What’s your emotional motivation to write a book and why that is different from your book writing why.
“Discontent is the nagging of the imagination. Discontent is evidence that your imagination has not given up on you. It is still pressing, swelling, trying to get your attention by whispering: “Not this.”
Glennon Doyle
What’s your emotional motivation to write?
This might seem like a question better suited for actors than for writers – what’s my motivation? I’m posing the question of your writing motivation to writers like us because it’s easy to get wrapped up in our immediate and more concrete motivations, like hitting word counts, building a daily writing habit, and finishing your book.
Your writing motivation, on an emotional level, is different from the WHY powering your book project. Like, for instance, sharing your career lessons to leave a legacy for those following in your footsteps.
I’m talking about your emotional motivation to write. The emotional trigger that compels you to put words onto paper. To be a writer at all.
>Maybe it’s to affect change, or to express anger at an injustice, or to relieve the discomfort of a story you’ve been carrying around that you need to let out (including your life stories).
>Or perhaps your emotional motivation to write comes from the discomfort you feel when you’re not writing.
>Or maybe it’s simply the joy and fun of writing.
It could be none, some, or all of those things. What is your emotional motivation to write?
Another related question to journal on – Can you be emotionally motivated when all your life needs are met? When there is no discontent, and no friction of wants or needs, is there still ambition? What is the value of discontent in your writing process?
I hope these questions add depth and insights to your author journey and if you feel compelled, please visit my Ink Authors group to spark a conversation around today’s questions!
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3 Questions to Fuel Your Writing Motivation
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