Creative motivation waxes and wanes. A big writing project is daunting. So is a small one. But, finally, inspiration, the muse, the promise of a paycheck, or whatever you call it hits, and we are on a roll. For a while. Motivation’s vagaries are quite predictable and well-studied by behavioral psychologists.

Motivational Hype

It may take a while to go through all the stages of change and start a new project, but when we do, we are stoked. Inspiration is fresh, and the ideas are exciting. It’s fun! 

The Honeymoon

We and our project are a match made in heaven. With great ease we write or sketch or jot down musical passages. For hours. Our project consumes every waking thought. We are in love and motivation is ample.

Motivation Plummets

Eventually the easy, fun part ends, it’s time to enter the tough slog of work—sorting out the picky details of plot, observing the nuances of light needed to render our artistic vision, or perfecting dance steps our physiques can’t quite master—whatever it is for you—you hit the wall.

The Lapse

Motivation abandons us. Many give up their project entirely. Some start a new one, others resign from creativity altogether, at least for a while. 

Motivation Surges and Slips

If we can just hold space for our idea for a bit—non-judgmentally avoiding thought distortions, the obstacles that induced the plummet start to work themselves out. We sleep on it or take a lot of walks. We let the subconscious mind chew on the issue a while. A more grown-up sort of motivation appears: Professional, persistent, and in it for the long haul. That’s not to say we won’t hit more tough patches. We’ll slip and give up. And that’s OK. The creative project’s completion will take as long as it takes. With loving-kindness for ourselves and our ideas, motivation returns.  

 If you need a pep talk from me, comment on the blog by clicking the blog title, scrolling to the bottom of the page, and entering your comment. If you enjoyed this journal entry, you might like to read about Fears.

I started this blog thread on the gritty details of the writing process over on my Facebook Author page, @kbkathylbrown, but think I might be better served putting it over here. If you’re interest in following my writing process in an informal way, you’ll find a few posts on Facebook that might interest you. You can subscribe to the blog from the website landing page (scroll down).