a whole lot of hot gay sex involving him. It wasn't going to go in the novel. Never. But it was fun, and more importantly, it was interesting. It rekindled the need to write. And write I did. Try it! Not... well, maybe not hot gay sex, but you get the idea. Use your characters new ways! Do different things off to the side with them!
And finally, the hardest one to deal with. Rejection, or silence. If your motivation has slipped simply because someone has rejected your work, or no one at all has commented on it, give yourself a hug. Now, give yourself a firm kick in the arse. Yes, you heard me. You got the hug, now stop feeling sorry for yourself! Look at the energy you're wasting by sitting there, feeling sorry for yourself. You're proving them right by doing so. You think your writing deserves to be recognized? You think it's better than what they're saying? Prove them wrong.
If however you honestly feel like your work isn't going to be good enough and you should just quit, then there's two potential problems here. The first is that, quite possibly, you're not good enough. The solution to this is simple. Get good enough. Do you wanna write? Prove it. Take the time to learn the language you write in. Learn the rules of that language. Learn how to use the language, before you start to try and weave those words into an interesting tapestry. Hell, just learn as many as you can. I don't know all the rules and conventions of the English language, and I still give it a bloody good shot. You can too.
The second possible problem here is that you're a quitter, and you should drop the pen. Right now. Writing's certainly got the short end of the stick in the furry fandom, and while it's still a widely respected art medium outside us furballs, it is also true that writing can be hard on the ego. People are always going to nitpick. They're always going to find something wrong with your work. There's always going to actually be something wrong with your work. How you choose to respond to this is going to dictate how far you can go as a writer. Critics are harsh. Grow a thick enough hide, and you might learn something. Otherwise, drop your pen. You don't have the heart to write if you don't have the strength to accept harsh criticism. I'll maybe write about that sometime, too. We'll see.
Motivation. It's what gets us through. It's what keeps us inspired to write, and coming back for more. If we lack our motivation, then we are unable to create these vibrant, imaginative worlds where cute, furry critters can run and jump and play and fuck vigorously. Find what motivates you. Find what drives you. And find what keeps you from your motivation. Find it, and kill it dead. Unless it's a person. Ask them politely to stop.
So! You know what time it is! It's rundown time! Here's what you need to know, in handy bullet-point format!
- Relax yourself. Find what inspires you to write, and surround yourself with it, be it music or whatnot.
- Mentally associate writing with something easily accessible. Then, when you lack motivation to write, pull that thing out and start writing!
- Is something distracting you nearby? That's killing your motivation! Get rid of it! Get it out of sight, out of mind, and pick up that pen again!
- Don't let people take you from your writing. Let them know you need some time alone to scribble. If they don't understand how important it is to you, it's their loss.
- Stay interested in your projects! If you need a burst of motivation, try taking your established setting and characters in an off-the-wall direction. Write for fun! Don't make it feel like work!
- Rejection is a teacher. Learn from it, don't be hindered by it. Let it entice you to do better next time, rather than stop.
- Build up a thick skin so that the negative criticism doesn't hurt as bad. If you're taking the nay-sayers to heart too badly, then either work harder to make them wrong, or stop writing. If you can't write without being hurt by critics, then art in general isn't for you.
Yes, those were very harsh points to end on, but they're words I really believe. I'm not going to coddle you. I'm not going to baby you. I'm going to give you advice to write, and nothing more than that. I won't be kind if I feel you're wasting your time. Everyone's gotta take the good with the bad, and I think I'll cover that in a future guide.
Anyway, that's it this time. Geez, these are getting long... Stay tuned, furballs! Next time, we're going to look at time management. Do you just have too little time to write? Do you want to write, but are just too busy to do so? You're not! You've got plenty of time! I'll show you just how much, next time! Until then, take care!
Faora
First, a reiteration of some core facts about this guide. I am NOT a trained writer. I've done no courses, no workshops. I don't attend any writers groups, and I don't claim to have professional knowledge. I HAVE been writing for over ten years, and I HAVE sought out the knowledge that I can to improve my skills. However, this little guide is going to have little to nothing to do with technical writing, if I have my way. Rather, this guide is being provided as a way to motivate and inspire other writers here on this site. I'm not going to tell you what to write, or how to write. I only hope to provide you with some mental ‘tools' that will allow you to craft your words to their greatest potential. That said, let us begin!
The next lesson is this: Stay motivated, and you'll keep writing!
