How do you stay motivated to write?

Patty Blount Hi, Madison,

That's an ongoing problem for me. I work fulltime so I am often too tired to do anything but that. And I struggle to find new ideas I think I can develop into compelling stories. I frequently have long stretches where I don't -- or can't write. It helps to have characters who feel so realistic to me, the writer, that I can't wait to hang out with them.

I try to write every single day, no matter how tired I feel. There are days I can write no more than a sentence and other days, where I can write a thousand words in an hour. For me, it's important I make writing a habit. I now write in the mornings, before work. I get up about 5:30, dress, drive to work, and write at my desk before everybody gets in. If I'm not dog-tired when I get home, I may write again after dinner, instead of watching TV.

When my characters feel real, writing feels less like work and more like hanging out with good friends. I have a new book coming out in August called THE WAY IT HURTS and Elijah, the hero, is one of those characters I can't get enough of. I had to write some song lyrics for this book and even though it's done, I still find myself writing songs for Elijah. I'll have to start posting them on my website at some point after the release just for fun.

But yeah.... motivation has to come from within. I'm not rich, famous, so I don't write for those reasons, even though I know writers who have become both and hope that happens for me one day. Writing feeds something inside me... a need to change minds, to make people feel what I feel when I read a great book, to matter somehow. When I don't write, I don't feel whole. So I keep to my schedule even though some days, the words totally suck and look for those moments when the characters feel like they're sitting right beside me and the real world fades away.

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