I've been concerned about motivation lately: how we get ourselves motivated and how we keep ourselves motivated to complete a task or achieve a goal.
In my case the goal is to finish writing my novel. I've been suffering from middleitis, or half-way syndrome. Whatever you'd like to call it, I haven't finished the scene I've been stuck on for two weeks. Of course, I have plenty of excuses: a bad cold, worries about finances, too little sleep, too much sleep, too busy, you name it...but, the truth is I've lost motivation and I haven't been able to determine why. Today, I might have come across the reason and it lies within the psychology behind motivation and the stage I'm in, which is "the middle" or "during" stage.
I stumbled across an article originally printed in the Los Angeles Business Journal, March 14, 2005 by Matthew Weller, "General principles of motivation."
Weller details general motivational factors one should consider at each stage of learning (beginning, during, and ending) and strategies one can utilize to motivate the learner during each stage.
What interested me was the "during" stage. Often, when I begin a project, I'm full of ideas and energy and the desire to bang out the pages. Then, a few chapters in, I lose my motivation. I think this must be the same for other writers or other goals we set for ourselves, which is why so many of us make New Year's resolutions we care deeply about and work conscientiously on during January and February, maybe into March, but by April forget we even made, until next January, when we start all gung ho again.
Weller states the chief motivational factor is stimulation, keeping the learner interested and engaged. One strategy he suggests is "use a group cooperation goal to maximize learner involvement and sharing."
Herein lies my dilemma, I don't have a "group." I have folks, family and friends, that support me in my efforts but no "group" with which to cooperate or set goals.
Writing is, in most cases, a solo act. I know writer's groups exist in larger cities, but living in northern Florida, I don't have much to choose from. I won't name the groups, but I've been to a few. What I find are writing enthusiasts with a cursory knowledge of the craft. I've always understood that if you want to get better at something you need to play above your level, not so high that you can't learn and keep up but not so low you're the best player. Okay, that sounds conceited, I know. Likely, I was not the best writer in the room, but from the samples I saw, I wasn't playing with the right group for me and at the level I needed.
I need a writing group and a writing mentor. Showing the novel to a friend who can do little more than say they like or don't like it isn't going to help me much. Anyone out there know any strong writer's group in the southeast? I'll travel. Maybe I need to hire a writing coach. I had a mentor of sorts, a professor, back in the early years of my MA degree in English, Dr. Kathleen Hassell. I have no idea where she is now or if she's still teaching.
I know there are online writing communities but I like the intimate nature and the immediacy of a face-to-face group, and I'm not sure I want to post chapters of a draft online at this point.
As of now, I don't have an solution to my dilemma of finding a writer's group/mentor, but I think I'm on the right track, knowing that I need to find one. Maybe that's enough to push me forward again. I hope.
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