Motivation. It's one of the hardest things for a writer to find, sometimes. I mean, writing's fun. Really fun. But c'mon, so are a lot of things. It can be a pain in the arse to find the time to write, and that issue can always be compounded by the utter trouble that we can have simply finding the motivation to write. Motivation can be a real bottleneck to any writer, especially when there's always other things to do.
A good example from my own life. I used to do most of my writing on my laptop. I still do, when I just need to write in bed, which is a place from which I do a lot of my writing. But my laptop's got a busted L key, which sometimes results in it either not working at all, or working too well. So these days and until I can get it repaired, I write on my desktop computer. Which... is where all my games are. Where I watch a lot of TV shows and movies. Where I caterwaul to various music that I like (if you’ve heard me... sing, for lack of a better word, you know what I mean). It's laden with distractions for me. Why write a stupid little story about a fox fucking the hell out of a wolf in the summer heat, when I can jump on Guild Wars, get on my Monk and do a Sabway-assisted Vanquish run of Old Ascalon? I have a short attention span sometimes, and the only exceptions to it seem to be Guild Wars and Doctor Who. So, what do I do to stay motivated?
One thing that I do that took me a while to build up was music. I like to listen to music while I write (usually a playlist of OC Remix tracks in my case). It calms me, and the instrumental tracks that I listen to (see also: all tracks) keep me from bursting into off-key song. It's focusing for me, at least. It doubles up with the fact that I've gotten into a habit of listening to the same playlists when I want to write. If I want to write but just don't have the motivation to pick up the proverbial pen, then I turn on that playlist and look over the work I want to get done. Pretty soon, you can't stop me from writing!
Absence of distraction is a big help. If videogames distract you from your writing, banish all of them from your work computer and keep the consoles away. Take your DS out of your draw and chuck it under your pillow or something. Keep whatever's distracting you physically far from your work. If you're going to be lazy, the least you can do is make it hard for yourself. Usually the reason why I find that I close my word document and boot up Guild Wars is because I've hit a snag in my writing, and it's right there in front of me. I keep my laptop (mostly) game-free, as a work computer. I've noticed a severe drop in productivity for me at least, since my keyboard's gotten wonky. Once I've separated myself from that easy distraction, I should get those writing muscles working again in earnest!
That tip's not just for videogame addicts like myself. I'm always logged into AIM and MSN, but I have a very specific away message I put up when I'm doing serious writing. If you're going to be serious about your writing, distractions are a large contributor to your motivational lapses. The more you're distracting yourself with other people, the harder it's going to be for you to want to try to write. If you're going to make writing a major part of your day, then people are going to have to learn to realize and respect that. Don't ask for their understanding, and don't ask them to give you time. Take your time. Don't ask or beg or grovel for it. Take it back by force if you have to, and use it to write. Don't let yourself be distracted, or you'll find your motivation slipping. An hour set aside each day for writing is more than a lot of people I know do, and while I'll cover time management next time, setting aside time for yourself to write is something I wish more writers actually did.
Keeping yourself interested is a big part in staying motivated. It's also why we writers of large-scale projects like novels tend to stall out in the middle. The beginning is full of intrigue as we try to get all the brilliant ideas down on paper. The end is exciting too, because we're drawing so close to the finish and want to round the story out. But the middle... ugh. Such a drag. You've got everything sorted, and you're moving through the story. It's interesting, yeah! But... you know it all. The intrigue of the earlier pages is gone, and the excitement of the final pages is still off in the future. It's here that motivation can slip, in the middle.
Staying interested in a project is hard for the best of us. I know a writer that doesn't have this problem at all, and I'm extremely jealous of her. This lack of interest in our own work can also contribute to the illusion of writer's block (see also: guide to writer's block), and further keep us from our goals. If this is a problem of yours, fear not! The second guide can help you with some of those issues, and you should check it out for the answers. Never be afraid to change things up for yourself and your characters, either. Try writing a scene with everything from your novel, but completely outlandish. I was having trouble with a novel of my own, so I took one of the characters and wrote a whole lot of hot gay sex involving him. It wasn't going to go in the novel. Never. But it was fun, and more importantly, it was interesting. It rekindled the need to write. And write I did. Try it! Not... well, maybe not hot gay sex, but you get the idea. Use your characters new ways! Do different things off to the side with them!
