As writers, we all have different reasons for doing what we do. Today, author Terri Reed provides insight into what keeps her creating. -- Sandy
Terri: Motivation
is defined as the reason or reasons one has for acting or behaving in a
particular way. The general desire or willingness of someone to do something.
Motivation is a buzzword in the writing world. Our characters must be motivated
to act. If the characters are going through the story acting without proper
motivation, the characters become unbelievable and unsympathetic.
Dwight
Swain in his book Techniques of the Selling Writer says a story is a succession
of Motivation-Reaction-Action units.
Motivating
stimulus comes from outside the focal character, she then reacts
(internally/emotionally) and then acts (physical action or speech). This
chain forms a link to create a pattern that moves the story forward.
This
same pattern can be played out in our real lives. Every action we take is
motivated by something that causes a reaction that then prompts us to act.
This
seems like such a simple concept in theory. The temperature drops, my body
feels cold, I turn up the heat.
But what
motivates the creative person? Why does
a painter paint? A baker bake? A writer write?
I can’t
speak to the painter or the baker because I am neither. But I can talk about my
motivations for writing. Each author comes to the task of writing with
different motivations. It’s important to know what motivates you as a writer.
To then use that motivation to keep writing.
As a
child making up stories that I told only to myself was a way of coping with the
chaos surrounding me. Stories were safe because they came from within me. I
could control what happened in the stories I told myself. I wasn’t alone in the
stories and I felt powerful, much different than I felt in the real world. I
should tell you I wasn’t physically abused or neglected as a child. But there
was chaos just the same. My parents fought. I was alone in my room most of the
time to escape the fighting. I was picked on at school for the way I looked. I
don’t tell you this for sympathy but to show the motivating factors from
outside myself that I reacted to by withdrawing into isolation. The only action
I felt safe with was to create stories for myself. Then I started journaling on the advice of my
church group counselor who most likely saw my pain. Journaling was a huge
outlet for me for many years. I poured out my angst on to the pages of many
diaries.
But the
stories in my head never left. Characters would swim to the surface wanting to
be let out. In junior high and high school my English teachers encouraged my
writing. In college I took a creative writing class and the professor’s
encouragement to pursue writing dug deep into me and wouldn’t let go. But I
didn’t have the self-confidence to try. It wasn’t until I was in my late
twenties that I found the courage to pursue this dream of being a writer.
At first
I was motivated by the need to be creative. I needed an outlet for the ideas
and characters in my head. Then I wrote to prove I could do it. I wanted to
accomplish something that I didn’t feel I could do.
Now,
having written many books over many years, I’ve realized my motivations are
more complicated. I write to work out issues in my life. I write to help
support my family. I write because if I stop I fear I’ll disappear. I write for
the joy of the journey which is hard work but so rewarding when I finish a
story. And I keep writing to have an impact on others--this motivation came
later as I began receiving reader mail where the readers were touched,
encouraged and their faith strengthened by a story.
What motivates you as a writer?
~~~~~~
Terri Reed’s romance and romantic suspense novels have appeared on Publisher’s
Weekly top 25, Nielsen’s Bookscan top 100 and featured in USA Today, Christian
Fiction Magazine and Romantic Times Magazine, finaled in RWA’s RITA contest, National Reader’s Choice Award contest, ACFW’s
The Carol Award contest. Contact Terri @ www.terrireed.com or P.O.
Box 19555 Portland, OR 97224