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Here Are Six Motivations That Work
We all need a mix of motivations to get our writing done. Here are a few ways I use approach (positive) motivations and avoid
(negative) motivations to get my writing done. Since I want to end on a positive note, we'll begin with the negative.
Negative #1. It would be embarrassing to tell everyone that I quit working on my book after all this work.
When our kids were younger and wanted to quit playing soccer, or the violin, or riding horses,
Kelley and I would tell them, "Klassens aren't quitters!"
If you've told people that you're writing a book, let peer pressure work for you. You don't want to disappoint your Uncle Bob and Aunt Velma who always believed in your writing abilities.
It’s not bad to care about what others think of you; it’s natural. And in the case of this negative motivation, it can be used for good. Keep on writing!
Positive #2. Finishing this book will prove to myself that I can follow through on a big goal.
Fifteen years ago, Kelley and I trained
to run the Los Angeles Marathon. The training was grueling and time-consuming. Then, halfway through the race, I broke a small bone in my foot.
Everything inside me screamed, GIVE UP! But I didn't.
It was one of the great
accomplishments of my life. After following through on the big goal, I felt I could do anything.
Make big goals and then git 'er done!!
Negative #3. I’ve already put so much work into this book—I can’t stop
now.
Ah yes, the sunk costs fallacy. Many people frame this negative motivation as something that shouldn’t be thought, but we’ve all considered it.
This motivation kept me going when I was slogging through my book for the African dictator.
It’s only logical for us to look around, evaluate our position, and question whether we should keep going. It’s this kind of thought that separates us from animals. We think about the future, and we are able to imagine it in many forms.
Let the work you’ve put in so far push you to do
more.
Fallacy or not, you’re in this to win this. Don’t give up on your writing yet!
More on this topic next week.
Positive #4. I can't wait to hold my book in my hands.
This builds on #2. In his book Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, Stephen Covey discusses how to begin with the end in mind.
He goes on to
explain, "All things are created twice: first in the mind, then in reality." Everything we do is first conceived mentally before it is physically realized.
Keep your eyes on the prize.
Negative #5. I don’t want
someone else to write this idea before me.
About the same time I was training for the marathon, I was also working with another author to co-author a book about a religious movement in the 1970s. It was called the Jesus People Movement, when hippies across the country were converting to Christianity.
In my research, I discovered the last book that discussed the movement was released in 1972. Over forty years had passed!
Unfortunately, my co-author bailed on me when we were only eight hours away from finishing our proposal. Our agents were already talking to publishers who wanted to carry it. But because my friend quit, I quit, too.
Three years later, a similar book hit the bookshelves and it won multiple book of the year awards.
NEVER. AGAIN!
Positive #6. Maybe my book will change the world.
This motivation drives me more than any other. Books have been changing the world since...forever.
Every writer has thought this about their work at least once. If you’re experiencing this motivation, my advice to you
is to ride it out.
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