And finally, the hardest one to deal with. Rejection, or silence. If your motivation has slipped simply because someone has rejected your work, or no one at all has commented on it, give yourself a hug. Now, give yourself a firm kick in the arse. Yes, you heard me. You got the hug, now stop feeling sorry for yourself! Look at the energy you're wasting by sitting there, feeling sorry for yourself. You're proving them right by doing so. You think your writing deserves to be recognized? You think it's better than what they're saying? Prove them wrong.
If however you honestly feel like your work isn't going to be good enough and you should just quit, then there's two potential problems here. The first is that, quite possibly, you're not good enough. The solution to this is simple. Get good enough. Do you wanna write? Prove it. Take the time to learn the language you write in. Learn the rules of that language. Learn how to use the language, before you start to try and weave those words into an interesting tapestry. Hell, just learn as many as you can. I don't know all the rules and conventions of the English language, and I still give it a bloody good shot. You can too.
The second possible problem here is that you're a quitter, and you should drop the pen. Right now. Writing's certainly got the short end of the stick in the furry fandom, and while it's still a widely respected art medium outside us furballs, it is also true that writing can be hard on the ego. People are always going to nitpick. They're always going to find something wrong with your work. There's always going to actually be something wrong with your work. How you choose to respond to this is going to dictate how far you can go as a writer. Critics are harsh. Grow a thick enough hide, and you might learn something. Otherwise, drop your pen. You don't have the heart to write if you don't have the strength to accept harsh criticism. I'll maybe write about that sometime, too. We'll see.
Motivation. It's what gets us through. It's what keeps us inspired to write, and coming back for more. If we lack our motivation, then we are unable to create these vibrant, imaginative worlds where cute, furry critters can run and jump and play and fuck vigorously. Find what motivates you. Find what drives you. And find what keeps you from your motivation. Find it, and kill it dead. Unless it's a person. Ask them politely to stop.
So! You know what time it is! It's rundown time! Here's what you need to know, in handy bullet-point format!
- Relax yourself. Find what inspires you to write, and surround yourself with it, be it music or whatnot.
- Mentally associate writing with something easily accessible. Then, when you lack motivation to write, pull that thing out and start writing!
- Is something distracting you nearby? That's killing your motivation! Get rid of it! Get it out of sight, out of mind, and pick up that pen again!
- Don't let people take you from your writing. Let them know you need some time alone to scribble. If they don't understand how important it is to you, it's their loss.
- Stay interested in your projects! If you need a burst of motivation, try taking your established setting and characters in an off-the-wall direction. Write for fun! Don't make it feel like work!
- Rejection is a teacher. Learn from it, don't be hindered by it. Let it entice you to do better next time, rather than stop.
- Build up a thick skin so that the negative criticism doesn't hurt as bad. If you're taking the nay-sayers to heart too badly, then either work harder to make them wrong, or stop writing. If you can't write without being hurt by critics, then art in general isn't for you.
Yes, those were very harsh points to end on, but they're words I really believe. I'm not going to coddle you. I'm not going to baby you. I'm going to give you advice to write, and nothing more than that. I won't be kind if I feel you're wasting your time. Everyone's gotta take the good with the bad, and I think I'll cover that in a future guide.
Anyway, that's it this time. Geez, these are getting long... Stay tuned, furballs! Next time, we're going to look at time management. Do you just have too little time to write? Do you want to write, but are just too busy to do so? You're not! You've got plenty of time! I'll show you just how much, next time! Until then, take care!
Faora
Category Story / Tutorials
Species Western Dragon
Size 120 x 120px
File Size 178.1 kB
I've seen books written by professional, established authors on the motivation to writing, so it makes a nice stark contrast.
Though admittedly, I don't think this offers too much in terms of non-fiction advice. It encourages emotional suppression and the advice is rudimentary at best. One of the biggest inhibitors to writing is actually within the writing itself; which unfortunately is not covered.
As a little written article from a grammatical perspective, the words are structured and presented quite nicely. =3
Though admittedly, I don't think this offers too much in terms of non-fiction advice. It encourages emotional suppression and the advice is rudimentary at best. One of the biggest inhibitors to writing is actually within the writing itself; which unfortunately is not covered.
As a little written article from a grammatical perspective, the words are structured and presented quite nicely. =3
At risk of sounding petulant, might I ask where I suggested emotional suppression? If I implied that at any point in the guide, then I need to seriously edit it. Any writer's in a delicate position, with needing to be open to the world around them and simultaneously able to handle the hits and criticisms that come with the craft.
