August 23, 2011 
Stephanie 
Vacation can be a cruel thing. At this time last week, I was en route to a beachy locale and temporary reprieve from general adult responsibility. Now that I’m back at my desk and back to the routine, my energy levels are admittedly a bit weak. Depending on circumstance, motivation can sometimes be a hard thing to come by. When we have it, nothing can stop us—our accomplishments are the product of the effort and determination we put in, and when we are successful in something, we can almost always tie that success directly back to the motivation that got us going in the first place. Sure, things can get done without motivation, but I think it’s that sense of drive and passion that is really at the heart of true success.
So, this piece on CopyBlogger really made me think about motivation in everyday life—where it comes from, how to utilize it, and what to do when we feel it slipping away. I wonder how this might apply to our writer crowd. How do you keep yourself motivated?
I think we often find ourselves saying, ‘If only this were different’. Or, ‘if only I had said this, instead of that.’ Or, ‘what would happen if I did this?’
When I find myself thinking those things, I write out a scene about it and sometimes it turns into more than a scene. The ability to create is such a wonderful thing.
WOW!
Now I want to go buy that book DRIVE!
Will it help me prop up my motivation? Who knows? One thing that keeps me goins is remembering the great moments in my past when I finally achieved a desperately wanted stage of accomplishment.
It took me 9 years to finally reach my first college degree — after illness, deaths, accidents and everything but the creek rising — I did it and felt like I was wearing giant boots that could take me striding anywhere.
Then at retirement, realizing I had actually stuck it out, I was floating on air.
Next? Finish my book — what’s the motivation there?
One — I know I can preserver.
Two — I believe in my theme that ‘war is a choice.’
Three — I love historical fiction.
Four — It’s just plain fun to research and create characters.
Five — My past work as a writer, editor feeds into everything I do toward my book(s).
Six — My prayer has always been, “God, let me live on the cutting edge, don’t let me get stuck while the world goes by.” And if there was ever a cutting edge, it’s this crazy world of publishing right now in August 2011!
Oh-la, la!