Q&A with Creston Mapes discussion

Creston - How do you motivate yourself to write? Do you set a time every day to write? Do you read first? What do you do to fight all the things that keep us from writing?
Scott

Hi Scott,
I see you have done some fine writing yourself, so I expect you to answer your own question, too, after I do!

I've always made a living as a writer, but when I began trying fiction/novels in 1999, my motivation was to tell contemporary, gritty, fast-paced thrillers that might not only entertain, but draw readers a tad bit closer to God.

Then, once I got a contract, it was the deadlines associated with that contract that motivated me! I was being counted on to turn in a manuscript, and was being paid for it, so that made me very disciplined.

Now, my main goal is to entertain book lovers with novels that have no boring parts, and that--once picked up--are next to impossible to put down! I want them to transport my reader into a dreamlike, move-like state of pure enjoyment!

What about you?

I'm still learning, and I hope to always be learning and improving. My answer how might be different from what it will be in a few years. Right now I'm motivated by the stories that I want to share. I can't keep them inside. I know what I want to say before I write it. The only think holding me back is time and energy. I could write a novel in three months if I had the time. But I don't so I dedicate the first hour of most mornings to writing.

That is an excellent approach. Yeah, if the stories are spilling over from your gut, you are likely meant to be doing it. And good for you to actually do it. Author James Scott Bell has the Nifty-350 rule….if you write 350 words a day you'll have a novel in a year.

Keep at it Scott!
cm