Motivation, Where Are You?

I’ve been back from my vacation for two weeks and have yet to post a blog. I’ve thought about it but just couldn’t get to it until now. I figured the best way to post the blog was doing it on why I wasn’t posting the blog. Motivation is the big thing.

When I am working on a writing project, it is hard for me to take a break and write a blog. My current project is a short story that has the characters from my second Mitch Malone Mystery series. It will be coming out in June with a working title of A Case of the Accidental Intersection. One of the characters, Elsie Dobson, I fell in love with. I had to do something else with her character and that started the short story. Mitch Malone is also prominent. I hope to have more information on the short story in a later blog. As you can see from my little detour here, I get very into the work in progress. So back to motivation…

I am the best procrastinator. I work best with hard and fast deadlines. That comes from my days as a newspaper reporter where the deadlines were mandatory and inflexible. With the blog, I haven’t forced myself to set any deadlines. That needs to change but to what, I haven’t decided. I’m thinking at least twice a week. On the Murder Must Advertise loop they have been discussing blogging and I’m learning loads. Blogs must remain fresh and there are many good ones. I’m working in that direction but it is so hard to stay motivated. I’m beginning to hate that word.

For me, the best motivation is to just get started. Quit waiting around and just get to work. Once I start a project, I can usually keep it going. Even if it is horrible at the beginning, and many times it is, within a short time it does get better or there is something of value that starts to take shape or I get a great idea that takes it in a totally different direction. That is what works for me and guess what? I’m posting this blog today. How’s that for motivating me into a posting on motivation? What works for motivating you?

Getting Motivated, Please Help!

How come when you finish a big project you give yourself permission for a little down time and before you know it, you don’t know how to get started again. That’s how this past week has been for me. On Sunday, I sent A Case of the Accidental Intersection, my second book in the Mitch Malone Mystery Series to the publisher, Oak Tree Press. That was a huge relief and I did a major happy danced and beamed for the rest of the day. I also gave myself permission to not really do anything on Monday. Well, here it is Wednesday and I’m trying to get motivated and well, it just isn’t working.

The good news is that I had two really good guest blogs. One on Tuesday at Creatures and Crooks Books at (http://www.cncbooks.com/blog/2010/02/09/crime-reporter-mitch-malone-checks-in/ and another one today by fellow Oak Tree Press author F.M. aka Marilyn Meredith’s blog, Marilyn’s Musings. (http://marilynmeredith.blogspot.com/) Marilyn is in charge of getting the speakers for the Public Safety Writer’s Conference in June in sunny Las Vegas. She has some great ones lines up. Check out the line up at http://www.policewriter.com/ Conference/conference.htm . I went last year and it was great! I walked away with some great writing tips, great contacts and some really good friends. I highly recommend it. I’m looking for a cheap flight for this year.

Now I have those shameless plugs out of the way, I have to get back to my topic of getting back to work. I am truly wrung out though. I have no idea what I want to work on. Do you ever feel like that? So many things you want to do and no idea where to start? Tell me how you motivated yourself. I really need some ideas!