As for the biggest inhibitors coming from within the writing, that is certainly true. But, if I am understanding you correctly, you're referring to technical inadequacies. I would feel perhaps like I'd be pushing my technical ideals onto people, if I tried to cover how to correct those mistakes, and I don't presume to judge writing style if I can at all help it. These guides are more meant to be an inspiration, to provoke ideas and methods in other writers that can help them learn new skills that assist in their writing processes. Motivation, being an emotional thing a lot of the time, is dealt with here from an emotional perspective.
Thank you for the comment, and thanks again for the kind words on the structure and presentation!
Faora
As for the biggest inhibitors coming from within the writing, that is certainly true. But, if I am understanding you correctly, you're referring to technical inadequacies. I would feel perhaps like I'd be pushing my technical ideals onto people, if I tried to cover how to correct those mistakes, and I don't presume to judge writing style if I can at all help it. These guides are more meant to be an inspiration, to provoke ideas and methods in other writers that can help them learn new skills that assist in their writing processes. Motivation, being an emotional thing a lot of the time, is dealt with here from an emotional perspective.
Thank you for the comment, and thanks again for the kind words on the structure and presentation!
Faora
*laughs.* perhaps my own criticism was a little bit of a curve ball, huh? I apologize.. But I suppose I could elaborate on it more.. Criticism IS a force for the greater good, after all.
As an author with a fantasy/sci-fi book in the workshop (Coming slow and steadily, I'm proud to say!) who had read a couple books on how to write novels, I've learned that there's a rather high level of sophistication that either does, or does not, instill motivation within a writer. Though It's definitely not hard to take it down at all, I've learned.. *chuckles*
As for emotional suppression..
One point of encouraging suppression was telling the reader that to deal with rejection or silence is to afterwards, give themselves a kick in the arse and stop feeling sorry for themselves.
In telling the reader to grow a thick skin over critics would also be a form of this..
Also, as an article for help, I find that encouraging a doubtful and sensitive writer to quit when they feel like quitting is also a rather nasty way to take a toll on their psyche, and could very well have the inverse effect of harming productivity rather than helping it. Artists are more often than not driven by say, logic, like say, a mechanic trying to design a patented creation.
It's also an unspoken rule that criticism at the wrong time, especially when unexpected, can kill productivity. I learned this at an entrepreneur seminar. The best time for criticism is when a project is complete, or when a project is on the verge of moving on from a prototype phase, to hammer out all the flaws first.
On a related note, like critics, I also noticed that a lot of people don't like the idea of people writing. Almost as if they secretly don't want them to; even the closest of people. Why? Because it rocks the boat. You pointed that particular notion out quite well.
As for the technical aspect of writing.. I actually found out my process of writing was what inhibited me from writing. Once I solved that? Bam. Chapters in weeks. *Grin.*
Thanks for hearing me out here thus day. <3
As an author with a fantasy/sci-fi book in the workshop (Coming slow and steadily, I'm proud to say!) who had read a couple books on how to write novels, I've learned that there's a rather high level of sophistication that either does, or does not, instill motivation within a writer. Though It's definitely not hard to take it down at all, I've learned.. *chuckles*
As for emotional suppression..
One point of encouraging suppression was telling the reader that to deal with rejection or silence is to afterwards, give themselves a kick in the arse and stop feeling sorry for themselves.
In telling the reader to grow a thick skin over critics would also be a form of this..
Also, as an article for help, I find that encouraging a doubtful and sensitive writer to quit when they feel like quitting is also a rather nasty way to take a toll on their psyche, and could very well have the inverse effect of harming productivity rather than helping it. Artists are more often than not driven by say, logic, like say, a mechanic trying to design a patented creation.
It's also an unspoken rule that criticism at the wrong time, especially when unexpected, can kill productivity. I learned this at an entrepreneur seminar. The best time for criticism is when a project is complete, or when a project is on the verge of moving on from a prototype phase, to hammer out all the flaws first.
On a related note, like critics, I also noticed that a lot of people don't like the idea of people writing. Almost as if they secretly don't want them to; even the closest of people. Why? Because it rocks the boat. You pointed that particular notion out quite well.
As for the technical aspect of writing.. I actually found out my process of writing was what inhibited me from writing. Once I solved that? Bam. Chapters in weeks. *Grin.*
Thanks for hearing me out here thus day. <3
Ahh, criticism. It cuts so deep sometimes, but when applied as appropriately as you have done here, it's a lesson to be learned. Yay for having a well-adjusted attitude towards it!
