Whether it's classic stare-at-the-screen writer's block, or the work-avoidance exercises of re-organising your CDs, DVDs, fridge magnets and roof tiles, getting the motivation together to sit down at your keyboard and hammer out a story can be a tough business. If only some learned, successful and sexy people had recorded for posterity some messages of encouragement and inspiration, I hear your collective voices cry. Funny you should mention that…
Neil Gaiman is a multi-award winning author of comics, film scripts and novels for adults and children. He has been a professional writer for over 20 years and therefore knows whereof he speaks, which is why the lovely people at National Novel Writing Month asked him to compose a letter to boost the flagging energies of its participants, who had admirably/foolishly agreed to write a 75,000 word novel in a month. The result is a quietly encouraging piece which offers some sound advice: "What matters right now are the words, one after another. Find the next word. Write it down. Repeat. Repeat. Repeat."
Brian K Vaughan is the creator of hit comic books such as Runaways, Y:The Last Man and Pride of Baghdad, not to mention a storyliner on the kick-ass TV show Lost. He's smart, bald, and in this hack's humble opinion, a God. He also offers a fine line in advice to aspiring writers, which can be boiled down to one uncompromising, no-nonsense statement: "Write more, do other stuff less". He explains that "Writing is hard, lonely, frustrating work" and that the only way to be successful is to stop making excuses and get writing.
Jim Munroe is a writer of…well, everything. His website No Media Kings exists to publicise his work and offer titbits of inspiration and feedback to a community of writers. Articles on the site include the story of how he has managed to sell novels and comics to big publishing houses without an agent, how to publish and distribute your own book, and the bombastically titled "How To Become a Famous Writer". The entire site is a joy to read, and offers the chance to comment on the articles and contact the man himself.
Of course, the living are but mere babes in this game we call life, and to get a truly motivating missive we have to turn to the dead. Writing.com, an extremely useful site in itself, has collected together quotes from writers who have shuffled off this mortal coil. It contains rousing quotes from F.Scott Fitzgerald, Orson Scott Card and this beauty from Ernest Hemingway: "We are all apprentices in a craft where no one ever becomes a master."Good one Ernie.
There are numerous sites dedicated to creative writing and journalism, but most aren't worth the pixels they're written on. Some are badly written and whimsical to the point of insanity, but there are a few shining lights in the dark. Scribblepad is one of them, and contains over 130 useful articles on writing, from beating writer's block, to self publishing an e-book.
