Motivation

It’s kind of one of those days where I find myself Googling “Ideas for Blog Posts” in order to figure out what to write about.  I know there’s no law that says I have to post every day, or even every week, but with the Halloween season fast approaching, I’d like to keep my head in the game as much as I can, especially considering I have ghost stories to share!  

Now, the last time I Googled “Ideas for Blog Posts,” I didn’t have very much luck.  I stumbled across a Blog Post generator that, while a brilliant concept, turned out to be a little, I don’t know, stupid.  So I quickly ditched that idea and went back to trying to come up with my own blog posts.  

Today, I actually stumbled across some pretty decent ideas.  The one I’ve decided to go with today is “Motivation.”

What is your motivation?  

As writers, a lot of our motives are probably pretty similar.  We want to tell stories.  We want people to read or stories.  Or maybe, even more simply, we just enjoy writing.  I know I do.  It’s so much easier than talking.  Plus I have a really weird sounding voice.  One of my teachers in grad school described me as a Southern Valley Girl.  He also told me he thought I was a flake and was surprised to discover I could actually write.  Awesome.  

I hated that class.

Anyway, it’s probably for the best that I prefer writing to talking. 

As I delve deeper and deeper into the writing business, I find my priorities have shifted drastically from the time I first decided I wanted to write professionally.  It used to be all about the storytelling, and above and beyond all else, it should be.  But I’ve come to learn there is so much more to being an author than simply being a “writer.”  Being an author means going out into the world, meeting people, being a spokesperson, being a salesperson, being a business brain, being a marketing brain, being a social media aficionado, being a reader, being a reviewer.  It’s like an entire business in just one occupation.  It’s crazy and it’s wonderful and it’s challenging and it will drive you absolutely up the wall if you dwell on it for too long.  

Now, instead of simply writing stories, I’m also interacting with readers and other authors.  I’m trying to get my name out there and trying to help others get out there as well.  I’m researching venues and reviewers in hopes of making one more sale, of getting one more review.  It’s not the life I imagined when I decided I was going to become an author.  But you know what?  I kind of love it.  

Now, is writing still my favorite part of the gig?  Absolutely.  But meeting readers, I’ve discovered, is a close second.  Has my motivation for becoming a writer changed?  Not really.  I still have a million stories inside my head that have to get out.  It’s not that I want them out.  It’s a physical need to write it down and share it.  Fellow writers, you know what I’m talking about.  It’s impossible to not write.  It’s as essential to our existence as eating and breathing.  It simply has to happen.  You can’t imagine a life where you’re not writing or telling stories.  

For me, writing is more than an escape.  It’s the driving force that pushes my life forward.  It’s an adventure, and there’s always something new to discover.  Writing is freedom, and correct me if I’m wrong, but I think freedom is what most, if not all, artists truly crave.