First, congrats on the book! Be very glad to see it when it takes off, if I can. Secondly, on the issue of emotional suppression, I would have to respectfully disagree and suggest that the wrong message was taken away from my (perhaps poor) phrasing. The only thing I would suggest be suppressed is the whinge response to people who would ignore or turn down a writer's work. Those writers who fall into a pit of depression because of the way their work has been criticised have failed to learn a valuable lesson taught by said criticism, in my humble opinion.
Also, I would argue that having a thick skin is necessary in any artistic endeavour, due to fundamental human nature. To create something beautiful makes one a target of those who would see beautiful things torn down and defaced for their own amusement. A write must be able to view the world with open eyes, open arms, and open heart. And the world can cut a writer deep for that openness. The writer who can take those cuts and remain open to all that is around them, is the writer who I believe can go far.
Perhaps I was being a little harsh with this particular article; I wholeheartedly agree with you there. I wouldn't view what I did was encourage writers to stop writing, though. Rather, I want to see more people pick up quill and ink. If, however, one who writes continues to allow the harsh words of others to continually get down, then I would stand by my argument that this craft is not for them. I could have phrased it softer, probably. I could not have phrased it any more to the point though, in my opinion.
You make a very good point of criticism at important points shifting the creative process. I hadn't even contemplated that situation, and I'm thankful that it's been brought to my attention. You choices for points where criticism should be asked for are also spot on, for what my thoughts are worth. I do think anyone reading this novella of a response should take your words there to heart, Aury.
And while I regret that my reply has stretched on so long, I wanted to offer another dignified response. You took the time to be reasonable, and I thought it only fitting that a good discussion was had, to the betterment of my own learning and that of anyone else who might read through this. So you're most welcome for being heard out, and thank you for providing me with more to think about, as well!
Faora
First, congrats on the book! Be very glad to see it when it takes off, if I can. Secondly, on the issue of emotional suppression, I would have to respectfully disagree and suggest that the wrong message was taken away from my (perhaps poor) phrasing. The only thing I would suggest be suppressed is the whinge response to people who would ignore or turn down a writer's work. Those writers who fall into a pit of depression because of the way their work has been criticised have failed to learn a valuable lesson taught by said criticism, in my humble opinion.
Also, I would argue that having a thick skin is necessary in any artistic endeavour, due to fundamental human nature. To create something beautiful makes one a target of those who would see beautiful things torn down and defaced for their own amusement. A write must be able to view the world with open eyes, open arms, and open heart. And the world can cut a writer deep for that openness. The writer who can take those cuts and remain open to all that is around them, is the writer who I believe can go far.
Perhaps I was being a little harsh with this particular article; I wholeheartedly agree with you there. I wouldn't view what I did was encourage writers to stop writing, though. Rather, I want to see more people pick up quill and ink. If, however, one who writes continues to allow the harsh words of others to continually get down, then I would stand by my argument that this craft is not for them. I could have phrased it softer, probably. I could not have phrased it any more to the point though, in my opinion.
You make a very good point of criticism at important points shifting the creative process. I hadn't even contemplated that situation, and I'm thankful that it's been brought to my attention. You choices for points where criticism should be asked for are also spot on, for what my thoughts are worth. I do think anyone reading this novella of a response should take your words there to heart, Aury.
And while I regret that my reply has stretched on so long, I wanted to offer another dignified response. You took the time to be reasonable, and I thought it only fitting that a good discussion was had, to the betterment of my own learning and that of anyone else who might read through this. So you're most welcome for being heard out, and thank you for providing me with more to think about, as well!
Faora 
And THIS is something I hope I can continue to do with these guides! Thank you for letting me know, and I hope you can keep taking things from my efforts here!
Faora
Faora 
Ahh, that delightfully and exasperatingly fickle fairy called Motivation... I wish I could capture her and put her in a jar to keep by my side at all times.
Boy, do I ever know what you mean with the distractions on a computer taking away from your motivation. Luckily I am not at all into any of the time-sapping games like WoW or anything like that, but instead I find myself sapping just as much of my time on Furcadia, Need for Speed, Hot Rod and Hard Truck. And while I have to admit it is giving me plenty of inspiration, it does too often take away my motivation. Do I hit a snag in my wiriting project? Before I can even think about it, my mouse pointer has already found its way to the 'minimize' button in the upper corner of my Word document, and from there to either one of the pictograms on my desktop, or a sub-folder in my gaming folder. Bad kitty! Bad kitty!
