Tea Party (Q&A: Motivation)

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Hello-hello! We were just about to start sharing ways we stay motivated and what we do to help ourselves when motivation has left the building. Grab something nice to drink and join the fun!

In general, are you more intrinsically motivated or extrinsically motivated?

Raspberry

It honestly depends! Sometimes, I’m really good at making goals and following through. Other times, I need accountability buddies, peer pressure, and (loving) threats of looming deadlines to function.

Pineapple

I try to be intrinsically motivated. I try to do things for the sake of doing them, and I don’t ask people to do things I myself wouldn’t do, so I do a lot of things on the basis of not making other people do it. Ultimately, miniscule rewards don’t work with me. I have to want to do the thing or I’d rather just go to sleep.

Apple

Both! I really love coming up with stories and characters and settings, so having fun keeps me motivated. There are a lot of writing-related things that I struggle with, though, so when I’m having a hard time, I do my best to push through because I don’t wanna let Pineapple and Raspberry down.

What originally motivated you to start writing?

Raspberry

I’ve been writing as long as I can remember! I would write books and stories in notebooks so I always looked studious even when I wasn’t paying attention in class. I think I started because some book endings had me like “well, I’m just going to rewrite that so I can replace that ending in my head.”

Pineapple

I… don’t really remember why I started writing. I remember when I was a kid I enjoyed it, and I even held a reading of my super very original works that weren’t at all fanfiction in disguise when I was in second or third grade. I invited my aunts who were in town visiting and my friends’ parents from up the street. I’m embarrassed talking about it now. I’ll stop here lol

Anyway I always liked it, and I kept writing to share with friends and the like as I got older.

Apple

I grew up really loving to read and be read to. There were lots of trips to the library in my childhood along with huge stacks of books. I also liked all those school crafts where I got to draw or write and fold everything together to make my own little paper booklets. My mom wrote a bit too, and I always thought that was cool. So I think I was first motivated by how much I loved all of it—reading and creating.

How do you keep yourself motivated?

Raspberry

I have a great support system! Even when I’m spiraling and thinking I’ll never be a good writer or a published novel author, I have Apple and Pineapple cheering me on and threatening to kidnap me if I don’t give them the next chapter/episode haha.

Pineapple

Like I said, I just like it. If I don’t feel like it, then it probably indicates a bigger problem like a structural problem with the work or an energy problem with my body. I just listen to myself and work on what I want since I have a lot of projects going on at once and it keeps me happy. Having people to constantly talk about things with helps, and having an influx of inspiring things is also really good for the soul.

I’m a big believer in “you have to input to output.” So I always try to intake new creative media so I can output new things as well.

Apple

I think figuring out why my motivation is slipping really helps. Am I trying to make things impossibly perfect? Are my deadlines realistic? Am I being too indecisive? Have I lost sight of what made a project fun? Or have my interests changed? Do I need to add something new to a project to make it fun again? Do I need a break? Did I schedule a date to come back to my project post-break? Because I will totally forget otherwise, haha.

When you feel like you have no motivation to do something, what do you do?

Raspberry

I have poor impulse control, so usually when I want to do a Thing, I do it. Hence a pile of partially written projects and a long list of writing ideas that haven’t been touched yet because I keep making too many plans.

Pineapple

If I’m having trouble working on something that I need to work on, I have a bigger problem. Sometimes I have too much brainworm and I have to finish the other thing to get it out of the way. Usually I can put it off or write it in a note and that’ll satisfy me until I have more freetime. Other times I’m a little creatively burnt out and I need to refresh my palate, so I’ll just watch some media or something until my mind can restart.

If I can focus and I really want to work but nothing is coming… then it’s probably a problem with the work and something about it is wrong for me. It takes a long time sometimes, but fiddling around with it, a lot of backspace and erasing, etc, etc. But eventually I find a way I’m happy with and I can move on and feel good about it.

Apple

If my motivation is completely on empty, that’s an automatic break, so I can stop and refuel (unless I have deadlines; then it’s a really strict “done is better than perfect” approach). While taking a break, I read more, watch shows and movies, talk to friends and family about stories we like—stuff like that to remind me of all the things that make this so much fun. If I have any difficult life stuff going on, resting in general is important too. Toward the end of my break, talking about the project with someone can really help me get back into the swing of things, since sometimes I process better out loud.

Any tips for keeping motivation up during long-term projects?

Raspberry

Having a good support system and creating little rewards has helped me! Usually, when I finish a draft or round of editing, I get cake or ice cream to celebrate. Since I’m basically a child, stickers are also highly motivating to me haha

Pineapple

It’s hard to keep things secret. I think it’s good to talk about things if you can with people who have similar views. It’s good to talk about people who have opposing views too, but maybe not so much during the creation process.

I think it’s also good to have a plan and to pace yourself. It’s a marathon, not a sprint.

I like to have things that remind me of what originally spurred the project on hand. I make playlists and have lists of the inspirations on hand. For me personally, it helps to have a goal to work towards, so outlining has helped me immensely in finishing bigger projects.

Apple

Planning and accountability really help me stay motivated during longer projects. Having due dates and people like Raspberry and Pineapple to check in with are big factors in how much I get done. I also like breaking my goals down into more manageable pieces, so I’m not overwhelmed and I get to check things off on my to-do list more often as a little confidence boost.

Thanks for stopping by!

We’d love to hear about what keeps you motivated! Leave us some tips down below, and we’ll talk to you soon!