Even More Motivation

For the last couple of days, I've been talking about motivation for writing. Attitude and Fortitude has been the catch-phrase I seem to have grabbed.

The thing is, nothing gets written without those two traits. A can-do attitude is absolutely required to write. Fortitude is required to finish a project. I see it in the new writers in our writers group. They struggle to finish even short stories, at least regularly.

In some ways, short stories can be addictive. They are not easier to write, but they are faster. You can finish a short story in a week or less and move on to another idea. Assuming you have enough ideas, you can build momentum and have a lot of inventory to sell in a short time.

That brings up a couple of issues.

1) Short stories don't pay very well. Considering that your chances of selling to one of the top venues early on are pretty slim, there has to be a pinch of 'labor of love' in the effort.

2) Ideas are often a problem for a new writer. It's the infamous question every writer gets--where do you get your ideas? That's the obverse of the coin that says they might steal my idea on the other side.

One of the steps in becomming a serious writer is the transformation from where do I get ideas into ideas are everywhere. They really are. Oh, every once in a while the muse will deliver a doozey and drop it in your lap. More often, you construct the story idea from bits and pieces collected over time. That time could be days or weeks, or it could be minutes of intense brainstorming. Either way, ideas are literally everywhere.

Another realization is that writers won't steal your ideas. Why not? Because writers have so many ideas piled up inside their head that they don't need yours. Anyone who really would steal your idea probably won't know what to do with it. Either way, the idea is safe for you to use.