I really need a separate computer again. I used to have two, both of which I used for writing, but one of which I also used to go online with and do my games on, simply because the other one couldn't do that for how old and inadequate it was. But it was still perfect for writing. Unfortunately, nowadays I don't even have a computer of my own again; the damn thing fried and I am making do with an old laptop I borrowed from my father. On which I have my messenger, my web browser, and a few games as well. Because it's all I have at the moment. Ah well... hopefully I will be able to turn that situation around for the better sometime soon again.
Criticism, though. You are definitely right about that; it can be one of the biggest motivation killers there is. It's in fact why I have given up on trying to draw. I can't draw, no matter how much I practice, and unfortunately I also have a way too high standard of perfection, so I am my own biggest critic, and shoot down my drawing efforts because they look like crap. So, I stick to writing, because I know that is what I am really good at.
That is not just self-confidence and egoism. I know I am a good writer, because many people have told me so.
Which in itself, also poses a problem. Because I lack good critics. From the moment I started posting my first stories online for others to read, I have gotten the same kind of responses: "Wow, this is really good!", "This is great work!", "You're really good at this!"... and so on. Yes, that is fantastic! It's wonderful to get all that praise! Yay me! People love what I do when I string words together, and that makes me continue doing it, because I like it so much too!
However, there is one thing I keep asking of people who comment on my works; please tell me when I have done something wrong! For one; English is not my native language! I'm Dutch, and no matter how good I may be in English, it's not my native language, I still need a dictionary for some words, and I do not know all the subtle rules about every aspect of grammar and even spelling here and there, so please, when I am doing something wrong, tell me so!
After all, as I say to everyone who does take some time to point out little flaws in my work, and then apologizes to me for doing so (you'd be surprised at how often that happens); if no one tells me what I am doing wrong, I cannot work on fixing it and doing it right in the future. And that is what I want; I want to know my flaws and shortcomings so I can fix them and improve my skills even more, to become an even better writer. Because heaven knows I'm not a professional; I don't pretend to be. I know darn well that I have plenty of shortcomings.
*giggles*
And this entire post actually defies the point of your article, Fae... because heck, am I ever motivated! Look at how much I've been saying about it here! =~.^=
But still, I very much appreciate the things you have been pointing out in your article, because I did see a couple of points that I am guilty of myself, and now I can work even more on fixing that =^_^=
Boy, do I ever know what you mean with the distractions on a computer taking away from your motivation. Luckily I am not at all into any of the time-sapping games like WoW or anything like that, but instead I find myself sapping just as much of my time on Furcadia, Need for Speed, Hot Rod and Hard Truck. And while I have to admit it is giving me plenty of inspiration, it does too often take away my motivation. Do I hit a snag in my wiriting project? Before I can even think about it, my mouse pointer has already found its way to the 'minimize' button in the upper corner of my Word document, and from there to either one of the pictograms on my desktop, or a sub-folder in my gaming folder. Bad kitty! Bad kitty!
I really need a separate computer again. I used to have two, both of which I used for writing, but one of which I also used to go online with and do my games on, simply because the other one couldn't do that for how old and inadequate it was. But it was still perfect for writing. Unfortunately, nowadays I don't even have a computer of my own again; the damn thing fried and I am making do with an old laptop I borrowed from my father. On which I have my messenger, my web browser, and a few games as well. Because it's all I have at the moment. Ah well... hopefully I will be able to turn that situation around for the better sometime soon again.
Criticism, though. You are definitely right about that; it can be one of the biggest motivation killers there is. It's in fact why I have given up on trying to draw. I can't draw, no matter how much I practice, and unfortunately I also have a way too high standard of perfection, so I am my own biggest critic, and shoot down my drawing efforts because they look like crap. So, I stick to writing, because I know that is what I am really good at.
That is not just self-confidence and egoism. I know I am a good writer, because many people have told me so.
Which in itself, also poses a problem. Because I lack good critics. From the moment I started posting my first stories online for others to read, I have gotten the same kind of responses: "Wow, this is really good!", "This is great work!", "You're really good at this!"... and so on. Yes, that is fantastic! It's wonderful to get all that praise! Yay me! People love what I do when I string words together, and that makes me continue doing it, because I like it so much too!
However, there is one thing I keep asking of people who comment on my works; please tell me when I have done something wrong! For one; English is not my native language! I'm Dutch, and no matter how good I may be in English, it's not my native language, I still need a dictionary for some words, and I do not know all the subtle rules about every aspect of grammar and even spelling here and there, so please, when I am doing something wrong, tell me so!
