Motivation

Losing motivation can be a common thing with any artist.

There are times when you've busted your ass, and someone, well meaning or not, can deliver an awful critique. Or you fail to hit goals, whether unrealistic or not. Or you experience a major life roll that knocks you on your butt. Or you burn out due to various reasons.

In my case, the last ten years have been super stressful. The family moved 1200 miles. I was diagnosed with breast cancer. DH and I lost all four of our parents. Our only child joined the military. The COVID pandemic happened, and we lost some people we cared about. We moved into a new house, and we haven't really had a chance to unpack.

After all that, I didn't really break down until this year. Normally, I have 200K words written by this time of year. Today, I finally hit 40K.

Yeah, I know. HUGE difference.

Something needed to change. I started taking yoga classes. I took a short five-day vacation to one of my favorite cities with a new friend.

But most importantly, I started writing in the afternoons and evenings with some long distance writer friends.

The nice thing is there's no weird competition with these folks. We all write some combo of fantasy and romance, but not the same subgenres. We share tips and tricks. We write hard, then break to share covers or puppy pics.

These particular things might not motivate you, and that's fine. Experiment with what might work for you.

 One gal I know bought a house with a pool. Her rule is she can't use the pool until she gets her words in for the day. This time of year, she's done by 11 am, so she can sun and do laps.

Someone else buys shoes (her obsession) when she finishes a novel or the equivalent of novelas.

Another writer gets their exercise in first, so her writing is her reward for running a couple of miles.

There's not a one-size-fits-all approach to motivation. You need to figure out what works for you.

In the meantime, a HUGE THANK YOU to Candi, Kate, and Madi for helping me get back on track for 2024!

Villainy and the WIP

Currently reading - Insatiable by Meg Cabot

I was caught up in villain motivations yesterday because I've finally got my head back in the current wip.

In fact, on Sunday, we finally had a c.p. get-together for business gossip and some brainstorming.  After Christie and I picked up the pizzas and I pulled into traffic, she gets all Serious.  It's rare for her to get serious with the capital 'S.' 

"I'm only going to say this once.  You'd better finish this book."  And then she shut up.  Folks, if you've know Christie or ever been around her, you know she can't stop talking.  It's in her DNA.  But no, she sat quiet as a church mouse for a couple of blocks until I said, "I will."

Monday morning, I clicked the file open and got back to work.  Only to realize that other than a brief passage in Chapter 1, I hadn't fleshed out, much less mentioned, my primary villain.  And since my villain's long-term goal is the destruction of the universe, he definitely needed some backstory.

It probably helped that on Sunday, Jody called my 'Vette evil.  Then she added that it suits me.  Fleshing out my villain shouldn't be a problem, right?

Motivation Applies to Villains Too

Currently reading - Insatiable by Meg Cabot

How many times have you heard about Goal, Motivation and Conflict as it applies to your hero/heroine?  A dozen.  A hundred.  A couple of thousand.  (If you haven't read Deb Dixon's Goal, Motivation & Conflict: The Building Blocks of Good Fiction, I strongly suggest you beg, borrow or buy a copy.  Like now.  For reasonable prices, check out http://www.gryphonbooksforwriters.com/)

GMC applies to villains as well.  Doctor Evil didn't just wake up one morning and decide to be evil.  (Okay, in Mike Meyers' world, he probably did, but roll with me on this one.)

In little scene in the first Austin Powers movie where Dr. Evil and his son Scott attend father-son group therapy, Dr. Evil lays out a pretty horrendous childhood where he's abandoned by his parents.  Even Scott wants nothing to do with him.  Constant rejection is the catalyst that send Dr. Evil into his downward spiral of "I'm going to screw you over before you screw me over."  Not even Frau Farbissina's love can save him because he can't recognize it.

And ultimately, he hates Austin Powers because everyone gives Austin the love Dr. Evil believes he's owed.

The antagonist of your story must have his own GMC.  Otherwise he becomes another two-dimensional cookie cutter villain.  Take a look at your ms.  Does the villain's GMC make sense?  If it doesn't, pretend you're his therapist and have a long talk with him.

Preferably not in public where the guys with the nice white coats can find you.

Anger Management

Why is it women in our society aren't allowed to get angry?

Seriously. Kids driving you crazy? You're a bad mother. See an injustice? You must sympathize with the perpetrator's horrible childhood. Screwed over? You must have deserved it.

A few years ago I wrote a short story where the heroine's mad about her co-worker/boyfriend dumping her and stealing credit for her project in one swoop. At the time, I was in a critique group with a guy and two gals. The guy commented that every woman he knew would blame themselves for the break-up. I looked at the other two women and asked if they've ever been angry over getting dumped.

(Insert crickets chirping.)

Maybe it's the difference in the type of women I hang out with compared to this gentleman and the other two ladies. My best friend was pissed as hell when she caught her boyfriend in bed with his ex-girlfriend two days after he'd asked my friend to marry him. And she laid the blame solely where it should have rested--the guy.

On another blog, a different slant on female anger came up. One of the commentators made a good point. (The following is paraphrased.) All humans fear feminine rage because we don't want to tick off the person we rely on for food and shelter.

In other words--I brought you into this world. I can take you out.

Any one else have a theory?

Back in the Saddle

2010 is still a little infant new year, and I'm trying to get back into the writing groove.

I'd so looked forward to December. Homeschooling for the fall semester would be done, and I'd planned to use the extra time to get a first draft done. I was so close--only 10K to go!

Alas, between judging a contest, proofing a crit partner's manuscript, day job getting bumped from part-time to full-time thanks to extended hours (can't complain about the extra money though!), emergency dog sitting for a writing buddy, and a godawful cold that I'm finally shaking, the glorious holiday month ran away, laughing at my ambitions.

On Sunday, DH, ever the encouraging husband, asked, "So when are you sending more queries out? And when are you going to finish ZW? I want to find out what happens next." (He just finished Lilith Saintcrow's latest Jill Kismet book, Flesh Circus. Can you tell he's bored?)

So, I'm inching forward on ZW. Hey, 100 words so far this week is a start! The question becomes how much more can I get done before the chocolate martini party on Friday at classy Christie Craig's house to celebrate the completion of her 10th book?