After all, as I say to everyone who does take some time to point out little flaws in my work, and then apologizes to me for doing so (you'd be surprised at how often that happens); if no one tells me what I am doing wrong, I cannot work on fixing it and doing it right in the future. And that is what I want; I want to know my flaws and shortcomings so I can fix them and improve my skills even more, to become an even better writer. Because heaven knows I'm not a professional; I don't pretend to be. I know darn well that I have plenty of shortcomings.
*giggles*
And this entire post actually defies the point of your article, Fae... because heck, am I ever motivated! Look at how much I've been saying about it here! =~.^=
But still, I very much appreciate the things you have been pointing out in your article, because I did see a couple of points that I am guilty of myself, and now I can work even more on fixing that =^_^=
By the way, I almost forgot; this borrowed laptop I am now using has a faulty D key. I have to smack it really hard to make a D appear on the screen... so I worked around that problem by simply connecting the keyboard from my fried desktop computer to the PS/2 port of the laptop (the mouse is USB). Perhaps that might be an idea for your laptop too? The extra keyboard isn't such a hassle when writing in bed; I'm doing that right now =~.^=
Firstly, I managed to finally get a new keyboard for my lappy! It's so nice to motor away with my fingers; letting them fly across the keyboard unhindered is such a joy for me!
Your computer makes it difficult for you to be able to inhibit yourself from taking those distractions. What I find helps sometimes for me is to sit back for a moment after I minimize, close my eyes, and spend a few moments thinking about the world that I've created. I just wrap it around myself and try to lose myself for a moment inside it, to see exactly what the characters are doing and what they're up to in the story. It doesn't always help, but it can get me back into the mood enough to start typing again. After all, the story deserves to be told. Otherwise, it wouldn't have been started in the first place!
Criticism is hard to shake, but infinitely useful. It's how we grow as writers. We shouldn't take ALL criticism on board, otherwise we'd go mad trying to please everyone. Every criticism though teaches us something about our audience and our craft, and how best we can appeal to those readers we want to share our efforts with. The one thing I loathe about criticism though is how it has the tendancy to make people want to give up. We can't do that! Instead, we should take those feelings that course through us and channel them onto the page.
You DO seem to write very well for someone who doesn't natively speak English, and better than a lot of furs who do. *snerk* I feel the same way when it comes to receiving critiques of my work from others. I had a friend read a novel tidbit for me, and asked his thoughts. He told me it was perfect, and I wanted to slap him for the insult. Gah! *laughs*
Glad this guide was able to help, and I hope I'm able to continue to do so!
Faora
Your computer makes it difficult for you to be able to inhibit yourself from taking those distractions. What I find helps sometimes for me is to sit back for a moment after I minimize, close my eyes, and spend a few moments thinking about the world that I've created. I just wrap it around myself and try to lose myself for a moment inside it, to see exactly what the characters are doing and what they're up to in the story. It doesn't always help, but it can get me back into the mood enough to start typing again. After all, the story deserves to be told. Otherwise, it wouldn't have been started in the first place!
Criticism is hard to shake, but infinitely useful. It's how we grow as writers. We shouldn't take ALL criticism on board, otherwise we'd go mad trying to please everyone. Every criticism though teaches us something about our audience and our craft, and how best we can appeal to those readers we want to share our efforts with. The one thing I loathe about criticism though is how it has the tendancy to make people want to give up. We can't do that! Instead, we should take those feelings that course through us and channel them onto the page.
You DO seem to write very well for someone who doesn't natively speak English, and better than a lot of furs who do. *snerk* I feel the same way when it comes to receiving critiques of my work from others. I had a friend read a novel tidbit for me, and asked his thoughts. He told me it was perfect, and I wanted to slap him for the insult. Gah! *laughs*
Glad this guide was able to help, and I hope I'm able to continue to do so!
Faora
Ah, that's good to hear! I know what you mean; I found myself getting frustrated with the keyboard of this borrowed laptop because of that stupid D key (and because it's the very first time I actually worked with a laptop; I always had the luxury of desktop computers with huge keyboards), and it hindered my writing. Now with my old computer keyboard hooked up to the lappy, my productivity has leaped forwards again =~.^=
Yes, it's certainly troublesome to have all those distractions on my computer. I found that once I lost my last job, that even hindered my writing; I used to le6t my mind run wild at work during chores, and wrote everything I came up with down on small notebook papers in my free time, during lunch and other breaks, and then once at home, I'd sit behind the computer and worked all those things into the computer, and often even more elobrate than I had manually written them down, and with bunches of new ideas that sprouted out of typing what I had already written. Now, with no job and all the time in the world to sit behind the computer and write, I find myself sitting behind the computer and wasting time... Okay, so I always had troubles making a schedule and even more with sticking to it, but that's not an excuse; that's a cop-out. I need to grab myself by the scruff of the neck again and force myself to actually do that what I had set out to do =~.^= Hey, even a cat is never too old to learn =~.^=
I love critique. I want critique. I want to hear what I am doing wrong so I can work on correcting it and make my work as pleasing to th eye and as gripping to the mind of my readers as I can. But of course there is a whole world of difference in how critique is given. When I critique something myself, I always try to be friendly, point out the flaws I noticed, and offer suggestions on how to fix them. That's the kind of critique I also want to receive myself. I want people telling me what I do wrong, but please do be civil about it. Just saying "Jeez, this sucks!" is what I cast aside. And even when someone does point out actual flaws I'm making in my work, but does it in a way of "Damn, you're so stupid, you should not do that because that's wrong, you dope!", then my counter-reaction is invariably; "Go to hell, jerk." But luckily I firstly almost never receive critique that way, and secondly I have over the years learned to recognize what is actually good, constructive criticism, even when it might be worded a bit lame.
*chuckles*
Indeed, not to sound self-conscious or anything, but I do have noticed that my grasp of English is better than that of many people who speak it as their native language. I seriously am convinced that's because it is in fact not my native language but a foreign language to me, forcing me to think twice and thrice about what I am writing to make sure it's correct. Even so, it's still great to get such compliments about my grasp on the language, and praise is always nice to get. Of course. I certainly don't like it when someone tells me something of mine is perfect either; as much as they may think it's a compliment, it makes me cringe because I know better than anyone that my work is far from perfect! =~.^=
I have certainly gleaned a lot of help from all your guides so far, and I will definitely be looking forward to all next installments you still have in mind! Like I said, even a cat is never too old to learn, and I like learning about this hobby of mine that I happen to be quite good at =^_^=
Yes, it's certainly troublesome to have all those distractions on my computer. I found that once I lost my last job, that even hindered my writing; I used to le6t my mind run wild at work during chores, and wrote everything I came up with down on small notebook papers in my free time, during lunch and other breaks, and then once at home, I'd sit behind the computer and worked all those things into the computer, and often even more elobrate than I had manually written them down, and with bunches of new ideas that sprouted out of typing what I had already written. Now, with no job and all the time in the world to sit behind the computer and write, I find myself sitting behind the computer and wasting time... Okay, so I always had troubles making a schedule and even more with sticking to it, but that's not an excuse; that's a cop-out. I need to grab myself by the scruff of the neck again and force myself to actually do that what I had set out to do =~.^= Hey, even a cat is never too old to learn =~.^=
I love critique. I want critique. I want to hear what I am doing wrong so I can work on correcting it and make my work as pleasing to th eye and as gripping to the mind of my readers as I can. But of course there is a whole world of difference in how critique is given. When I critique something myself, I always try to be friendly, point out the flaws I noticed, and offer suggestions on how to fix them. That's the kind of critique I also want to receive myself. I want people telling me what I do wrong, but please do be civil about it. Just saying "Jeez, this sucks!" is what I cast aside. And even when someone does point out actual flaws I'm making in my work, but does it in a way of "Damn, you're so stupid, you should not do that because that's wrong, you dope!", then my counter-reaction is invariably; "Go to hell, jerk." But luckily I firstly almost never receive critique that way, and secondly I have over the years learned to recognize what is actually good, constructive criticism, even when it might be worded a bit lame.
*chuckles*
Indeed, not to sound self-conscious or anything, but I do have noticed that my grasp of English is better than that of many people who speak it as their native language. I seriously am convinced that's because it is in fact not my native language but a foreign language to me, forcing me to think twice and thrice about what I am writing to make sure it's correct. Even so, it's still great to get such compliments about my grasp on the language, and praise is always nice to get. Of course. I certainly don't like it when someone tells me something of mine is perfect either; as much as they may think it's a compliment, it makes me cringe because I know better than anyone that my work is far from perfect! =~.^=
I have certainly gleaned a lot of help from all your guides so far, and I will definitely be looking forward to all next installments you still have in mind! Like I said, even a cat is never too old to learn, and I like learning about this hobby of mine that I happen to be quite good at =^_^=
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